Check Out Garmin’s Latest Portable GPS Navigator Units August 31, 2009
Posted by Pat in : my thoughts on stuff , comments closedA quarter thinner than other Garmin Nuvis, the 1200 and widescreen 1300 series of Garmin Nuvis are making exceptionally transportable devices. Suitably near the bottom of the Garmin’s 1300 series, the Garmin Nuvi 1350 is an very portable GPS with a 4.3″ diagonal widescreen QVGA colour antiglare TFT screen. Welcoming user is the option choose where you are going or to view the map, the Garmin Nuvi 1350 will voice turn-by-turn instructions once you determine your. The Garmin Nuvis 1350’s unique lane assist element helps you choose the accurate lane when advancing untried exits and the ecoRoute feature analyses the most cost-effective route. The “Where am I?” feature will quickly help you point out the spot you are at, closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations.
Another ultra-thin lightweight GPS is the Garmin Nuvi 1300 equipped with a 4.3″ widescreen display that is devised to be able to fit in your pocket when you need it everywhere you go. The Garmin Nuvi 1300 is prepared with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery making it convenient to operate in your car, or when on foot, and the discretionary CityXplorer helps circumnavigate cities using public transportation such as subways, trams buses and more. Containing City Navigator NT street maps for the continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico or one European region or country, the Garmin Nuvi 1300 have millions of POI, as well as 2-D and 3-D maps.
The final GPS navigator of this review, the Garmin Nuvi 1250 is an particularly thin 3.7″ portable GPS that fits in the middle of Garmin’s 1200 series. The Garmin Nuvi 1250 is also the leanest amid the three GPS navigator system mentioned in this review. It boasts a 3.5″ diagonal QVGA colour antiglare TFT screen with white backlight and a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. Using the photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect™ Photos and navigate to them. It’s also compatible with lifetime traffic alerts and MSN® Direct on top of the possibility for you to enhance your travel experience with an optional plug-in microSD™ cards.
Common between the three mentioned portable GPS system is the anti-theft Garmin Lock™ feature and built-in battery life of up to four hours subjective to usage. Other features include JPEG picture viewer, world travel, calculator and many more.
What You Should Know Before You Buy Web Hosting August 31, 2009
Posted by Pat in : my thoughts on stuff , comments closedDo you know that there is a difference betweeen web hosting and domain names? People are often confused about these two terms and they tend to mix them together. A domain name is the unique name that identifies an Internet site. Every Web site you’ve ever been to, and every e-mail you’ve ever composed, has used a domain name in its address.
Web hosting means space to store your files on the Internet. Web hosting is typically also known as web servers. With web hosting it’s like you have the “storage” for your files and anyone can access it from anywhere in the world at any time as long as they’re connected to the Internet. Metaphorically speaking, web hosting service is like renting an apartment.
A reliable Web host is the foundation for a successful business. It used to be that a business had to be big to get a Website. Today, this is not true anymore. Even a person with a small business such as those teaching people how to make money on the internet can set up his own website. You will also notice that web site hosting is now available at a reasonable cost.
Based on your own research, or on the recommendation of someone with good technical evaluation skills, you should choose a good linux web site hosting provider, then have someone develop the content for that site. In short, your Web site should drive business.
There are so many web hosting providers to choose from that you can get overwhelmed with all the choices. If your website is for your own personal use, then regular hosting should be fine. However, if you have a business, you should choose premium hosting. There are many web hosting plans that you can choose from, ranging from plans that meet your business needs, such as your internet marketing Indonesia site, to those that meet your personal needs.
A web hosting and email package combined with your domain name is everything you need to establish your online presence. Companies that specialize in providing web hosting services can do a much better job of providing the hardware, but usually don’t develop the content for the site.
Sole E35 Elliptical Trainers Review August 31, 2009
Posted by Pat in : my thoughts on stuff , comments closedI had recently stayed at a hotel and was absolutely impressed with the Sole E35 Elliptical trainer that I had worked out on. Upon coming home and doing some research on the internet, I was amazed that I could have this same piece of equipment in my house for under $1,500! I currently own what I was told was a quality beginner elliptical that I paid the same amount for and it doesn’t have half the features of this trainer.
Upon doing further research, I saw the rave reviews and consistent best buy rating and my decision was made. Out with the old and in with the new! I immediately purchased this machine and have not regretted my decision one bit.
The technical features of the trainer are more than you would expect for this price with the quality of the machine you are getting. It features 8 programs of which you can customize 2 of them and 6 very challenging standard ones. Trainer has pulse readout with stationary handle bars and also includes a chest strap if you want to go with the hands free option.
You can also use the chest strap for the heart rate interactive programming. I loved the 20 different levels of resistance and found them never moving up or down too quickly. The pacing of them was perfect and I was never overwhelmed when moving up or paced too high when moving down a level.
Something you will not find on another machine was something I discovered when researching this item, Sole Technology. Their site has a very informative article on it but in essence it is about how their engineers and scientists maximize Biomechanics and Ergonomics to make the perfect machine.
Why comic relief is using 03 Numbers August 30, 2009
Posted by Pat in : my thoughts on stuff , comments closedThis year Comic Relief is using an 03 number for its telephone donation line. The popular biannual fundraising event, which raises money for people in the UK and Africa, has followed in the footsteps of Children in Need and can be contacted on 03457 910 910. Red Nose Day itself happens on 13th March 2009 and this year it’s using the strap line “do something funny for money!” But why use 03 numbers over 08 telephone numbers?
Here are 6 reasons why Comic Relief has opted for 03 numbers this year:
1. 03 numbers cost the same to call as standard 01/02 phone numbers even from a mobile phone (40% of all calls are now made from mobiles).
2. The public trust 03 numbers because of their transparent call costs. This makes 03 numbers caller friendly and therefore not subject to negative publicity.
3. There’s a range of 03 numbers that are specifically for public bodies and charities: 0300 numbers.
4. Like all non-geographic numbers, 03 numbers give the event a national presence – meaning Comic Relief can publish one single memorable number throughout the UK – which is not location specific. This is specifically important for its national TV and radio coverage.
5. Comic Relief’s 03 number donation line can have intelligent call systems added to it easily. For example, welcome messages and caller options. E.g. “Welcome to the Comic Relief donation line, press 1 to donate, press to for more information about where your donation goes etc.)
6. 03 numbers can often be inexpensive to run if you seek out the provider with the most competitive offering in the market.
The uptake of 03 numbers in the UK is rapidly increasing. Alongside Comic Relief, there are a number of organisations now using them including Oxfam, the BBC, the Met Police, Nikon and Pioneer.
In fact, The Department of Health is also advocating them and has launched a consultation asking people whether 08 numbers should be banned for NHS services and is suggesting that 03 numbers are the ideal alternative. With these facts in mind, it seems that 0845 numbers will soon have a challenger for the title of the UK’s most popular non-geographic number range. 2009 could be the year of this dethroning.
A Complete Guide To Bathroom Mirrors August 30, 2009
Posted by Pat in : my thoughts on stuff , comments closedIntroduction
Central to the mythology of mirrors is Narcissus a Boeotian hero, who disliked those who loved him for his own natural beauty. He famously gazed into a pool of water and was so fascinated with the reflection, that he was unable to bring himself to leave the image. Not realising that the image he could see was of his own natural beauty, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the image, and he perished.
The concept of how the mirror works is quite simple. It stems simply from the reflective surface of still water and therefore nature plays its part. When you look down into a puddle or a dark pool of water, the smooth water reflects the light straight back into your eyes.
Mirrors work in exactly the same way, in that a mirror is made up of a coated glass surface which when a polished metal surface or metal film is applied behind the glass, light cannot shine through and so reflects the image back. Young children especially, are always fascinated when they look into a mirror for the first time and see their own reflection staring back at them. Anyone who has young children will remember the vision of their young daughter kissing their image on a mirror.My eight year old daughter loves sitting in front of her mirror doing her hair nearly as much as my fifteen year old daughter!
Where would we be today without mirrors? Mirrors are generally used for personal grooming or interior decoration and have evolved from a luxury item into a necessity. There is an enormous variety of mirror shapes and sizes and over the years, mirrors have gradually developed to meet many different requirements. Today there is a large selection of mirrors , ranging from small mirrors to large mirrors, framed, unframed and includes bathroom mirrors, decorative mirrors, illuminated mirrors, LED mirrors, shaving mirrors, compact mirrors and demister mirrors.
Away from personal use, mirrors are also used in industry as part of scientific apparatus such as cameras, lasers, telescopes and periscopes, to reflect light and used as tools in dentistry and medical care.Not to mention the beauty and hair salon industries.
History of Mirrors
The history of mirrors as far as we can see dates back over 8,000 years. The earliest known mirrors were made from pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring glass from cooled volcanic lava flows. In Anatolia in Turkey, examples of obsidian mirrors dated at around 6000 BC have been found. In south and central America, polished stone mirrors from around 2000 BC on wards have also been found. From around 3000 BC mirrors of polished copper are known to have been crafted in ancient Egypt.
The first metal coated glass mirrors are thought to have been made in the first century AD, in Sidon, known today as Lebanon. The Roman author Pliny makes reference to glass mirrors backed with gold leaf in his Naturalis Historia, one of the largest reference books to have survived from the Roman Empire, which focused on natural and man-made objects and was written in around 77 AD.
In the 10th Century Arabian Physicists, considered different types of mirrors, reflecting mirrors and parabolic mirrors and another discussed concave and convex mirrors in both cylindrical and spherical geometries. In undertaking various experiments with mirrors, finding the point on a convex mirror at which a ray of light coming from one point is reflected to another point was solved.
During the period of the 14th to 17th Centuries, across Europe a method of coating glass with a tin-mercury amalgam was perfected by manufacturers. Venice was recognised for its glass making expertise and soon became a centre of mirror production using this new technique. Glass mirrors from this period were extremely expensive luxuries. Manufacturers also evolved in London, France and Germany.
The particular process of silvering to produce the first silvered-glass mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1835. He developed a process to apply a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process was adapted for mass production and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors.
The evolution of the mirror over the years is quite interesting, if like me you love mirrors! It has developed from a luxury item to an item which is now taken for granted in daily use. Today, walk into any wholesaler to look at mirrors and the selection is vast, with many technology features now finding there way into mirrors, to give added simplicity, luxury and decoration.
The unique range of eye catching bathroom mirrors means there is a style to suit all bathrooms.
How are Mirrors Made?
The manufacture of mirrors includes the application to a suitable material of a reflective coating. Glass is the most common material, due to its ability to take a smooth finish and its rigidity. Glass is also more scratch resistant than many other materials previously used for making mirrors.
Early mirrors were made of solid metal, bronze or silver and they were far too expensive for many. Metal is also prone to corrosion and because of polished metal’s low emissivity, antique mirrors were less suitable for indoor use. With indoor lighting at the time supplied by candles or lanterns, the metal mirrors reflected a much darker picture.
In modern times ‘float glass’ is used in the manufacture of mirrors, which is a flat ribbon of glass which is run out of a furnace and along the surface of a bath of molten tin. The temperature of both the glass and molten tin is controlled to enable both surfaces to be made perfectly flat. There are now three common types of mirrors: plain – which has a flat surface, and the two spherical types of mirrors: the convex and the concave. The concave and convex mirrors can be used in an entertaining way, when used at fairgrounds or amusement parks to distort peoples figures reflected in them through bloating, stretching and shrinking, the person or object in front of them. I challenge even the most dour faced individual to stand in front of a mirror in a hall of mirrors without laughing at their reflection!
In some applications, a mirror isn’t a mirror at all. For example, when used in public conveniences, especially in public or factory toilets, where for reasons of cost and the need for greater durability, a single polished metal sheet is often installed as a form of mirror.
Different Types of Mirror
Throughout the ages, mirrors have been employed as symbols of truth, deception and vanity. Mention a mirror and you instantly know that if you look into one, you will see your own reflection staring back at you. The image you see will resemble your own appearance. In optical principles, the reflections in mirrors do not totally match the objects in front of them. When looking into the mirror, trace the contour of the reflection of your head in a mirror. The reflection may correspond in proportion, but will generally be half in actual size.
With such a variety and huge range of mirrors now available, much has been made of the amount of money spent in purchasing mirrors particularly by women, although in this day and age with an increase in men purchasing cosmetics, some men will also be vain enough to carry a mirror.
The vain Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs famously asked her special mirror, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirrors are synonymous with truth.
Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. They will be used around the home, the office, a pub, club or restaurant to good effect. They work particularly well in night clubs, reflecting the many images of light in the club or room to create a feeling of a much bigger space.
Infinity Mirrors provide an effect of never reaching an end, known as ‘infinity breaking’ and are particularly effective when used in a dark environment. I remember experiencing this phenomenon for the first time as a child in a large department store lift, where mirrors where on all sides of the elevator car. For those who are not good in lifts I should think this effect probably does nothing to calm them, perhaps that’s why you don’t see lifts like this anymore Or is it just because I’m getting old and that was a particular style popular in the 70’s!
My next favourite kind of mirror after the infinity mirror is the heated mirror, these mirrors have a heating element or what is called a demister pad mounted on the back. The reason a mirror steams up when you have a shower is because the surface temperature of the mirror is colder than the air temperature and causes the water vapour in the air to condense on the mirror. Some bright spark realised long ago that it if you heated the mirror this would avoid it steaming up, brilliant!
For many years heated mirrors have only featured in very expensive bathrooms usually costing thousands, and quality hotels have used heated mirrors as a neat differentiator from the increasingly popular budget hotels and motels. Of course it is not until you step out of the hotel shower and see yourself in the mirror that you realise it is there! Whilst at the back of your mind you realise this is one of the reasons why this room is more expensive than the other hotel across the street.
Last week I heard the BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce state that the best shave you ever had will have been in a hotel, to which he attributed the benefit of the heated bathroom mirror as the main reason. I have to agree, and every time I stay in (nice) hotel I always have a really good look at the bathroom with a view to reproducing the best of its features in my own home.
You may think that demister mirrors are expensive, really large ones can be, but did you know you can buy the demister pad separately for only £20 and install it behind your current mirror?
In 1980, ska group The Beat had a UK top ten hit with ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the bathroom is probably the location where we tend to study ourselves the most in mirrors. Many will say that it is not wise to look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning, but the bathroom is often the first port of call in the morning. Many bathrooms feature a main bathroom mirror positioned on a wall and a bathroom cabinet with mirror doors. Other than the “oh my god” do I really look like that expression, the uses of a mirror or mirrors in a bathroom will generally be to aid the application of make up, hair styling or shaving.
One of the major problems with bathroom mirrors is that after showering or bathing, the mirror is misted over. A recent addition in the manufacture of heated mirrors is the inclusion of a demister pad which clears the mirror for use in just seconds. Just think never having to again wait for the steam of the bathroom to disappear from the mirror, or having to open the window, before using the mirror to shave or apply make up. The bathroom mirror demister or steam free bathroom mirror is a great invention. Some manufacturers refer to these products as fog free bathroom mirrors and there is now a huge range available, again some with back lights, LED lighting and built in shaver points.
Demister mirrors and steam free bathroom mirrors are not the only recent developments on mirrors. As suggested above another reasonably new product is the illuminated bathroom mirror. Illuminated mirrors maintain the features of a simple mirror, but will enhance any environment in which they are used with the addition of lighting. As with all mirrors, the range of illuminated mirrors is extensive, with a variety of sizes and shapes available. An Illuminated mirror with shaver point can also be purchased.
Mirrors with illuminated LED lights will enhance any bathroom or environment in which they are installed. Being of low energy consumption LED, or light emitting diode, are more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs. They are designed to withstand the moisture of the bathroom environment. So steam mist will not cause a problem. As a real luxury mirror, illuminated bathroom mirrors and bathroom mirrors with LED lighting can also include a demister, to demist the mirror in just a few seconds and an on/off sensor to activate the lights as soon as motion is detected in front of the mirror. Now bathroom cabinets are also available with inbuilt back lights, and LED lighting for that special something different in your bathroom.
As a bathroom accessory the mirror should come high on the list, in fact can you really have a finished bathroom without a mirror? The enormous selection of styles, types, shapes and sizes means that there must be a mirror to match anyone’s budget. Although some of the latest technological versions such as illuminated, back lit and LED mirrors could be considered to be luxury items, some are not as expensive as you may have thought.
LED mirrors are great for shaving in as they light your face really well so you don’t suddenly find you missed a bit when you put your hand to your face whilst waiting at the bus stop!
Mirrors, Superstition and Auspicious Energy Flow
I have always loved mirrors, probably why I have ended up in the mirrors business! When I was at school I did a project on them, this was before the internet was invented mind so I trawled through piles and piles of reference books in both the school and local library for months. These days of course it would only take a couple of hours on Google, kids these days don’t know how easy they’ve got it!
Once you get immersed in mirrors as I did all those years ago, or ‘mirros’ as I frequently misspelled it, and start researching them, you find that they play a major part in all aspects of life. Mirrors also feature in superstitions. One of the most commonly known superstitions is that someone who breaks a mirror will receive seven years bad luck. A popular belief for this superstition is that mirrors are a reflection of the soul and if a mirror is broken, then part of the soul is broken. Added to this, some believe that the soul regenerates every seven years in an unbroken condition, hence the seven years of bad luck. I bet you’ve always wondered what that was about so I’m glad to share that with you!
It is also said that the mirror does not lie. A mirror can show only the truth. It is a very bad omen indeed to see something in a mirror which should not be there, a technique regularly used in scary movies! Some cultures also have a custom that a newborn child should not look into a mirror until its first birthday because its soul is still forming.
In the southern United States, it used to be customary to cover the mirrors in a house where the wake of a deceased person was being held. If a mirror was left uncovered or exposed, people believed that the deceased person’s soul would become trapped in any uncovered mirror.
Another superstition claims it is bad luck to have two mirrors facing each other. In the ancient art of Feng Shui mirror placement is considered very important. There is a lot of information available about this, and it is a subject that can’t be covered in a mere paragraph or two here. But Chi energy flow can be influenced by mirrors so where the energy needs to be diverted, mirrors can be used for this to great effect. Personally I don’t really follow these rules, although my mum has mirrors strategically placed all over her house to redirect negative energy! One of the principles I do follow though is to make sure I don’t have any mirrors facing my bed, or the kids beds, as this is said to reflect your dreams back onto you whilst you are sleeping, which is not a good thing if it’s a nightmare!
Conclusion
A mirror is defined as a coated glass surface for reflecting images. There is a huge range of mirrors for domestic use, and available in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly seen uses of mirrors are for personal grooming and interior decoration. As a race we are thoroughly addicted to mirrors. Who can honestly say that they can walk past a mirror without taking a look at themselves?
Over time, mirrors have evolved from a luxury item to an item of necessity and many especially women will always carry a mirror in their hand bags. However, today with technological advancements, some mirrors will be seen as a luxury, particularly those which include illumination, LED or demisting devices. As individuals we spend many hours of our life in a bathroom, so why not treat yourself to one of life’s little luxuries and indulge in a stylish bathroom mirror? After all, let’s be honest, who can really live without looking in a mirror at least once a day?