November 2008
Remote Software
Remote access programs are useful and efficient in so many ways. The main focus of this technology is to basically make the office accessible from anywhere that has an internet connection.
These days the line between work and home are being blurred with employees working over 50 hours a week in some cases. This is where remote software comes in. It allows employees to work from as if they were in the office.
You may want to transfer files between your laptop and office PC. You might need to access a file left behind on your desktop computer. Or perhaps you need to access company resources on a local area network. Remote Access Programs are the solution to your queries and problems.
Remote Access Programs like file transfer utilities, remote-node servers and remote-control software are specially designed for those people who need remote access to the office network and resources. File transfer utilities, such as LapLink for Windows 95, are inexpensive, easy-to-use packages that allow local or remote users to move files between PCs via a modem or cable.
Remote-node server products, such as NetRider and LANgate, are designed for small branch offices searching for an affordable, simple remote access solution. Remote-node systems contain file transfer utilities that allow you to transfer files directly to and from any networked PC’s hard drive. This saves you the time and hassle of going to the remote user’s location to make configuration changes.
Remote-control software, such as GoToMyPC allow the user to control the computer that’s sitting in the office as if they were sitting in front of it. It opens up a browser window that displays the desktop screen of the host computer.
Using remote software makes life a lot easier when outside the office. One main drawback of remote software is the security issue. Good remote software will allow full control to the authorized user but at the same time make sure un-authorized users do not have access.
For more great technology related articles and reviews please visit the links below:
http://www.technologyslice.com/Articles.htm
http://www.technologyslice.com/Reviews.htm
http://www.technologyslice.com
Punta Nord Est in Castellammare Del Golfo
Punta Nord Est is a affordable 3 star hotel in Castellammare del Golfo, located in Viale Leonardo Da Vinci 67
Situated in the centre of the Castellammare Gulf, Hotel Punta Nord- Est is the perfect location for a relaxing holiday or for a business trip. It is ideally placed on the seafront and is just a stones throw from the town’s historic centre.
The hotel boasts 57 rooms, swimming pool, bar, internet access, meeting room, private parking and garage.
A few meters away there is a long wide and sandy beach equipped with deckchairs and beach umbrellas.
The hotel provides an excellent base for visiting the most well known attractions of this area: the Greek temple and amphitheatre of Segesta, the enchanting setting of Scopello with its tuna fishery and ‘faraglioni’, the ‘Zingaro’ nature reserve and its spectacular coastline (15 minutes drive). Palermo, Monreale, the medieval hill top town of Erice and the Greek ruins at Selinunte can also be easily reached (around 30 minutes drive).
Property Amenities
24-hour front desk
Air-conditioned public areas
Number of suites: 1
Number of floors: 5
Bar/lounge
Complimentary newspapers in lobby
Elevator/lift
Porter/bellhop
Room service
Laundry service
Fax machine
Wheelchair accessible
Room Amenities
Air conditioning
Telephone
Refrigerator
Minibar
Hair dryer
Iron/ironing board
Television
Wheelchair accessible
Other than Punta Nord Est, you can browse our offers for other accommodations in Castellammare del Golfo, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Tours all over Italy; tourist information about Italy can be found on World 66
The Exploding Universal Real Estate Markets — Futhered by The PropertyIndex.com Company
Want to invest in Spanish real estate? Check out the Property Index inventory of properties for sale in Spain here!
Even though the Property Index service is still a new kid on the block syndicate, starting their business only in March of 2007, they have swiftly proven their mettle. As a matter of fact, they are a extraordinarily hassle-free syndicate fully concentrated on offering experienced guidance to any individual contemplating to buy estate across the globe. Their avowal is to lend you a hand to locate precisely what’s desired fast as well as, of course, in a trouble-free manner. Real property can easily be found in a wide selection of areas across the globe these days, unquestionably the elite area being property on the market in Spain. It’s no big challenge to write a list of the good real estate available in Spain, the reason for looking into property here is a combination of the houses and apartments on the market and the possibility of living with such a welcoming people.
It is one of the most fashionable areas these days, and considering the beauty and wonderful weather surrounding you all year, how could you say no… Real property in Spain is very rich in history and culture, this region has been and is still home to a lot of civilizations. Only one generation ago you would find just a trickle of Britons looking for real estate in Spain. Ask any one person who has emigrated to Spain and they will tell you the same thing. Lots of people would term it a temporary trend and others term it a that’s more or less an addiction… People willing to remove to this place may extend from young couples keen on a challenge in life to OAPs who want to put their feet up and enjoy themselves.
Note that there can be catches when purchasing real estate in a foreign market — as is to be expected, there will be a hundred differentiated procedures be it when scheduling, surveying or buying and completing. Even if one single minute step is missed it may well create comprehensive catches as well as, more importantly, money loss. Naturally, as is to be counted on with this sought after destination, real estate may be incredibly high-priced in this place which is, of course, purely due to the wide spread demand. Despite this clients are patently spoiled in a region so rich in happy topography and surroundings. It offers almost all a client might really fall for, and plenty more.
Games Consoles - Buy From a Trusted Retailer
Are you at this time anticipating jumping into the titillating sphere of next generation videogaming? There are quite a few particular types of gaming consoles to select from all with particular specifications and proprietary games in stock on each. Making the vital decision as to which gaming-console is perfect for you presently can often be an overwhelming mission; but with a little help from the helpful John Lewis shopping guide you will be relishing new versions of your favourite video games in short order.
Remember, you also have the vital choice to make betwixt a hand held and desk-top games machine? The final decision is really quite conditional on where abouts you at this current time enjoy playing video games - are you the kind of gamer who is disposed to while away a night in front of an Sony Play Station 3? Or maybe you currently like to game on your Nintendo DS Lite while you speed to and from school? Or perhaps you’re a truly devoted gamer and simply cant survive without some video games action regardless of where abouts you are situated - in that case why not think about one of each.
whatever machine you end up picking, be it a Nintendo DS, Sony PS3, Sony PSP, or perhaps a an Xbox 360, you will have a wide selection of add ons to choose from on the John Lewis web site. From additional controllers and remotes, to hard drives and battery packs. And of course that there is a considerable variety of the most current games in stock too - so you’ll have something to play when your video games machine turns up.
Shopping on the internet with John Lewis has got to be one of the simplest methods of obtaining a new next generation gaming machine. Not only will you get the option to choose between the exciting most recent video-games consoles, e.g. the DS, all at fabulous prices; but you will furthermore get free standard delivery on any orders. As luck would have it if you are in a big hurry for your brand new video games consoles don’t forget, you can always pay a minor amount for next day delivery. Not only that, but should you have second thoughts about your video games console you can send it back it free of charge. Looking for a PS3? Want to buy online with confidence? Take a look at the John Lewis website.
Landscape Painting Tips For Watercolor Artists
One of the biggest challenges beginners face with any type of art, is the ability to really connect with the creativity that is inside of them. It’s difficult in the beginning to just let go and paint from your heart and soul. Your mind is being filled with techniques and systems for approaching painting, which in my opinion, tends to drown out your inner creativity. Learning techniques is essential, but there should be a point where you begin to draw from your own creative imagination.
When painting a subject, whether it is a person or a landscape, it is important to first observe your subject. You have to get close and personal to what you are painting. If you want to learn how to paint great landscapes, then you should spend time near the area that inspires you to paint in the first place. Only then can you really understand how to transfer what it is you see to canvas.
Take a ride out to the area you wish to paint. Bring along some pencils and paper. The best way to become really intimate with the scene is to just spend time there doing some sketches. This will really force you to observe what you see and burn the image and the environment into your senses.
Painting with watercolor on location is quite challenging, especially if you are a beginner. The scene is constantly changing. There are certain techniques in watercolor that require the paper to be at certain angles, or the paper needs to be saturated to a certain degree, etc. To get everything right within such a short time span is quite difficult, which is why you should bring a camera in the event you are not able to capture the scene. Once you find a composition that you like, take a bunch of shots at different distances and angles. When you get back to your studio, you will now have a few reference sketches as well as a bunch of great photos to work with. In the beginning, while painting on location, try to choose compositions that are not overly detailed or complex.
One of the best ways to immerse your self in watercolor landscape painting is to find people with the same passion. Search online for any groups or websites for landscape painters in your area. Start chatting and get to know everyone. Many of the artists in these groups love to connect with other artists and plan painting trips. This is a really great way to gain experience.
You do not need to bring your entire studio with you when painting on location. Many beginners will bring far too many supplies, which becomes more of a nuisance than help. Only bring the colors and supplies that you really need to work on a particular scene.
Remember, things change very quickly outdoors. Lighting conditions and weather can change in a matter of minutes. You must be able to paint quickly without being too sloppy. Block in all of your large areas first then go back and start adding your details.
Many landscape artists usually block in the sky area first. The sky is generally paler than the rest of the painting, which enables you to work from light to dark. The sky area also influences the way you paint the rest of the objects in your painting.
When painting objects in the foreground that require great detail, do not try and paint every single leaf or blade of grass that you see. This will usually create too much detail that will draw focus away from the center of interest in your painting. It is also far too time consuming if you plan on painting on location. Besides, a painting is not meant to be an exact replica of what you see, rather your unique impression of the scene. If you want exact details, you are better off taking a photograph.
Don’t be afraid to use your imagination. If you are painting a scene and feel that you should add a few trees here, or a bush there, or a bird on a branch, then by all means go for it.
If you find one particular location appealing, and have already painted there once before, don’t hesitate to go back and paint it again, only this time go out on a cloudy day instead. You will be surprised how different a scene can look when the weather changes.
I hope these watercolor painting tips have helped. If you ever find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated by your progress, don’t give up. Instead, welcome and learn from your mistakes. It will make you a much better painter.
For more free watercolor painting techniques & tips head over to http://www.creativespotlite.com/watercolor-techniques.htm. Another site you will find of interest is Artsymmetry.com, where you will find more free art and craft ideas & tips.
Diecast Model Cars - A History
There is quite a long history of craftsmen building detailed miniature replicas of transport vehicles and machinery, but it wasn’t until 1934 that diecast model cars and lorries arrived on the market in any great numbers.
At that time the model cars and trucks weren’t regarded as collectable items in their own right - they were produced to lend added realism to model railways.
Since the early 1920s Frank Hornby had been making increasingly complex train sets. One of the sets, Meccano Set No 21, was embellished with six diecast models, consisting of a motor truck, a sports coupe, a delivery van, a sports car, a farm tractor, and an Army tank. These were the first Dinky models, issued under the “Meccano Modelled Miniatures” label, as Set No. 22.
These early diecast cars were fairly crude by modern standards, being cast from an alloy with high lead content which didn’t lend itself to a high degree of detail. Also they didn’t attempt to depict genuine vehicles, although the sports car bore a resemblance to the S.S.1, a popular make of the period and a precursor of the Jaguar.
In terms of scale, they were not very well suited to the train sets which they were intended to adorn.
It soom became apparent, however, that there was a healthy market for such models, and it wasn’t long before individual diecast replicas based on real cars and trucks were produced and sold separately. Dinky Set 30 was based on the Rolls Royce, Set 36A on the Armstrong Siddely, 36B a Bentley, and 36F was a Salmon sports car.
With the passage of time the quality of detail and reproduction greatly improved. The Dinky sets had diecast alloy bodies and tinplate radiators and rubber tyres. The later models also came with drivers and passengers. The Armstrong Siddely had a footman and chauffeur. Just before the Second World War some superb military models were produced, including tanks with catterpillar tracks and rotating turrets.
Few models from that era have survived in acceptable condition, and examples in good condition are extremely collectable - pre-war Dinkies can fetch prices up to $1000 in auction.
In the 1950s, new production techniques heralded a new era in the history of diecast model cars. Lesney, famous for their splendid Coronation Coach, and Corgi, (”the ones with the windows”), entered the market to provide competition to Dinky.
This new generation of diecast vehicles, with finer detail, better running gear, and better color finish, leads up to the present day, where millions of precision diecast replica models are produced, at quite affordable prices for the collector.
For a great selection of diecast model cars, going back to the earliest days of the automobile, visit http://www.diecast-vintage-cars.com
Mother’s Day Craft Ideas - How To Make a Placemat
One of the hardest gifts to buy is one for a special Mom on Mother’s Day. She already has jewelry, outfits, shoes taking over the closet and if she gets another kitchen appliance for Mother’s Day she may scream.
A gift that Mom is sure to cherish is one made from the heart. Mother’s Day Craft Ideas are ones made with thought, love, devotion, and even if the gift is flawed, as long as her child made it, she’ll be overjoyed.
A special Mother’s Day Craft Idea is to make her a placemat.
If you decide to cook breakfast for your Mom on Mother’s Day then you could give the placemat to her with her meal.
Materials Needed:
Construction Paper
Coloring Page Pictures
Crayons
Scissors
Wax Paper
Instructions:
Cut two pieces of wax paper the desired size of the placemat.
Take one of those pieces of wax paper and place waxey side of paper up.
On construction paper, draw pictures of what your Mom likes. For example, you could draw a picture of a dog if she enjoys dogs, or a picture of a book if she enjoys reading. Be sure that the drawings are small enough to cut out and arrange in the placemat.
Color a special picture for Mom and make that the focal point of the placemat.
Arrange your drawings and coloring pages, on the wax paper how you would like. Remember that the waxey side of paper should be up. Somewhere on the coloring page write the child’s name and date the gift is made. This is sure to be a bonus for Mom in later years.
Now, take your second piece of wax paper and place it on top of the arranged items. Note that there should be about 1 inch edges all the way around the placemat and waxey side should be face down.
Now this step is for adults. Make sure the edges of the wax paper are touching each other. Then iron.
Your placemat is finished and she is sure to love it!
Watch her smiling face when her kids give her this wonderful, unique gift. She is sure to cherish this one!
Brandi Clark is the owner of Crafty Corner, a free arts and crafts newsletter full of crafting tips, craft ideas and special offers. Sign up today and receive a free coupon code worth 20% off your total purchase at her specialty store Floral Creations. Sign up at today at Mother’s Day Craft Ideas.
Color Your World With Glaze Inks
With the proliferation of small electronic devices, such as USB flash drives (also known as thumb-drives and memory sticks), it has become increasingly difficult to tell whose device belongs to whom. Rather than plug each drive in to check the contents, why not clearly mark your drive so that no confusion arises to begin with? Crafters always like to personalize their own space, putting new or traditional craft materials to new uses. Make your high-tech devices a testimonial of your creativity.
The glaze 3-D glossy ink pens available from Sakura of America are ideal for adding decorative touches to USB flash drives, cell phones, PDAs, even laptops. The ink dries quickly, leaving a raised embossed-like glossy surface. The colors are transparent but intensely brilliant. Sakura even produces stickers to accompany the pens, but it’s easy enough to design without stickers.
Armed with only a few glaze 3-D ink pens, a mini stamp, craft ink (and cleaner), any electronic device can be personalized to be easily spotted in a crowded room.
Here is a quick and easy way to personalize your USB flash drive, cell phone, laptop — you name it!
Supplies needed:
- Mini Stamp
- Craft Ink
- Craft Ink Cleaner
- Glaze ink pens
Stamp on the drive. While allowing the craft ink to dry (do not heat set as this may damage the plastic case and circuitry) clean the stamp. Color in and around the stamped image with the glaze pens. When the glaze pen is first used, there is a small “cap” on the tip. Pull this cap off. To apply the ink, very gently touch the tip to the surface to be colored and move the pen in a tiny circular motion. This will thoroughly coat the surface without leaving streaks. When subsequently using the glaze pen, roll the pen tip at a 45-degree angle on some scratch paper or paper towel to remove any excess, gummy ink. This will help the ink flow for smooth application.
Try the same technique on your cell phone. Why spend the money on custom covers when you can have a truly personalized cell phone case?
When selecting glaze or gel pens for use on electronic cases, check the packaging to verify it is safe for use on plastic and metal. Do not heat set craft projects on electronics, wait for the ink to dry naturally. Heat setting can damage the plastic casing or the electronic circuitry of the device.
Kira Enari is a craft enthusiast living with one cat, four computers, a digital camera and too many USB devices.
To view a completed sample, click here.
Selling Your Woodworking Art
Our challenge as craftsmen and intarsia artists is to discover our markets. You need to know your market, who is your customer?
Are you selling a product to local or global customers.
If you’re selling to local customers say out of a storefront, you must know if you are in the right market and selling at the right price for this local customer. If you’re not showing the right product to the right customer base, chances are there will not be any sales, are at least very few.
It only makes sense that If your selling a product that is not of use to the customer and its not something that they see they want or need, you had better find either different markets or a different product to sell from your store.
I use to have a shop that sold simple crafts like little animal yard and driveway signs. I sold lots of country style decorative items for the interiors of their homes. These items sold well because I was living in a rural area where my customers had big yards and long driveways.
These people loved the country style of decorating. They loved the crafts I was making for them. I had other craftsmen producing items for me to sell for them. I was producing and selling to my market base.
If I was trying to sell the country style signs or plaques where I am living now, in the city, I would not do so well. For my customer base is not the same. Their yards are different, their driveway is short and their interior decorating may not be the same kind of “country style.” So for this new customer base you have to change your product line.
Does your product fit into the decorating scheme of most of your customers, if not very few are going to buy. You must be certain that your craft fits with your prospects or your business will fail. You must take the time to study this. Find the proper market place.
Crafts people are used in having friends and loved ones telling them how cool and how beautiful there craft is, this is encouraging. The problem is that it’s not realistic. You need to get input and about your product from a source that will give you a helpful honest response about your product.
When your customers come into your shop and say how much they like what you’re doing but walk out without buying anything you have to ask yourself, what’s wrong?
Are you in the right market for the craft you sell?
If your craft fits your customer, how is your price? The price you sell your product for may need to be adjusted up or down.
For the price setting you need to look at your competition.
At what price are they selling a comparable product. Ask yourself can I make a profit selling my product at that price. Can I sell my product and get a higher price? What can I do to make my product worth more money?
I now sell art, “intarsia woodworking art” that is higher priced, which means for the customer to let go of the money, she will have to really love your product.
Crafts, can be a tough market. I am a cabinetmaker, caught up in the world of art. I love to add artistic designs to cabinet doors to make them stand out from what other people build. The cabinets add atmosphere to a room by giving the room character and there by adding value.
I have managed to sell a lot of my work over the years. My prices are usually from about $200 to $15,000 depending on the work involved. As I said before, some time ago I had a craft shop in a small town. I built every wood craft I could think of to build and it was fun, but not really much money.
The money only comes after you learn the business end of the craft market.
As a cabinetmaker I have learned the hard way that you must get paid for the hours that you work, even when you love the work.
How much should I charge for my work?
It’s basically the same for most businesses, how much do you want to pay yourself per hour. Just add to that a percentage for overhead plus a percentage for profit and add material cost. That gives you a charging rate for all of your products. You must add the profit, that gives you the money to grow, like buying more tools.
My charging rate depends on if it’s commercial or residential, $45-$85 per hour depending on how custom the work is.
In my old “craft shop” my charging rate, at that time, was $35 hour, the price fit the product and the overhead.
If you can sell your craft as “ART” it will increase the amount you can charge for your product. Perceived value!
Do you have awards! Do you have newspaper and magazine articles about you! Do you have references? Have you developed a recognizable name for your market? If not, you need to work towards these things. All of this adds to the perceived value of your craft.
Intarsia woodworking is my craft, my art. It’s the work I look forward to doing.
Find the craft you love to make, find the correct customer base, set a reasonable price for your work and your on your way to a successful satisfying life.
Jerry Mifflin creates many works of Intarsia Art and gives away patterns of his work for other crafters to use. Articles and information on how to build intarsia are on his website, http://www.intarsia.us , specializing in that woodworking art and business. For patterns and a how to do intarsia art e-book go to http://www.freeintarsiapatterns.com to get yours.
Collectible Dolls - Barbie
In this article we’re going to cover what is arguably the most famous collectible doll in all of history, Barbie.
If you were a little girl growing up in the early 60s you had a Barbie Doll. If you didn’t, you were just plain strange. Barbie had to be the biggest craze of the era and the doll is still going strong as of this writing in 2006.
The Barbie Doll was first invented by a lady named Ruth Handler, who was actually a cofounder of the popular toy company Mattel. Ruth’s daughter was named Barbara and yes, that is where she got the name for the Barbie Doll. Barbie was first shown to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The doll was made for the purpose of being a teenage fashion doll. In the early days, when we were pretty uptight about sex, there was some controversy over Barbie’s figure. People realized that if Barbie was a real person her measurements would be 36-18-38, which is virtually impossible for any girl to strive for and there were fears that this would cause major psychological problems for young girls, not to mention the insane expectations boys would have of finding someone who actually looked like that. To make matters worse, after Barbie was made, a boyfriend was then made for her. His name was Ken, named after Ruth’s son, and was equally unrealistic as far as looks, though maybe not as bad as Barbie.
Needless to say, the doll was an immediate hit. The first Barbie dolls were pretty stiff but in 1965 Barbie finally got legs that could bend. Again, she could bend in ways that no real person could hope to do. This only added more fuel to the sexuality fire.
Over the years there were more variations of Barbie than you could count. Many different outfits were made for her in that time. Barbie herself had over 80 careers from nurse to rock star to even president. Barbie was a very successful gal. Her very first career however was as a teenage fashion model, which is what she was originally designed for. From there, things just took off. In 1964, back during a time when girls didn’t normally go to school past high school, Barbie went to college. The first Olympic Barbie was made in 1975 and popped up again in 2000.
Probably one of the more controversial Barbie Dolls came out in 1992 when Barbie joined the military as a medic in Operation Desert Storm. The entire military series of Barbie Dolls actually went through Pentagon approval to make sure that the uniforms were as authentic as possible.
But the military wasn’t the last of Barbie’s adventures. Barbie was also made into an astronaut in three different years, the last one being in 1994.
In the years following her first appearance in 1959, Barbie has always kept up with the times and Mattel has always tried to make her accessories as complete as possible, even giving her pets which included 21 dogs, 12 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra.
Barbie’s figure may have not been real, but no doll in history was ever more completely thought out. Barbie has been an inspiration to young girls now for over 40 years and her popularity doesn’t seem to be anywhere near fizzling out.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Collectible Dolls