The Refresh Orlando Heirs

Yahoo is Spying on you.

Opt Out of Yahoo Snooping
This is information for all YahooGroups users. When you value your
privacy, please read this message and take the recommended action.

Notice that they did not publicly alert you to this snooping, but they
hoped you wouldn’t find out about it.

Yahoo is now watching your every click, and keeping track of them. To
opt out of Yahoo snooping, go to http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy
About half-way down the page, in the section on cookies, click on “web
beacons.”

In a paragraph entitled “Outside the Yahoo Network” you’ll see a
little “click here to opt out” link that will let you “opt-out” of
their new method of snooping (and don’t click the button on the
results page).

Once you have clicked that link, you are exempted.

WARNING: Notice the “Success” message on the top of the next page. Be
careful, because on that page there is a “Cancel Opt-out” button that,
when clicked, will undo the opt-out.

Don’t be fooled by it. These guys are trying very hard to gain
information with or without your cooperation.
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About the Author

dDawg: an elite team of regular “Joes’s” fighting back & making huge cash online one day at a time.
http://www.str8junk.com/heavyhitter.html

Renewable energy is not a new concept. While it may appear to be a rather fashionable topic of conversation in certain circles, renewable energy initiatives have been with us since the dawn of man. There is some debate about the accepted definition of renewable energy, but it can be loosely defined as a form of energy that is essentially inexhaustible. Furthermore, the resource is continually replenished by various natural processes identifiable in the natural world.

One key distinction to make when discussing the concept of renewable energy is that of sustainability. One could make the argument that, in the long term, fossil fuels are a renewable energy resource. While the logic stands on its own, this is a failed notion. The central difference between fossil fuels and other forms of renewable energy is that fossil fuels are being depleted at a rate faster than they can be replenished. For this reason, fossil fuels cannot be considered truly renewable. They are simply not sustainable, due to the accelerated rate of consumption.

Some of the more popular renewable energy resources include sunshine, water, and wind. Solar energy refers to the energy that is collected from sunlight. This form of energy is captured using a photovoltaic array, more commonly known as a solar panel. The solar radiation is captured by the photovoltaic array and converted to direct current (DC) electricity. From there, the direct current electricity must be converted to alternating current (AC) for use in most applications. The converted electricity is then stored in a battery for use at a later date.

There are also various forms of energy that exist in water. One of the most commonly acknowledged is that of hydroelectric energy, but there are a number of others including tidal power and ocean thermal energy conversion. Hydroelectric energy generally employs the use of a dam, wherein the energy of the water flow is captured and used to power a turbine. The turbine then generates a supplementary form of electricity. Tidal power attempts to make use of the natural energy potential of tidal activity in the oceans and seas. In simple terms, the high tide is captured and fed through a turbine to generate electricity. Ocean thermal energy conversion attempts to exploit the variances in water temperature, from the warmer surface water to the cooler deep water, resulting in a cyclic heat engine.

Wind power is one of the oldest accepted forms of renewable energy. It has been used for centuries as a source of power, dating back to the creation of the sailboat. The innate potential of wind power was realized a number of years later in the form of a wind mill. In this instance, the kinetic energy of wind is used to drive a turbine which, in turn, generates electricity. Wind energy possesses immense potential for sustainable energy generation, and a number of large-scale development projects are currently underway throughout the world.

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is to discover a way to reduce our reliance on unsustainable resources, like fossil fuels. Most, if not all, modern industrial societies rely far too greatly on fossil fuels and increasingly, this is becoming an undeniable reality. Wars of conquest are being waged to secure what is left of the world’s oil reserves. If only the resources of the powerful nations were channeled into developing sustainable energy alternatives, as opposed to driving a war machine bent on dominating the oil markets. Our modern way of life is going to undergo some difficult times in the very near future, if this reality continues to be ignored. Ask yourself what you can do to make a difference. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish.

Jim Fritz is a committed environmentalist, and a life long member of various environmental organizations. He is also a member of the editorial team at thesolarguide.com – an enlightened source of information about the latest developments in renewable energy, environmental education, solar consumer goods and more.

The following is a list of tips to help safeguard your laptop while traveling or conducting business.

1. Never leave your laptop unattended. Keep your laptop in your physical possession at all times and pay particular attention at the following locations: airports, hotels, car rental agencies, offices, restaurants, college campuses, restrooms, payphones, libraries, bars, hospitals, conferences centers, train stations and bus terminals.

2. Record your laptop’s serial number, make and model information in your purse or wallet so if your computer is stolen, the information will be readily available when you file a police report.

3. Disguise your carrying case. By carrying your laptop in a case designed specifically for computers, you alert thieves to the fact that you are carrying something valuable. Instead, consider carrying your laptop in an ordinary piece of luggage, satchel, briefcase or other inconspicuous bag.

4. Lock it up! Use computer- locking cables to secure your laptop to a desk or table.

5. Etch, engrave or permanently mark your computer with your name and phone number. You might also consider placing several of your business cards inside carrying case pockets.

6. Never place a computer in checked luggage.

7. Identify your carrying case in some unusual way. Brightly colored tape, yarn or tags will help you to locate your bag in the event it comes up missing. When traveling, you might also consider affixing something brightly colored to your actual laptop ( in light of new security measures at airports, travelers are required to remove their laptops from their cases at security checkpoints).

8. If your laptop must be left in your car, store it in the trunk of the vehicle prior to arriving at the final destination.

9. Regularly back up information. Make sure you store this information separately in case your computer is stolen.

10. Report it stolen as soon as possible. In the event that your laptop is lost or stolen, make sure you report it missing to your employer and local authorities as soon as possible. This will help to speed up the recovery process.

Johnny May, CPP is an independent security consultant/trainer and the executive producer of the video production “Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Preventing Laptop Computer Theft”. For more information visit http://www.security-videos.com

Did your heart ever palpitate for fast driving? Did you ever imagine your hands controlling an extremely speedy car? I f so, then you should definitely experience the gravity and true charm of mini RC cars.

Mini RC cars have climbed up to the top position in the chartbusters of favorite pastimes or hobbies. These extremely speedy and exciting mini RC cars offer a complete range of fun, frolic and excitement, within small and restricted arenas of racing. Since the mini RC cars are quite small in size as suggested by their title, the mini RC cars can be easily designed and masterminded in your rooms or garages. However, one should not get fooled down by seeing the outer appearance of a small sized mini RC car- rather the impact of the size has no influence over the unbelievable range of it’s speed, which at times touches over 20 mph.

Small scale cars or rather the so termed mini RC cars are however not very new to this world. In the early 90’s, Kyosko introduced the BAJA bugs and Tamiya the Tamtech cars. Unfortunately enough, with the advancement of technology, these cars lost popularity and value in the market.

However today, the scenario has drastically changed. Due to lack of sufficient space and the heavy expenses of racing, these mini RC cars provide a suitable alternative. Mini RC cars can truly quench the thirst and excitement of a car race lover. Four to six of these mini RC cars can race amongst themselves within small arenas of a garage or a small street.

Today KYOSHO MINI-2 and HPI MICRO RS 4 RT4 have gained immense popularity in the wide market of mini RC Cars. Besides these mini RC cars, the market of mini RC cars also comprises of SUPER MICRO MINI RC cars.

All these several types of mini RC cars, turn mini RC cars into a more exciting, interesting, nail-biting and variable item…

Discover why rc’s have fast become one of the most popular hobbies around. For more exciting rc information visit: http://www.nichearticles.com/rc/

Before I started meditating several years ago with CDs using audio technologies, I estimate I hadn’t recalled much more than tiny snippets of a dream in, gosh, at least ten years and probably many more than that.

One of the things I liked immediately when I began using meditation CDs was that I started sleeping as soundly as a puddle of snoozing cat and dreaming vividly and often. For the first time in years I could clearly recall in the mornings my imaginings of the nights before.

Well, right after I started using meditation CDs, I dreamed that I was in the atrium of a large bank-like building, the front of which had huge plate glass windows. Granite columns rose from the polished floor to the top of the atrium, some four stories above my head.

I was walking through this atrium, minding my own business, when a man suddenly ran past, shouting, “The storm’s coming, the storm’s coming. It’s headed right for us!”

He evaporated from my sight as only dream people can do.

I walked toward the plate glass windows, looked outside, and, sure enough, a terrible storm was headed right for the building, a perfect storm with tornadoes, hurricane force winds, lightning, and driving rain.

I started to run as fast as I could toward the interior of the building, but then a voice screamed, “We’re all going to die!”

I looked back and, yes, the tornado’s winds were driving uprooted trees and debris straight toward the plate glass windows.

I could feel myself panicking, sweating, shaking with fear, going zero at the bone.

I collapsed to the smooth, polished floor, worrying furiously about what I could do to protect myself. For lack of anything better, I crawled to one of the granite columns and then wrapped my arms around it even though I knew the force of the terrible winds would laugh at my feeble hold on safety and easily toss me about like an egg shell.

My eyes squeezed shut to avoid the glass fragments and flesh-piercing slivers that would be headed my way any second now.

I felt fear flooding through my veins.

My heart pounded as I clutched onto that column for dear life.

Suddenly, for no conscious reason in that dream, I calmly took a deep breath, opened my eyes, totally accepted the storm, and then watched in calm fascination as glass and trees and street signs and driving rain and other storm stuff flew past me, leaving me untouched, calm, relaxed, and utterly at peace.

Seconds later, I woke up, happy, smiling, almost in tears because of the wonderful experience of completely letting go.

For the first time since 1980, when something similar happened to me, I felt completely at one with everything in the world — the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the violent and the peaceful.

It’s been many years now since I had that dream experience, but I still reflect on it several times a week to remind myself of the way I’m prone to attach to things I really don’t have to attach to and fear things I really don’t have to fear.

As a result of what I experienced while clutching the granite column in my dream, I’ve become a better witness of what I say and do — an observer who can now better embrace the still calm around which the storms of life swirl, bluster, and blow.

About the Author

Chet Day embraces the still calm in rural North Carolina. You can experience this calm too by learning “A Classic Breath Counting Meditation.” Visit http://meditation101.com to get your free copy.

Computer noise is normal … somewhat. Then there is the dreaded silence of death …

You see, there are several moving parts inside of your desktop computer. These parts are going to make noise, so that part is normal. Your computer has at least two fans, one on the CPU (central processing unit, or the brain of the computer) and the other on the power supply unit. An option third fan is sometimes located in the middle of the back of the case, directing airflow directly onto the CPU area, or venting the case itself. All of these fans will make noise.

In addition, your hard drive is comprised of small platters with magnetic read/write heads located in between the platters; a sort of sandwich if you will. Under normal operation, the hard drive is relatively silent, but as it gets older and it’s mechanisms get more worn, it will generate some sound when accessing the drive. This is a good indication that you need to start shopping for another hard drive … and don’t forget to regularly back-up the contents of the drive while you’re at it!

Two more things that generate noise on your computer are your CD-ROM (and DVD-ROM) drives and your floppy drive (if you still have one!). These devices spin your media at phenomenal rotation rates, and generate heat as well as noise. However, these devices have a noise that you should become fairly familiar with. Any noise that appears abnormal from these devices probably indicates a problem with the device. For example, a grinding noise in the floppy drive may indicate a bad floppy disk, or a bad drive. CD-ROM is the same way … a drive that has to be repeatedly opened and closed before it will access a CD could indicate a problem with the CD or the drive. In both cases, a careful examination of the media will help eliminate the media and point to the drive itself as the source of the problem. A good question to ask when encountering this type of issue is if the disk will work in another computer. If so, the problem is most likely your drive.

However, none of the things discussed so far describe the two most ominous sounds that can come from your computer: the whining grind of bearings going out, and complete silence. For the first issue, when the bearings in any of your fans start to go out, it starts to whine and grind. It will sound exactly like any other fan bearings that you might have heard go out … from an air conditioner unit to a box fan … the fan bearings all sound the same when they start to fail. At first this noise will be intermitten … but after a while it will become severe and nonstop. At this point it is imperative that you purchase a fan to replace the one that is going out. Why? Because what comes next can be very destructive …

Complete silence. No fan sounds. No grinding. Worst case scenario: it’s the CPU fan gone bad, and every second you use your computer you are burning up the CPU chip. Most computers today are designed to turn themselves off once the temperature on the CPU reaches a certain level … before damage takes place. However, this safety feature doesn’t always prevent damage from occurring. After you get the fan fixed, you can experience random shut-downs and system errors that are directly related to a previous overheating incident. So, it is best not to run your computer at all during times when overheating may be an issue.

So the bottom line? Get to know your computer! Some noise is normal … but excessive noise from any component on the computer usually indicates excessive wear and tear, not to mention possible emminent failure. So be alert and aware of what your computer sounds like now, … before it has any problems.

Michael Arcand is a CompTIA A+ Certified computer technician and entrepreneur specializing in computer tips and tricks for home users. His latest venture is online at http://www.techsupporthelpdesk.com, providing cost-effective tech support for home and small business users.

The practice of outsourcing business processes has long been subject to the discussion how best to ensure optimal benefits for both parties involved in the outsource agreement.

In conventional outsource agreements conflict often arises between the objective to minimize cost and the necessity to continually develop the service. This leads to unsatisfactory results for both parties. However, conflicts can be resolved by increasing the collaboration between both parties to a level where the service provider is considered a vital part of the purchasing company. This “annex” arrangement offers on-going and exclusive access to a customized service from the service provider in return for the advantages of a long-term contract granted by the service purchaser.

Traditionally, a service provider will argue in favor of a long-term outsourcing contract while the purchaser will often opt for short term agreements. This allows the purchaser the possibility of sourcing more effective competitive services. Purchasers often believe this approach keeps the providers “on their toes” and ensures the best level of service, at the best price. This may be so in the short-term, but the service provider, having no guarantee of continued business, will be less motivated to undertake long term investments developing their service particular to that one client. Instead, the provider will concentrate on the safety net of being able to offer their service to the market in general.

Considering the service provider an “annex” to the purchasing company can solve this power struggle to the benefit of both parties, but it necessitates a change of approach in many cases: although most companies claim that the reason for considering an outsource is strategic, the reality is often that the decision is purely financial, based on a calculated cost reduction. Annexing is only possible where the purchaser genuinely seeks to gain competitive advantage through competence or capability of service, as opposed to simply achieving an immediate lower cost.

In this form of outsourcing, the service purchaser must choose a service partner who can sustain a long term delivery of service that continues to be more effective than a possible in-house alternative. In addition, and equally important, this service must remain superior to the provider’s competitors. Winning the beauty contest today is good and well – but could the beauty fade with time? To ensure continued competitiveness, a number of measures can be taken that will lead to a partnership in which the purchaser finances its own superior position in the market, rather than buying a mere commodity service.

Close Collaboration

While many outsource dealings are conducted at arms length, and on a contentious basis, annexing relies on close long-term collaboration, or partnership. Collaboration between purchaser and service provider is not a new concept in outsourcing, but annexing takes it to a new level by treating the service provider as an internal entity. Still the purchaser shouldn’t forget that the service provider (in most cases) knows its own business best and should be entrusted to conduct its own affairs accordingly, without unnecessary control or interference. Both parties must be confident that they are pulling in the same direction, and this necessitates free flow of information between the two partners, openly and without reservation on both the short and long term, on all aspects of the business.

Funding Investment

By entering into an annexing arrangement with a service provider, the purchaser must also rethink the financial objectives. Typically cost of service is a strongly negotiated factor, with both parties understandably looking for the best deal. However, with an annexing agreement, achieving the lowest cost or charge for the service may not benefit either party in the long run; it is worth keeping in mind that in an annex arrangement, the poor financial health of one partner can adversely affect the health of the other. By entering into contract at a cost which is too low, the service provider will be unable to realize a sufficient profit margin to allow for reinvestment in the further development of the service. Although, at the outset, the purchasing company may obtain a financial benefit from this situation, the benefit will be quickly lost as the provider’s competences and capabilities diminish, and the service level consequently drops to a problematic level. Once at this stage, many service purchasers simply discard the provider and look to the competition in order to attain a better service. However, this constant change of provider means that a truly optimized solution is seldom achieved.

To resolve this issue, a more transparent approach to costing must be taken. The cost-plus method, where the purchaser agrees to pay the operating costs incurred by the service provider, plus a percentage – which is taken as profit – is particularly suited for annexing agreements. This calculation forms the baseline price of service, typically set at unit level. To ensure continued competitiveness, an amount must be dialed in on top of operating cost and profit to finance continued investment. As discussed earlier, sufficient funding must be available to the provider in order to allow them to continue research and development on their service. It is the responsibility of the service provider to identify these opportunities for further improvement in the service, and it is also their responsibility to prepare a business case detailing the cost and benefit of any investment. Again, the service provider must act like any other internal department and go through the appropriate channels in order to procure the additional funding from the purchaser.

Evolving Service Level Agreements

Another point to consider when entering into an annexing agreement is the Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA is the mechanism by which expectations are contractually managed - the service provider is explicitly aware of what they must deliver, and the purchaser is explicitly aware of what they must accept and pay for. Due to anticipated and continued development of the service over time, along with expected changes in dynamics in the partnership, it is necessary for the SLA to be built with evolution in mind. After all, it is unlikely that the SLA applicable today will still be fully applicable several years into the contract. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to set ever challenging expectations from the provider. As soon as one service improvement has been realized, the relevant SLA must take this new capability into account, and “raise the bar” further. This ensures that the service provider is being constantly challenged to come up with more effective ways to do business and stay ahead of the competition – the source of the purchaser’s competitive advantage.

Two-way exclusivity

Exclusivity, naturally perceived as a danger by the purchaser in a traditional service agreement, works both ways in this type of outsourcing contract. While annexing means heavy reliance on the long-term partnership with one selected provider, the purchaser also requires that the provider must provide exclusively to them. This mechanism protects the investment that the purchaser places in the provider and ensures that the corresponding competitive advantage remains out of reach of competitors.

Through annexing, the exclusive collaboration coupled with ongoing investment in service development increases both parties’ competitive position. When this is controlled by evolving service level agreements, the parties to the long term outsource contract can both finally deal from a position of equal power.

© GA Advisory 2005

Gavin Campbell
GA Advisory
gcampbell@ga-advisory.com
http://www.ga-advisory.com
+32 475 951 821

Gavin is a director at GA Advisory, a specialized consulting firm working with the Airlines, Express and Logistics industries. He has worked extensively in the area of performance improvement and organizational effectiveness in the manufatcurting, express and logistics industry. Gavin has advised many of the worlds leading logistics and express companies.

Gavin holds a law degree and an MBA from Henley Management College in England and is based out of Brussels Belgium.