The Refresh Orlando Heirs

Eventually, everyone faces a data disaster. Are you ready? Unless all of your electronic files are expendable, you should be making backup copies of your most important data on a regular basis.

“Your backup is as important as your data and your time—because that’s what it’s going to cost you if you lose it,” says Cheryl Frogley-Rawson, an IT consultant with Helpin’ Out, a computer support company for small businesses and individuals. “Even if you have hard copies, it’s going to cost you time to enter the information again.”

·Back up regularly, back up often. It is important that you get into the habit of backing up your files on a regular basis. Just having things stored on your hard drive is not enough. A computer crash, a virus, or a hard drive failure can wipe out everything. Don’t make this simple mistake! Back up everything at least once a week. Daily is better. If you use your computer daily, it is best to back up important files daily and other data weekly. At the absolute minimum, back up your files monthly.

·Keep several backup copies. Never back up over a prior backup copy - keep several copies over time so that you can back up more than one version if necessary. Remember, a problem that is backed up will remain a problem when restored!

·Be selective. You don’t have to do a total system backup. In fact, why waste your time backing up all those executable program files when you can easily re-install them from the original media in case of a problem. Just back up your important files. Backing up the entire hard drive is time-consuming, not practical, and should not be done. A backup of specific data files is the way to go.

·Know what’s really important. The most important things to copy are files you create yourself. Be they text documents, e-mail messages, pictures, or game saves, if you made them, be sure to keep their current backup handy. Beyond that, it’s helpful to back up the configuration settings for any programs you use, along with critical Windows data such as the registry.

·Organize your folders. Backing up is easy if you set your folder structure properly. It’s faster and easier to back up if all your files and subfolders are in a single folder, rather than having your documents scattered across the hard drive. The My Documents folder is a good place to store files on any Windows computer. When all your personal files are in one place you are less likely to forget a file when you back up. Organization can be the key.

·Use backup software to automate your everyday backup tasks. You don’t have to copy your files manually. You can accidentally omit something, or simply make a mistake. A decent backup program creates the backup of your data reliably and automatically, and it will notify you in case of any problem, and will log the backup activity in detail. In addition, there are a lot more useful features, all usually for a very low price.

Willson Peterson is computer expert and network engineer. He is the author of “How to backup your computer data.”

Click here ==> http://www.ebookarticle.com to visit his website.

Copyright 2005 Willson Peterson. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

You’ve looked over several magazines, websites and books about scrapbooking, and you feel like you’re ready to go. However, in all these articles you’ve looked over, you realize there are a few words that you’ve heard your wedding photographer talk about…words that scare you a little bit…and cause you to doubt yourself with the thought, “I’m not a professional photographer…what have I gotten myself into?” These frightening words you will find aren’t so frightening after all, and putting them into use will really spice up your scrapbook.

The first word is Cropping…which, simply put, is cutting off the boring, messy, or distracting parts of photos. For the most part, photos look best, and professional, when they have straight sides and clean edges, like a square or rectangle. Sometimes even a circle or ovals will work well. Another way to crop photos is to cut along the edges of an object or a person, like an outline, and remove the background altogether. If you’re really feeling creative, cut a portion of an object out of a photo, leaving the rest of the photo intact. This will give you a ‘jack-in-the-box’ effect.

It is important to use the proper tools when cropping your pictures so you get crisp, 90 degree angles. This may mean buying something else when you head to the craft store. There are numerous small, inexpensive paper cutters to help you with this job. Try to avoid cutting photos with the fancy-edged scissors from your child’s craft kit. Your best bet is to cut the photo with smooth edges and use the fancy scissors on a colored paper mat around the photo.

Speaking of mats…that brings up the second intimidating word…matting. Matting is basically giving your photo a background with a separate piece of paper. But, you may think, “Why waste the time doing that?” by having a narrow edge of colored paper around the outside edge of your photo, you can ‘bring out’ a certain color in photos. This can enhance the visual impact of the photo. Try using more than one color mat at a time. Don’t slack off with matting, rather, be creative, and you will find a little cropping and a little matting can really go a long way with your scrapbook.

To signup for 7 Great Scrapbooking Tips for free, check out http://www.scrapbooking-is-fun.info. Alternatively, check out the book “Creating Stunning Scrapbooks – 101 Handy Tips” at http://www.scrapbooking.learnheaps.com to learn more about scrapbooking.

Is the electronic age thwarting some of your goal achievement efforts?
* Are you a visual person?
* Do you like (or even need) visual reminders for important long-term goals or short-term To Do List items?
* Do you have all the latest gadgets, with everything neatly organized, but still have difficulty getting tasks done - (or done on time)?
Don’t get me wrong - I love technology! It is a wonderful tool that has helped us become organized more efficiently and quickly than we could ever have done manually. It assists us in setting up regularly scheduled tasks so they occur like clockwork; monthly mailings, organizing and categorizing contact lists, and lead follow-up are now contained in neat, orderly electronic systems we can access and activate with the push of a button.

However, it’s taken me time to realize that some of my activities and goals were not getting accomplished simply BECAUSE they were electronic. For example:

All my contacts are in ACT! This tool helps my Marketing Director and me keep in contact with people on a regular basis. But I was recently reminded of a call I needed to make, got distracted and forgot. Several days later (after my brain had been rattling “something” around that I couldn’t quite remember), I remembered that I had a call to make, found time to look up the phone number in ACT! and made the call - late. Part of the problem is that often when I do remember to make a call, I’m not at my desk, so the phone number that would enable me to make it during a free moment in the car or another remote location isn’t handy.

Is it as frustrating to you as it is to me to have all this technology at your disposal and still miss deadlines and goals?

The problem is this:
1. The visual reminder is gone: In the old days, we’d have a written To Do List (or book) that sat on our desks (or came with us everywhere we went), visually reminding us of our daily/weekly/monthly tasks. With tasks now locked neatly away in our electronic gadgets (often hidden inside purses, pockets and briefcases), it is too easy to forget that we still have things that should be done today. Unfortunately, no matter how good your memory is, once too many items accumulate on that list, something will get lost in the cracks.

2. The visual reward is gone: Not only did the list serve as a reminder of items to be accomplished, but it also served as its own built-in reward, since visual people love to see those items crossed off, checked off or otherwise visually marked as DONE! The visual reward itself was a motivation to “get that last item off your To Do List!”

3. Technology is not always as convenient as we’d like to think: If we’re not in the same place as our electronic information, even if we remember that we have something to do (or someone to call), the critical information we need is not where we are at the time we remember it! Our days are crammed with calls, appointments, paperwork, personal errands - you name it. There are days I can’t sit in front of my computer until late at night, after I’ve taken care of all my other tasks during the day! How many times have you been in the car and remembered a call you had to make, but the phone number (or other important information you need to properly serve your customer) is “locked” inside your desktop computer, making it impossible to complete the To Do item? And lest we say, “Oh, but we should get a PDA and sync up our lists and carry the PDA everywhere,” let us keep in mind that:

1. Not everyone can afford all the gadgets available, especially at the beginning of a new business
2. Sometimes gadgets crash and lose information (usually at the most critical moment - a la Murphy) - or have no battery life left because we forgot to charge them
3. Sometimes gadgets get “misplaced” - or just plain ole lost!
4. Maybe we haven’t had time to sync our PDA with our desktop, so that new client’s phone number is ONLY in our desktop - and not in our PDA
5. Some people don’t want to carry 100 pounds of gadgets (not to mention all their chargers!) everywhere they go
6. Some of us just aren’t “gadgetty” people!

Here’s a solution that has helped me and that I now recommend to my “visually-oriented” clients:
1. Even if you have your To Do List in an electronic Task List, print it out and place it on your desk (or on your car seat if you have to leave your office). The list will remind you of the tasks you must accomplish, while rewarding you with visual satisfaction once items are completed. Print the list for the entire upcoming week (so you don’t have to remember - or make time - to do it every day). Even if not every item is on the printed list, most will be (you can always hand-write them in as they arise).

2. Even if you have a PDA, print your active client list periodically. This way your information will be handy, whether or not your PDA is updated, sync’d or charged - allowing you to make critical phone calls when you need to do so. I used to carry an alphabetical list with me all the time when I was a REALTOR (and used it ALL THE TIME) to make phone calls between appointments!

3. Keep a small wire-bound notebook or pad with you at all times to write down To Do items as they arise. When someone asks you to send a fax, jot a quick note with the fax number in it. When someone calls on your cell (or leaves a voice mail message), write the message in the To Do book, since almost every phone call or message I receive results in something “To Do” – don’t yours?

By keeping some simple non-electronic things available at all times (even if they’re based on electronic systems to keep them organized), you increase the chances that your “neatly organized” goals will actually get done, rather than simply remaining “neatly organized - but incomplete” in your shiny electronic gadgets!

National speaker, trainer and coach, Sandy Geroux is an award-winning salesperson who helps others achieve breakthrough performance through her programs on sales, customer service and effective risk-taking. Visit her on the web at http://sandygeroux.com/ or e-mail her at sandyg@sandygeroux.com.

Background:

The main advantages of HDMI, high definition multimedia interface, over standard analog video transmission is that it is 100 % digital from source to display. However, transmitting HDMI over long distances is not so easy. In this article we will describe some of the issues encountered during HDMI transmission and present a solution that can significantly improve HDMI transmission: the HDMI Extender.

Basic HDMI transmission characteristics:

HDMI is based on TMDS, transmission minimized differential signaling, developed by Silicon Image. In order to support non-compressed HD video quality, HDMI needs to support data rates up to ~1.65 Gbps for each of 3 transmission pairs. In addition, TMDS is based on a characteristic impedance of 50 Ohms ( 100 ohms differential).

The math of HDMI signaling:

Although TMDS is a base-band “digital” signal, mathematically it can be thought of as a summation of harmonically related sine waves. The great French mathematician, Jean Baptiste Fourier (1768-1830), showed that any signal waveform including a square wave (think digital here) could be resolved into a summation of harmonically related sine waves. As the data rate of a digital signal increase, so does the frequency of the individual sine waves that make up the “composite” digital signal. For example, for a 50% duty cycle perfect square wave, the fundamental frequency (lowest frequency component) is ½ of the data rate. In summary, a digital signal is simply composed of the fundamental frequency sine wave and harmonics of this fundamental sine wave. The amplitude of the individual sine waves is determined by Fourier transforms.

The challenges of HDMI signaling over long cables:
Transmitting high-speed HDMI signals is not easy because the frequency of the individual sine waves is such high frequency. As frequencies of the signal increase, the design of a good HDMI transmission product falls in the realm of good RF/microwave engineering. The challenges of high-speed digital transmission can be broken down to :

Attenuation: as frequencies increase, signal attenuation of the cables increases due to the “skin effect.” Essentially, the “skin effect” describes the phenomena that as the frequency of a sine wave increase, the wave tends to travel on the outer portions of the cable conductor. Whereas ordinary 60Hz AC signal might travel through the entire cross sectional area of the conductor, a high frequency may only travel along the outer edges of the conduct therefore the “impedance” to signal travel is greater. Think of this as a water pipe where the center of the pipe is blocked and fluid can only travel on the outer edges of the pipe. In addition, the attenuation of a cable increases with the cable length.

Intra-signal pair skew: recall that higher frequency sine wave also have shorter wavelengths. HDMI is based on differential signaling, therefore the “skew” ( any delay between a transmission pair ) of each the signal must be minimized. Any differences in trace/cable lengths will tend to skew the arrival time of the signal to the receiver. As frequencies and cable lengths increase, the errors will be more pronounced.

Impedance matching: : HDMI is based on 50-Ohm ( 100 ohm differential) impedance. All cables, traces must be matched to this characteristic impedance. Any “mis-match” causes reflections, which degrades transmission performance.

Using a HDMI extender to mitigate transmission problems over long cables:

In many front projection installation where cable lengths are significant, the problems described above will surface in the form of “pixelization” or even a complete picture drop out. An external HDMI Extender can be used in order to correct and compensate for the long cables that causes the impairments. The HDMI Extender automatically adjust and compensate for cable attenuation up to 40 dB. In addition, an adaptive equalizer compensates for the time-based skews. A limiting amp “squares “ up and re-shapes the input signal before sending to the output through output buffers.

The HDMI Extender is low power and can be attached to the display end ( after the long cable) to completely rectify any errors caused by transmission over long HDMI cables. The extender is housed in a small ease to use package. Power can be supplied directly from the HDMI source, however an external AC adapter is provided and recommended. The HDMI Extender can be used with DVI-D products simply by using a HDMI to DVI-D cable or adapter.

Conclusion:

HDTV technology is changing rapidly. HD connections such as HDMI will become the de facto standard in HDTV connections. Transmitting HDMI signals over long cables is a challenge and often causes pixelization and signal drop out. An external HDMI Extender can be placed at the display end of the cable to completely compensate for signal degradation caused by a long HDMI cable.

Jeff Su is product marketing manager at Octava Inc. http://www.octavainc.com. Jeff is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (BSEE, MSEE) and has over 10 years of experience in CATV systems, RF, and microwave designs. He may be reached at info@octavainc.com

We all know about the benefits of training. To get better at anything we need to train. There’s weight training, basketball training, football training, net-ball training, hockey training, cross training - training for everything.

At some stage all of us have trained in something. Many of us jog, pump weights, perform aerobic exercises, walk and do all sorts of things to train the muscles of the body to become bigger, stronger, fitter and more capable for a chosen sport or pursuit.

We all know about the value of exercising our bodies. But how many of us train our brains? Hmm. Brain training. Interesting. “What’s that?” I hear you ask.

Let me start by saying that your mind manifests what comes to pass in your life. Put simply - we are what we dwell upon most of the time. You have probably heard such famous sayings as:

“As a man thinketh so is he” and “What the mind can conceive and believe the body will achieve” and “Whether you think you can or whether you think you cannot, either way you are right”. It’s a very complex thing this organ we call our brain.

So, back to the subject at hand - how do you train your brain? You can’t take it for a walk. It cannot pump weights. You can’t take a pill or a potion to make yourself instantly smarter. What can you do?

First, understand this - your brain is THE most powerful muscle in your body. Unfortunately, for most, it is also the most neglected muscle in the body.

Your brain directs everything that you do - physical, mental and spiritual. You want to walk - the brain makes this possible. You want to talk - the brain makes that possible too. You want to engage in sport - the brain synchronizes all the muscles to allow you to do so. You want to do a crossword puzzle - the brain caters for that too. It also allows multiple actions. For example your brain makes it easy for you to walk, swing your arms, hum a tune and chew gum all at the same time. The brain is indeed all-powerful.

Training the brain requires thinking about your life and being determined to make the necessary changes to make things better for yourself. I prefer to think of the brain as a super computer. If you are not achieving the results that you want you always have the option of “re-programming” your “on-board computer.”

If you want to re-program your brain you will need the correct software for the task. Like a regular computer it would be pointless to expect a word processing program to perform a particular mathematical function. For that you would need a spreadsheet program. Your brain is the same. When you know how to do this you will be amazed at how easy and powerful it is. Let me give you some examples:

Let’s say you want more discipline in your life - enter the discipline disk. You want more success? Easy - enter the success disk. What about your weight? Have you ever wanted to reduce your weight? Most people have. Plug in the weight disk. Whatever area of your life needs improvement you can re-program your brain to do it.

Brain training is like body training - it will improve whatever outcome you desire. Try it. You can learn much more about this at my website.

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his
Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.” If you would like to view his “Brain Training” manual you can see it here.

HTML Tips : Easy Ways to Make Your Website Sizzle

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the first building block of
the Web. Learn everything you need to know with these resources.

Beginner’s Guide to HTML

>From Webdeveloper.com, an introductory tutorial that walks you
through the creation of your first Web site.

Dmitry Kirsanov’s Top Ten Web Design Tips

A collection of tutorials, Web page design and layout, and
general advice distilled from Dmitry’s experience as a Web site
designer. Though written some years back, his advice is still
on-point and insightful.

HTML: An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners

Tutorial designed mainly for beginners who know little about how
a Web page is made. Teaches all basic HTML tags with plenty of
examples. HTML code box allows user to try out their new skills
and view them as they learn them.

Idocs Guide to HTML

A very complete guide to HTML. Includes explanations and
examples. Wonderful tutorials on frames and tables.

So You Want to Make a Web Page?

Tutorial aimed at “all wet behinda ears” Newbies. Includes Table
Tutor, Forms Tutor and Frames Tutor. Also has a downloadable zip
version for fast offline reference.

WDVL’s Introduction to Web Design

>From one of our sister sites, this thorough course ranges from
the basics of HTML to advanced formatting topics. Also, don’t
miss WDVL’s Intro to HTML.

Writing HTML

A tutorial to creating your own home page from the Maricopa
Center for Learning and Instruction. Designed to help
instructors create HTML learning resources.

Work smarter, not harder

What is one of the best ways to work smarter without working harder? The answer is outsourcing. Whether you need occasional or ongoing assistance, outsourcing can save you money and time. Graphic designers, copywriters, bookkeepers, website programmers, office assistants, and other types of professionals are all readily available.

And, there’s a new way of hiring people – the World Wide Web connects independent professionals and small businesses that don’t need or want full-time help. Try typing “Virtual Assistant” into a search engine. You will find a vast array of online resources. According to the International Virtual Assistants Association,

“A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative, and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis.”

This means you can find a virtual assistant for almost any type of work. Are you a plumber who needs accounting? Or a professional speaker who needs help arranging your appointments? Perhaps you would like some help writing proposals, designing a new website, or sending out press releases. You can find someone online for all of these services.

For many “around the office” types of jobs, virtual assistants get paid $20 to $50 an hour. More specialized services such as programming, legal assistance, graphic design, or coaching can cost $75 to $125 an hour. This may sound expensive at first. However, if you are not in need of a person in your office 40 hours every week, it becomes a very cost-effective solution.

While I realize, costs fluctuate widely, let’s look at some sample numbers to compare the typical costs of maintaining an employee versus outsourcing:

Sample costs of a full-time employee
Employee Salary: $36,000/ $17.31/hr.

·Two-week paid vacation: $1,385 to cover your employee’s role (more if a temp is hired)

·Health Insurance (employer portion for 12 mos.@$150): $1,800

·FICA Taxes (7.65%): $2,754

·Worker’s Comp. (.61%): $220

·Unemployment (State & Fed): $309

·Misc. costs (Vision, Dental, Disability & 401K Matching, Profit Sharing & Stock Options): >$3,000

·Office Space, Equipment, and Software (100 sq. Ft. @ applicable rate): $2500 ($25/sq. ft. is conservative)

·Annual Bonus (1 mo. salary): $3000

·Sick Time (10 days/year): $1385

·Other intangible costs (furniture, testing, training & fees, sick children, etc.): $1200

Total Typical Costs: $53,553/ $25.75/hr. total effective hourly rate at 100% productivity

At a 75% productivity level, this employee’s cost for actual work becomes $34.33/hour and at a 50% productivity level, it’s $51.50/hour. A full-time staff person is very unlikely to be 100% productive because of idle time, errands, tasks, personal matters, and a learning curve for certain functions. This is combined with an employer’s inability to generate work due to distractions, staff meetings, company functions, lack of time to delegate or supervise, and sales fluctuations.

So, depending on the productivity level of a full-time employee, you may be paying up to 3 times his or her actual salary! You do the math! What’s the wise choice? Does an in-house employee save money? In most small businesses, this method simply is not the most cost effective.

Entreprenuer, get your life back!

Outsourcing will save you money, time, and energy. Virtual assistants and other out-of-office professionals own their own equipment with the latest software, they pay their own taxes and benefits, they are experts in their field, they don’t require morale building or training, and they aren’t going to bring their personal problems into your work space. Virtual assistants and outsourced professionals offer even more advantages: they are loyal to their client companies and will support your goals – they will help you generate ideas and allow you more time to make your business more profitable.

So, if you have employees that you are happy with, then of course that’s perfect for your business. Don’t fix what ain’t broke. However, if you find you are paying too much overhead or spending too much time managing, try a virtual assistant. If you need a new type of service, but don’t have the in-house expertise, outsourcing is a great option. There’s a world of online help available at your fingertips.

Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven, is the owner of Kinesis (http://www.kinesisinc.com). Kinesis specializes in marketing, graphic and website design, and business writing. You can visit her marketing blog, Kinetic Ideas at: http://www.wendy.kinesisinc.com

Want to harness the power of kinetic marketing? Sign up for Kinesis Quickies, a free bi-monthly marketing e-newsletter: http://www.news.kinesisinc.com

Window pinning can be an effective way of securing double-hung windows (and some sliding windows). I run into a lot of double-hung windows, usually in older homes, that could use this type of protection. Many have locks/latches that are broken or the two window sections don’t line up preventing the window from being secured.

Best Application: On older double-hung windows that have wooden frames and require extra protection. It is not recommended for use on the newer vinyl windows – it may even void their warranty.
NOTE: using this window pinning procedure still allows someone in the home to escape through the window should that become necessary. Never use any method of securing windows that would violate any codes or prevent someone from escaping in an emergency situation.

Tools Needed: Hand or electric drill; 5/32” drill bit; ruler or tape measure. Each window will also require two 16-penny nails.

Procedure:

1. Close the window and, if possible, secure it using the existing lock/latch. If you can’t secure the window, make sure both the upper and lower sections are shut tight as they must overlap (in the middle) as much as possible.

2. You will want to drill a hole through the inside sash and three-quarters of the way through the outside sash in the two corners where the two window sections overlap (the window’s mid-section). Measure this distance(depth). Once you have the depth to drill, you can place a piece of masking tape on the drill bit at the same distance. This will be your drill depth guide.

3. Starting on the left side, carefully drill the hole at a slightly downward angle but no deeper than the depth you measured in step 2 (or the start of the masking tape on the drill bit).

4. Repeat Step 3 on the right side and insert a 16-penny nail into each hole. For appearance sake, you may want to use a bolt cutter or hack saw to shorten the nail ends so just the nail heads are visible and sticking out. Test the security by trying to open the unlocked window with just the nails in place.

If you want the option of leaving one or more windows open (4” to 6”) and still remain secure, you may drill two additional holes as follows: Open the window the desired height (but no more than 6”); Using the original holes on the inside sash, drill a second set of holes three-quarters of the way through the outside sash; Insert nails through the inner sash and into these “ventilation” holes and test by trying to open the window wider.

DISCLAIMER: If you do not understand this Pinning Window procedure or its suitability for your specific situation or purpose do not attempt to perform it. I will not be held responsible for any accidents or damage resulting from your use of this procedure.

Roger J. Fischer is a security professional with over 25 years
of experience in providing security solutions for his customers.
For more articles related to security, safety and a variety of
other topics visit http://www.GoldKeySelect.com

Most of us who have been intimately involved with someone beyond the infatuation stage know that relationships are like a rollercoaster ride. When things are good, they are very, very good. When things are bad, they are very, very bad. As a relationship coach, I have developed Top 10 Lists—one for men and one for women on 10 things to do and not to do in relationships.

MEN

DO

1. Just listen to your partner without offering advice.
2. Trust and respect her.
3. Treat her as an equal partner in your relationship.
4. Stay and support her when she gets emotional. She is looking for understanding, not solutions.
5. Continue your courtship even after she’s committed to you. Continue to create romance in your relationship.
6. Do little things on a regular basis. A woman doesn’t care if you call her at work to say, “I love you” or if you buy a new TV for the living room. The small things are worth just as much as the big ones.
7. Honor any agreements you have made with her.
8. Encourage her goals and direction.
9. Find out what your partner would like to do and then do it with her.
10. Say, “I’m sorry” when you’ve done something you regret or that was hurtful to your partner, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

DON’T

1. Go to bed angry with your partner.
2. Try to offer advice or solutions when your partner just needs you to listen to her without comment.
3. Pretend to listen to her when you really aren’t.
4. Shut your partner out when you need to sort things out in your head. Just explain you need space, you aren’t angry with your partner and that you’ll be back.
5. Criticize your partner, especially her appearance.
6. Yell at your partner as if you were her father.
7. Take every word she says literally. Women, when upset, tend to speak in absolutes, such as “You NEVER listen to me;” when what she really means is that you aren’t listening to her at that time.
8. Allow jealousy to erode the trust, love and respect of your relationship.
9. Violate her privacy.
10. Forget special occasions.

Men and women have different communication styles, different needs and desires, and different relationship challenges. Learning these differences can assist us in strengthening the relationships we have now and in the future. John Gray began this revolutionary discovery in his book, Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus. The Women’s List follows:

WOMEN

DO

1. When you want more quality time with your man, make the time you do have as positive as possible.
2. Trust and respect him.
3. Stop nagging.
4. Allow your partner time away from you without giving him the third degree.
5. Appreciate the little things he does for you and tell him so.
6. Make love creatively and often. Don’t be afraid to initiate lovemaking.
7. Honor any agreements you have made with him.
8. Support his goals and direction.
9. Ask for what you want! (Believe it or not, no matter how much he loves you, he really can’t read your mind.)
10. Accept his “No” gracefully, trusting that he would if he could.

DON’T

1. Go to bed angry with your partner.
2. Insist he always share his feelings with you. Talking about feelings is more what women need.
3. Attempt to converse with your partner during a good movie or sporting event.
4. Continue to “give” in what you perceive is a lopsided relationship when you are at a point of resentment.
5. Criticize him or put him down, especially the things he does.
6. Scold your partner as if he were a child.
7. Use sex as a prize for good behavior or the withholding of sex as punishment for “bad” behavior.
8. Compare him to a fictional character in a book, movie or soap drama and find him lacking.
9. Violate his privacy.
10. Try to change him. Appreciate the man he is right now.

There is so much to learn about satisfying relationships that your parents never showed you. Please don’t become one of the statistics of divorce or perhaps worse, stay in a miserable relationship to honor your marriage vows while having so many regrets about your life as the time ticks away.

Kim Olver has a degree in counseling, is a certified and licensed counselor. She is a certified reality therapy instructor. Kim is an expert in relationship, parenting and personal empowerment, working with individuals who want to gain more effective control of their lives and relationships. www.therelationshipcenter.biz/FreeTeleclass.htm

We don’t use E-gold very often since most of our online business and customer sales are conducted through our online merchant account. However, we occasionally have someone who will request paying by E-gold so we keep an account there for this reason. Once a month or so we withdraw the funds and decided to do so yesterday. Imagine our dismay when we logged into our E-gold account yesterday and found our balance to be a big fat ZERO! We had checked the balance just a few days ago so we knew this was not correct. After investigating the history of the account, we found that a spend had been made to another e-gold account user WITHOUT our knowledge or authorization. We had been hacked!

Since we have up to date anti-virus and firewall software on our computer, we assumed we were safe. Not so! It seems this is not enough to keep away the hackers as the software does not prevent “Spyware” from being installed on your computer.

“Spyware” is software that gets onto your computer and literally “spies” on your activities. The spying can range from relatively harmless use of cookies tracking you across multiple websites… to extremely dangerous “keystroke loggers” which record passwords, credit cards, and other personal data. That data then gets relayed to the person who put the software on your computer.

Spyware gets on your computer in one of several different ways.

First, it rides along with software you download from the ‘Net and install on your system.

Second, they come as email attachments (much like viruses) and automatically install themselves on your computer when you open the email message.

Third, hackers find an open port on your computer and use the “back door” to install basically anything they want.

And fourth, the more malicious types, like keystroke loggers, can even get installed by someone with direct physical access to your computer such as an employer, suspicious spouse, business competitor, or someone who wants to know exactly what you’re doing.

So how do you protect yourself against these malicious hackers? You need a program that specifically scans your system for the tens-of-thousands of existing spyware programs along with the new ones appearing daily.

Below are two programs which specifically check for and remove spyware from your system:

“Spybot Search & Destroy” - http://www.safer-networking.org/
“Ad Aware” - http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

You may have spyware lurking on your computer right now so protect yourself today by downloading one of the above programs!

As a point of reference, we contacted E-gold and informed them that we had been hacked. We provided them with the account number of the person who received the funds and asked for a contact e-mail address on the person. E-gold informed us that they could not provide that information without a “court order” and that basically there was no way of getting the money back!

Take action today to protect yourself from this growing threat! The bottom line is: - Keep your anti-virus program current

- Install a firewall
- Carefully screen software before installing it
- Scan specifically for spyware weekly
- Stay current on this growing threat.

Charles & Susan Truett are experienced internet marketers who have built a successful online business and are now teaching others how to achieve the same success. For more more info on how to make money at home visit http://www.partnersinsuccess.net