August 28, 2008 at 7:46 am · Filed under Marketing + Selling
Believe it or not there are personal tech devices and things like calculators and clocks, which run off water. What if we built a jogging or walking light which ran off of the sweat your body makes when you workout? What if we built another device, which ran off body sweat or water. The water could be used for drinking and powering the light? Or a sweatband with a membrane could collect the sweat and use the water to power it up. Not so far fetched really for instance all these new gadgets running on water these days.
http://www.popgadget.net/2005/12/water_powered_d.php
You see there are tremendous applications for this. How about for Survival, Astronauts and military; ultra-marathon athletes, etc.? Why not create a belt on the waste to collect sweat, hold or mount the light and use the water to drink and return to the bio-system and power up that light? Is it possible to make a belt around the waste which was a tube filled with water?
The water your body needs to replenish itself from strenuous exercise and at the same time collect your sweat running down your body and powering up a devices such as a running light? A light, which runs off of in essence your own bodies energy? Such a device could revolutionize the jogging light market sector and be a life-saver for military troops, survival gear or exploration teams? Think on it.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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August 25, 2008 at 11:29 am · Filed under Marketing + Selling
Copyright 2005 Gobala Krishnan
While doing research on the Internet, I realized that most people are absolutely confused when it comes to selecting a VoIP or broadband phone service provider. I can’t say I blame them either, when you consider that there are now thousands of companies out there with as many different service plans.
What I often come across though, is the question “Is company A better than company B?”. To be honest I have no idea how to answer that question. All I can offer is a simple guideline that can help you discover the answer for yourself. Here it is.
1) Where is the company located?
Does the location of the company matter? Perhaps not, if the service provider is located in the same country as you are. However, if you have been offered VoIP or broadband phone services offered by foreign companies, it probably WILL matter.
The danger in subscribing to companies that don’t have a presence in your country, legalities aside, is the quality of the service. Imagine making a call from Malaysia to your friend in Singapore. Now imagine your call being routed all the way to the US or Australia before it is routed back to Singapore to complete the call. Physically, this takes less than a second, but the consequences are sometimes obvious.
More often than not, you get a delay in your call. If you understand communication, you’ll understand than even a one second delay before hearing a YES or OK can make all the difference in your sales talk or discussion. The solution?
Make sure your VoIP service provider has at least a few gateways located in your region, and most importantly, your country. This would reduce the distance the call is carried and usually result in better call quality.
2) Are the call plans unique?
All VoIP service providers out there suffer from the same symptom - the need to differentiate themselves. That’s the reason why you get 100 different plans from 10 different companies. Understand, though, that they are all basically the same thing.
So if water is water, how do you choose when you flip open the refrigerator door in that 7-11 store? Is it the color of the bottle or the price?
The same question can be asked when choosing a VoIP plan. Choose what appeals to you, but don’t get carried away by all the “Unlimited calls” talk. Understand that any VoIP provider worth their salt can offer you unlimited calls from one ATA (analog telephone adapter) to another ATA that they own, for free. However, consider this - how many people you know are using an ATA from the same company you are?
Making unlimited calls to regular phones, though, is an entirely different ball game. Not everyone can offer you this. Vonage for example, can offer you unlimited calls in their business package, to US only. For unlimited calling to Asian countries, the only company I know of that can do this is TelExtreme. Here’s a complete “VoIP A vs. VoIP B” type of comparison chart if you really need it: http://www.mybusinessvoip.com/compare
3) Quality - who owns the technology?
I am not an advocate of buying from the company that everyone is buying from. You know, companies like Vonage and AT&T CallVantage. I’m not an advocate of “following the crowd”, but in some cases, the crowd may have a point.
Most of the smaller VoIP providers don’t own the technology. Why should they, when they can get the whole deal at wholesale, and all they need to do is put their brand on it? This works for the short term. For the long term, however, such companies have no way of ensuring the stability or quality of their service.
Bottom line - find out if the VoIP service provider owns any, or all, of the technology behind the service they provide. A “cut and paste” company comprising of different ATA manufacturers, different call routers and different gateway providers may not survive in a few years when the VoIP industry matures. You can count on that!
4) What’s in store for the future?
In plain words, why spend on a VoIP provider that is limited to just making calls, especially when many of them already have video and data applications in the works? Packet8 already has their own video & voice over IP plan, and many others will follow suit. “Triple Play” as it is called, will soon be available, so make sure that your VoIP service provider has this in store for you. More importantly, it should be available at little or no extra cost.
About the author:
Gobala Krishnan is a small business entrepreneur and publisher of the “VoIP and Me” newsletter, designed for smart entrepreneurs who want to avoid all the technical jargon and get straight to the information that really matters. Learn how you can drastically cut communication costs by 70%, get more customers and expand to new markets using VoIP at http://www.MyBusinessVoIP.com
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August 25, 2008 at 3:59 am · Filed under Marketing + Selling
They are flashy. They are fast. And they are very, very expensive. They are the exotic sports cars, the ultimate icons of speed, style and money. Exotic sports cars are built using cutting-edge technology and designed from a purely aesthetic point of view. Hence, they often ignore considerations of fuel economy and practicality in regards to storage, seating and their design and operations. As a result, they are either made-to-order, or manufactured in limited editions, sparing no costs. Only a select few can afford these exotic cars.
These T-Rexes of the motoring world can boast of engines that run on massive outputs of power, anywhere from 500 to 660 horsepower. Ferrari’s Enzo, its latest limited-edition offering, tempts the sports-car lover with its promise of Formula 1 experience. With acceleration from 0 to 60 in as little as 4-5 seconds, these exotic cars are in a league of their own in terms of pure power and performance. Plush interiors and exclusive accessories make these cars sought after by car collectors all over the world.
While exotic cars are at the very pinnacle of the auto aristocracy, they should only be bought after careful consideration. These supercars not only burn a hole in your pocket when you buy them, they are equally expensive to maintain, requiring specially trained mechanics for repairs, custom-ordered spare parts and gallons of fuel for optimum performance. They are delicate, and can be troublesome when the smallest part malfunctions. These beauties must be handled with extra care, as their tremendous power can go wrong in the hands of an inexperienced driver.
Nevertheless, they are the stuff that car legends are made of. The exotic car brands that have become legends over time have included Italian manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Maserati; German companies like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz; the English carmaker Bentley, and American stars like Ford, Aston Martin and Dodge.
Sports Cars provides detailed information on Sports Cars, Exotic Sports Cars, Classic Sports Cars, Sports Cars for Sale and more. Sports Cars is affiliated with SUV Vans.
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August 16, 2008 at 1:23 am · Filed under Marketing + Selling
This is a topic that has come up for me lately. It was brought to light by my partner and friend and I found it resonated on a deep level for me. Because I love words, I looked it up in the dictionary for confirmation that I knew exactly what it meant. I then used the Thesaurus for a deeper meaning; that one really struck home. Inertia - resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change.
I was in a state of resisting change. I was stuck. I was making movement, but it was more of the creative distraction kind of movement. It seemed to be going somewhere, but in reality it was I was a hamster on a wheel.
In going inward on a deeper level, I can see how I was stuck in a low energy pattern. Talk about a call to action!
Coach, time to coach thyself! Time to take action, to make the inner changes that will manifest on the outside. Time to take action that is meaningful and will create movement in the direction of my life purpose.
I have made a conscious decision to look at my addictions. I have started with the most obvious one to me and made a commitment to not do that one action for 21 days (long enough to create new neural networks and new behavior). What a powerful exercise this is turning out to be.
This one thing is allowing me to see all the addictions that keep me stuck. It is allowing me to see where my energy is being drained. I am the observer of my life. I am seeing the little things that I do every day to steal away my time, energy and focus. These are not bad things, per se. Is watching TV bad? It was for me when I did that to fall asleep instead of writing my script for the next day, or reviewing my goals. It kept me from meditating many times. But then I would think that I can justify it; after all I worked hard all day!
It is these little things that make a huge difference. It is certainly what I work with my clients on. How did I end up like the bear in the cave for the winter? It was something that I was not aware of.
Here is what I would recommend. Take one thing you do habitually and change it. Stop it or re-create it for 21 days. Become committed to the process. See what happens for you. See what shows up in your life. Take the challenge and see if you have been in spiritual hibernation and unaware of it.
Remember that 96% of everything we do is habitual. Shake it up. Get out of your comfort zone. Dare to break the inertia of your existence. Dare to wake up to the world that awaits you. Come on, it’s great fun!!
I teach people who don’t know what they want to be when they grow up an easy way to connect with their life purpose to make more money, attract good relationships, and live the life they want by taking action.
Subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.newneuralnets.com and get a free paper on creating change.
Stay tuned for “the game” I am looking for 50,000 players!
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August 15, 2008 at 2:22 am · Filed under Marketing + Selling
You can earn a steady income from the Internet running an online business, as long as you’re willing and able to put the time, effort, and money that is required.
You have seen all the hype in regards to easy riches, fast money don’t be fooled. Yet these get rich schemes are hard to ignore. But to be successful in starting a profitable online business you must remember “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”
Let’s look at some of the disadvantages you may encounter when starting an online business. First as we mentioned there are a large amounts of hype and get rich schemes you need to sort out and avoid. An online business has risk involved just like any other business.
You will work long hours starting an online business. To find what will work or what won’t and what opportunity may be real takes a large amount of time. Then the fact that many people start an online business and continue with their present occupation it can lead to some very long hours.
Starting an online business you will find that it will constantly change. What you are doing well today may not work for you the next day. You have to constantly study and learn. This is another time consuming and sometimes frustrating process. Finding the right people to attract is a never ending process.
When starting an online business you should be somewhat stubborn. Don’t give up easily and try another online business. You have a lot to learn and starting over does not change that you just end up at square one again.
Starting an online business may not be as easy as some want to portray it as but it is not impossible. Many people every day start an online business that goes on to be profitable and fun.
The advantages of starting an online business are many. It gives the regular person a chance to be a business owner with a minimum of start up costs. These costs are normally just a couple hundred dollars.
It offers you more flexibility, since you do work at your computer you can pick the times you work. This could eventually lead to more free time since you may be able to automate a lot of your tasks.
You have a product idea for your online business or want to see what your competition is doing? You can do so for little or no money on the Internet. Go to message boards and post your idea to get reactions, search the Internet for others who are doing the same thing. See what they may be doing correctly or for that matter incorrectly so you don’t do the same mistakes.
By starting an online business you have potential customers everywhere since the Internet is world wide. It is always growing as everyday more people are getting online for the first time. You have the ability to provide many different products or services to reach the diverse audience. This will lead to an exciting time if you are one who excels in a changing environment.
Starting an online business can be profitable. Some turn profit within a few months while it may take others longer as they experiment and test to find out exactly what will work for them and provide the income that they are interested in making. All this from the comfort of your home, it is easy to see why many have started an online business as a source of income.
IIS is a team of researchers and writers dedicated to providing valuable, business information and research. Please visit www.info-research-online.com for more information on this subject.
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August 11, 2008 at 2:11 pm · Filed under Marketing + Selling
Your vehicle’s tires are actually synthetic rubber which has been shaped into its form. It covers the circumference of the wheel of a vehicle. What it actually does is it dampens any strong shocks or forces that could be the effects of any irregularities on the road surface like bumps or potholes. In fact, tires also protect the wheel itself from wearing out too soon.
That is why it is of utmost importance that a car owner should take extra care when it comes to the tires. One of the most common ways of keeping a tire in good shape and condition would be to maintain the proper air pressure. Make this activity a routine and do it regularly. And this is very important also when you are about to take long drives. And during the summer months, be sure that you check the tire pressure when the tires are cold for the air inside expands when the tires are hot so you would be getting a different reading.
How do you know the right amount of air has already been put inside the tires? Check your car owner’s manual. Usually, this document holds pertinent information regarding anything and everything about your vehicle and this includes the recommended tire pressure. Or you can also check the label found in the glove box or in the driver’s side’s door latch. You see, if a tire has just the right of pressure, they are more likely to last longer and less likely to fail you while you drive.
Make sure that your tires are wearing evenly. If not, there might be a problem with how you drive or with the wheel alignment. Now, if you see treadwear warning bars running across the tire, do not think twice about replacing that tire. It just means that it has already consumed its lifespan. Bald tires are actually unsafe.
Amidst all the advances in the automotive world, Auto Parts Online remains committed to delivering superior Jaguar parts to its customers worldwide. It has proven reliability for genuine and quality auto parts. Any replacement parts like wheels that your vehicle might need could be easily located here.
Auto Parts Online,
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Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.
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August 10, 2008 at 6:14 pm · Filed under Marketing + Selling
In my life as a biologist, I studied hummingbird behavior. In fact, my master’s thesis was on hummingbirds, and I videotaped and analyzed the data on more than 13,000 feedings! Best yet, my experimental design was so successful that it ended up attracting more than 500 feedings per hour during the peak periods of the study.
I love hummingbirds - their magical movements, their speed, and their sense of humor! (You have to BE with them for a while to catch on to that one, I think.) In the last few weeks there’s been a lot of hummingbirds as the migratory visitors are in to breed, and I had the chance to watch them often from the balcony area where I meditate. I began to miss them, remembering how fun and exciting it was to watch them up close. So I took action.
I put out two feeders with my special recipe (the secret is at the end of this article) and they began to come in droves, fighting, playing, what I think of as “singing”, and generally just amusing me as I watched. When I was doing my thesis research, they used to dive down and play with my hair or even peck on my red toenail polish. So far, several of them have been coming to “visit” by hovering about six inches from my face to check me out.
It’s been fun, it’s been delightful, it’s been downright entertaining. In fact, it’s been magical watching all the birds that have been drawn to my home. (Don’t even get me started on the Hooded Orioles!). It’s taken me back to a time that was magical and playful.
I realized the importance of remembering what has given us joy in the past and finding ways to relish the simple pleasures in our daily life. So often, we may pass up the opportunity to create good feelings for ourselves and others because we get caught up in the busyness of life and living.
So my question to you is this: Is there something you would enjoy doing that you have been putting off?
Better yet, ask yourself this: What is one thing I can do TODAY to feel good and create joy in the world for myself or others?
It may be simple. It may be inexpensive. It doesn’t have to take a great deal of time. But it can create magical moments and an incredible feeling of joy inside you that will move through your life to attract even more.
We know that what we focus on expands, and when we create excitement, fun, laughter, and delight we are sure to experience even more. Most of us have gotten pretty good at doing the “have to’s” in life, but some of us have forgotten the importance of the “love to’s” as well.
Give yourself the gift, starting today, to open yourself up to the childlike joys of being alive! Give yourself the gift of magical moments! Allow yourself to experience the feelings of joy, laughter, play, and ecstatic excitement! As you do, you will be creating an irresistible energy field that will naturally attract to you incredibly wonderful moments that will delight you!
We are here to enjoy this amazing playground of life in a way that is full and fulfilled with all of our heart’s desires. Life is meant to be magical, to excite and delight us! There is a limitless supply for us all if we only open ourselves to receive.
Begin to take actions today that will bring more love, joy, laughter, freedom, and just “feeling great” into your life. The pay off will be tremendous as you experience more of the magic in your life, knowing that you can create it at any moment.
And remember, YOU deserve it!
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August 9, 2008 at 9:16 pm · Filed under Marketing + Selling
More and more I hear and read about a looming crisis of leadership at the middle management level and the inevitable resulting increase in, poor performance, accidents and production mistakes and hence declining profits.
I’m afraid to say these observations are not just rumours. In my own work as a management consultant I’ve noticed a distinct increase in negative behaviours in many middle managers in all sorts of companies.
In this short article I’ll explain what I mean by “negative behaviours” offer suggestions on what senior managers can do about it.
Over the past four years I’ve noticed the following kinds of behaviours from many middle managers:
Increasingly using harsh, abrupt language: “Don’t be so stupid”. “I don’t care what the problem is just get it fixed”
Becoming more dictatorial (unwilling to listen) “Yes, I know all that now do it this way”
Putting time pressure on people by continually asking when jobs will be completed and why things are taking so long
Losing tempers and insulting others when things go wrong
Unwilling to take the time to read, seek advice and think things out carefully
Creating a them and us culture: “We decide and direct and you do”.
Using more of the fear factor: “Perform or you’re out”.
If you’re a senior managers reading you’ll be disappointed and even shocked. The tragedy is that the middle managers I meet are excellent people - they are not behaving like this on purpose. When you point out the danger and destructiveness of these behaviours they acknowledge it and change for a few days. However, in a few weeks they forget and go back to unhelpful behaviours. Why?
In a nutshell, middle managers are under more pressure to perform than I have seen in a long time. For example,
In the past five years, levels of management have been stripped out resulting in middle managers doing more and more.
The constant downsizing, having to apply “for your own job” and frequent relocation have numbed many people. Some just don’t care anymore.
Many middle managers are now forced to be contractors and work in a culture where “you are only as good as your last job” and loyalty and long-term thinking is not seen to be valued.
Middle management is now overstretched to breaking point both physically and mentally, hence the behaviours listed above. This is having an adverse effect on the supervisors they manage and in turn on al their people. Another tragedy is that most middle managers won’t own up that they are under this pressure. So senior managers don’t know about it.
For me it’s the effective leadership of senior managers that will prevent the coming crisis. Here are just six straightforward steps senior managers should take now.
1. Initiate a short, anonymous survey to measure the extent of pressure on middle managers.
2. Take even more time to discuss in detail the workload and targets of direct reports. Probe to see if people are accepting unreasonable workloads just to please you as the boss. Make sure your direct reports do this with their people too.
3. Deliberately create situations where you as a senior manager can admit that you can’t cope and need help. People will not own up if you don’t do it first.
4. Find ways to show middle managers that you value them as people not just a resource. Especially when they are non-core staff. Yes, short-term contracting as a mode of employment is increasing but that doesn’t mean we should treat managers who are contractors as less valuable than full time staff.
5. Provide the time for management training.
6. Here’s the toughest of all. When the Board trims the budget for a project and you’ve struggled to find ways to do more with less and you realise you can’t, you should tell them. This is the ultimate source of unreasonable pressure. Don’t allow it to flow down hill.
Yes, we need a leaner business model for the modern competitive and fast-paced economy. Yes, we must keep pushing for better performance from everyone. But does lean have to be mean - do we have to lose the human touch? Indeed, doesn’t success in this era require senior managers to be even more human?
Copyright (c) 2004 Dr William Robb. Electronic distribution to ezines, friends and colleagues permitted but publication in print prohibited without written permission
Dr Bill has spent 20 years helping people and organisations improve their performance and get outstanding results from their time, effort and expenditure. http://www.mytimemanagementsecrets.com/
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August 8, 2008 at 6:42 pm · Filed under Consumer Planet, Shopping Parlor, Tips + Tricks
You might have come across advertisements in websites that promise to give you some free stuff and requires you to just sign up for a few sponsor offers and refer some of your friends. This kind of website is called IFW or incentivized freebie website and you can see a nice example at www.freebies.me.uk. This is one of the types of marketing that has grown in the past few years.
These websites are able to make available gifts such as desktops, laptops, big screen TVs and the like as they get money for the advertiser for every lead that the site generates.
How do you benefit from IFWs?
You get paid for including the details of referrals. When you complete the offer requirements you can earn some money or a free gift from these sites. These enable you to earn up to $20-$100 from every site. If a site is difficult to complete, you end up getting paid more. All the money is credited through PayPal. Another way in which you can benefit from IFWs is when you are paid for every completed referral. If you want to make a living doing just this, you will need to hire people to complete the requirements for you. IFWs give you the facility to refer innumerable people. This allows you to make profits even when you contribute towards just one IFW. The third way that you can benefit through IFWs is by selling the freebies on Ebay. However not people are keen on this and follow the first two methods.
It is however important that you be aware of all the terms and conditions before you sign up for any gift. Freebie trading is a great way to earn money. It also needs very less capital or technical knowledge. With the increase in the popularity of the internet it has become easy for people to search for freebies in the virtual world. If you are eager to grab the free stuff that are on offer in the internet, you just have to go to the innumerable sites that are there and hunt for the kind of freebies that you want.
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August 6, 2008 at 10:29 pm · Filed under Marketing + Selling
Gas prices fluctuate according to the price of crude oil. The price of crude oil, in turn, is determined by the world market and depends on the balance between world demand and supply. Currently, few countries supply the world’s oil, as these are the only countries that have oil reserves and production. The oil demand, however, encompasses demand from most of the world’s nations.
Another factor that determines pricing is how much gasoline we demand relative to the supply. The more we require, the more will be the gas price. There are some federal and state requirements that call for special gas blends with the intention of improving air quality. This makes the production of gasoline expensive, and thus, the price rises. The charges that are levied on gas have greatly affected gas prices over the past decade. Even changes in the petroleum industry, like mergers, make the gas price change over time. At present, the states of California and Hawaii have the highest-priced gas in U.S. However, compared to the rest of the industrialized world, it’s one of the lowest. The price of gas in Europe is more than twice that in U.S., due to higher fuel excise. And in other energy-importing countries like Japan, petrol costs are higher because of fuel transportation costs and taxes. However, some of the major oil-producing countries like Iran and Indonesia provide subsidized gas at low market prices.
Individual gas stations have no control over gas prices, as world markets determine the price. They can charge a margin of between 7 to 11 cents a gallon since gasoline is a commodity, and the gas station that charges more, tends to lose customers to other gas stations. This is the reason gas stations sell higher-margin food products in their convenience stores. It is during the weekends and holidays when American road travel is at its peak that gas prices soar, only to drop as the holidays close.
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