Showing posts for January 2005
For years and years procrastination has been a bad trait, weeded out by self help books and generally been associated with laziness. In my opinion, procrastination can be quite an honorable trait and even bring you fame and fortune.
Un-thought of by many, procrastination has one good point, and this point is what brings the power to the art of procrastination. The point is "What do you do when you procrastinate?" Have you ever though about this?
Care for an example... I like to consider myself the best at procrastinating. If I do not want to do something like clean the house, I work on my website. If I do not want to do work that I really need done, I work on my website. If I hate doing something, 9 times out of 10 I will procrastinate by working on my website. It is quite common that you will have an activity that you will always resort to when you are procrastinating. The question is how can you use this fact to your advantage?
Knowing what you do when you procrastinate, you now can brainstorm how to use this to your advantage. If you are anything like me, you will procrastinate and avoid doing the boring brainstorming task at hand. (I find myself working on my website again). I suddenly decided to allow myself to procrastinate - I did nothing but work on my website.
One would tend to think that constantly allowing yourself to procrastinate would produce no results. In my case, it pointed me towards my career in the Information Technology industry. After all the hours I spent working on my website, a passion for programming the software behind websites formed.
For you to be the best at something, you need 2 things. A desire to do it and the time to change your desire into reality. When you procrastinate, you do what you want for as long as you want. This provides the perfect situation for you to be the best.
Forget looking for something to be good at, use what you learn from procrastination to your advantage. If you love Movies, watch as much TV as possible and become a movie reviewer.
There are certain things you can do that might help your date go with a bang - and turn into something more serious.
It can take between 90 seconds and 4 minutes to decide if we fancy someone. But this has little to do with your smooth-talking. As far as attraction goes, here's how we get the message:
New York psychologist, Professor Arthur Arun, has been
studying the dynamics of what happens when people fall in love. He has
shown that the simple act of staring into each other's eyes has a
powerful impact.
He asked two complete strangers to reveal to each other intimate
details about their lives. This carried on for an hour and a half. The
two strangers were then made to stare into each others eyes without
talking for four minutes. Afterwards many of his couples confessed to
feeling deeply attracted to their opposite number and two of his
subjects even married afterwards.
When we are aroused and interested in what we are looking at our pupils
dilate. In medieval Italy, women put belladonna into their eyes to make
them look bigger. In fact, bella donna means 'beautiful lady'. However,
this is not recommended, as belladonna is a kind of poison!
When people are attracted to each other, they tend to sit or
stand in the same way and copy each other's physical gestures. This is
known as 'mirroring'. When someone does this, it marks good
communication and shows us that our interest is reciprocated. Mirroring
also happens when talking to close friends as well as potential lovers,
so be careful as you may misread signs of friendship as signs of love.
Research suggest that playing hard to get doesn't usually
work. However, there is a theory that we tend to fancy people who are
hard to get for everyone else, but easy for us to get.
Scientists tested this 'selective difficulty' theory by using a
computer dating experiment. One woman was keen to meet any of the dates
that the computer selected for her. Another played hard to get and
wasn't enthusiastic towards any of her computer matches. A third was
selective and only showed interest in one of the candidates. Out of all
three women, the choosy woman was the most preferred by all the male
participants.
If you wrote a lonely hearts ad, what would it say about you? Does the opposite sex find you more attractive if you describe yourself as sexy or successful, or wealthy or reliable?
Another experiment showed that if people experience fear on a
date they often misinterpret that feeling as love. So dates at a theme
park are likely to be successful. A bungee jump might seal your
relationship for life!
In fact, people who both like the same level of thrills and excitement
are more likely to be compatible.
Appearance could be another indicator of the quality of a person's genes. Research suggests that there are certain things we all look for - even if we don't know it.
It is thought that asymmetrical features are a sign of underlying genetic problems. Numerous studies in humans have shown that men in particular go for women with symmetrical faces. The preference in women for symmetry is not quite so pronounced. Women are also looking for a man's ability to offer food and protection. This might not be indicated in their genes, but in their rank and status, for example.
Studies have shown that men prefer women with a waist to hip ratio of 0.7. You can calculate your own using this formula:
waist measurement ÷ hip measurement = ratio.
This seems to apply whatever the woman's overall weight. A group of researchers even compared this ratio with the average ratio of Miss America winners over the years. It was exactly the same. This ratio would seem to make sense as an indicator of a woman's reproductive health. When women age their waist tends to become less pronounced as they put on fat around the stomach. This coincides with them becoming less fertile.
Have you noticed how many married couples look quite similar? Studies have shown that more than anything we prefer somebody who looks just like we do. From a batch of individual photographs people can spot who are the couples with unnerving reliability.
Research has uncovered that there is a correlation in couples between their:
The latest studies indicate that what people really, really
want is a mate that looks like their parents. Women are after a man who
is like their father and men want to be able to see their own mother in
the woman of their dreams.
At the University of St Andrews in Scotland, cognitive psychologist
David Perrett studies what makes faces attractive. He has developed a
computerised morphing system that can endlessly adjust faces to suit
his needs.
Students in his experiments are left to decide which face they fancy
the most. Perrett has taken images of students' own faces and morphed
them into the opposite sex. Of all the faces on offer, this seems to be
the face that subject will always prefer. They can't recognize it as
their own, they just know they like it.
Perrett suggests that we find our own faces attractive because they
remind us of the faces we looked at constantly in our early childhood
years - Mum and Dad. Even the pheromone studies are now showing a
preference for our parents' characteristics.
Arrow Examine your ability to read faces and to find your perfect mate
by taking our face perception test, developed by Professor David
Perrett.
Unfortunately there's no way of telling for certain if a
relationship will last. But there might be some clues in your partner's
family!
In studies of behavioral genetics it has been shown that a person's
tendency to divorce is written in their genes. When scientists studied
identical twins, they found that whatever their degree of marriage
success was, they shared it with their sibling. Men who went through
multiple marriages were highly likely to have a twin brother who did
the same.
Perhaps the best indication as to whether your love will last come from statistical studies. Researchers have come up with several predictors for success. This is based on how you met and when, how you resolve conflict and how similar you and your expectations are.
Discrimination is defined as unfair or unequal treatment, based on prejudice, taken against a person or group of people because of:
Discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably, on one of the above grounds, than others are or would be treated in the same or similar circumstances. This may be the result of conscious decision, policy or bias in a system or procedures. Indirect discrimination consists of applying a requirement or condition which although applied equally, has a disproportionately adverse effect on one group because the proportion of the group which can comply with it is much smaller that the proportion in the whole which can comply with it.
It seems that many people now-days go on about how they are discriminated against on the grounds of age, race and sex. There has been countless court cases where people have made claims that they were discriminated against, with most cases ruling in the discriminated persons favour.
The problem with these court cases is that they seem to be one sided. Most discrimination cases are where someone was:
The problem with most of the court cases being for one of the above situations is that people do not realise some other types of discrimination. For example, if a qualified woman applied for a job in an all male company and was not employed, people would start claiming that there was discrimination. If a qualified man applied for a job at an all female workplace, people would think nothing of him not getting the job. What would you think?
Another example of where discrimination is overlooked is when it comes to age. If an older person applied for a job in a programming company where most of the workers are young, people would start claiming discrimination. If a highly qualified young person was not employed at a company where most of the employees where older, people would just think that the young person was just not experienced enough.
If anyone was to look at the prices of insurance they would have noticed that young males pay the most for car insurance. Is this not discrimination? Most people would just say "no" , this is not discrimination as it is a proven fact that young males have more expensive crashes than any other demographic, although this statement in itself is discriminating. If a company was to only employ men and had proven statistically that men were better in its industry, it would be called discrimination. What is the difference between only employing men since it was statistically found that they were better suited for the industry and charging young men more than others for insurance?
In my opinion both cases are discriminating.
The fact is that the world itself is so careful not to discriminate against the typical discriminated groups, that in some cases it now discriminates against everyone else.
Just ask yourself:
If there was no discrimination, shouldn't everyone be paying the same price?
In 1990, a study in Italy indicated that people who have recently fallen in love have some of the symptoms of 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' or OCD. People with OCD behave obsessively about certain things. They might be constantly washing their hands, or need to continually check to see if the door is closed.
Rather than making you happy, love could actually make you depressed. One symptom of OCD appears to be unusually low levels of the neuro-transmitter 'serotonin'. Low levels of serotonin have been associated with anxiety and depression. Italian students who claimed they had recently fallen in love were found to have serotonin levels 40% lower than their peers.
However, the biochemical effect of falling in love didn't last forever. When the same students were tested after their relationship was a year old, their levels had returned to normal. One author of the study has suggested that we require this chemical response for relationships to survive. After all, we'd have to be mad to fall in love wouldn't we?
Another interesting finding is that people with low serotonin levels tend to have a lot of sex. If men have a particular version of a gene known as the 'serotonin transporter', they will have lower levels of serotonin in their brains. They tend to be more anxious than other men and also more sexually active.
Brain imaging techniques have been put to use in the name of love. Andreas Bartels and Semir Zeki at University College London used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to take pictures of the lover's brain.
Whilst inside the scanner, loved-up students were shown pictures of their new flame. They were also shown images of platonic friends of the opposite sex. Zeki and Bartels were struck by how clear cut the pattern of brain activity was when students were looking at their new love.
Four areas of the brain became active, and one area noticeably inactive, when the students had love on their mind. The active areas include one responsible for 'gut' feelings and one that is known to respond to euphoria-inducing drugs. The lights go off however, in the prefrontal cortex, an area that is overactive in depressed patients.
Human pheromones are a hot topic in research. They are odourless chemicals detected by an organ in the nose. Some scientists believe they could be the key to choosing a suitable lover.
Pheromones are already well understood in other mammals, especially rodents. These animals possess something called a 'vomeronasal organ' (or VNO) inside their noses. They use it to detect pheromones in the urine of other rats and use this extra sense to understand social relationships, identify the sex of fellow rats and find a mate.
In 1985, researchers at the University of Colorado found evidence that this organ also exists in most adult humans. So humans could also respond to pheromones.
Rats have different pheromones in their urine, depending on the make-up of their immune system. When rats choose a mate, they must avoid partners with an immune system too similar to their own, so that their babies can fight off a wider range of infections. As well as lurking in urine, pheromones are also found in sweat.
In 1995, Claus Wedekind of the University of Bern in Switzerland, asked a group of women to smell some unwashed T-shirts worn by different men. What he discovered was that women consistently preferred the smell of men whose immune systems were different from their own. This parallels what happens with rodents, who check-out how resistant their partners are to disease by sniffing their pheromones. So it seems we are also at the mercy of our lover's pheromones, just like rats.
At the University of Chicago, Dr Martha McClintock has shown in her own sweaty T-shirt study that what women want most is a man who smells similar to her father. Scientists suggest that a woman being attracted to her father's genes makes sense. A man with these genes would be similar enough that her offspring would get a tried and tested immune system. On the other hand, he would be different enough to ensure a wide range of genes for immunity. There seems to be a drive to reach a balance between reckless out-breeding and dangerous inbreeding.
For a long time I have been searching for an HTML editor that I could use on both Microsoft Windows and Linux. The first editor that I came across was the Mozilla Composer. All though this program could do the job, I had to download the whole Mozilla Suite to use it.
When I came across NVU, I was expecting a small HTML editor with little functionality, but I was unexpectedly surprised. NVU is the closest thing that I have found that runs on Linux and that can be compared to the likes of FrontPage and Dreamweaver
Nvu (pronounced N-view, for a "new view") makes managing a web site a snap. Now anyone can create web pages and managea website with no technical expertise or knowledge of HTML.
Nvu is 100% open source. This means anyone is welcome to download Nvu at no charge from nvu.com, including the source code if you need to make special changes.
Developers can get involved and help make Nvu even better.
Nvu was started from the Mozilla Composer code base. The Mozilla Internet suite is in the process of being broken up into individual pieces (browser, email, etc.). Nvu will pick up where Composer left off, adding additional features, functionality and ease of use.
A T-shirt sniffing test has revealed that women unwittingly
prefer the smell of men who have similar genes to their dads. But this
is no Freudian Oedipal complex.
Instead, it appears to be a tactic in a poorly understood
evolutionary game, where the prize is either greater resistance to
disease, or an unconscious ability to spot distant relatives in a sea
of strangers.
The genes in question form part of the major
histocompatibility complex, or MHC, and encode various components of
the immune system. These genes are thought to be tightly linked to
others that dictate our natural odour.
Research on animals has shown that female mice sniff out males
with different MHCs to their own, prefering them to mates with a
similar genetic make up. Women were also thought to do the same,
according to one study in which women sniffed T-shirts worn for a
couple of nights by men.
The same, but different
Now a new study paints a more complicated picture. Martha
McClintock, Carole Ober and a team at the University of Chicago studied
49 women whose MHC genes and parents' MHC genes were known. As in the
earlier T-shirt study, the women sniffed T-shirt odours, but this time
they had no idea what they were smelling. They were asked to say which
odours they would prefer if they had to smell them all the time.
Surprisingly, the women preferred the odours of men who shared
the same type of a few MHC genes, or alleles, with themselves. The most
appealing odour donors shared 1.4 alleles on average, whereas the least
appealing shared 0.6 alleles. What's more, these matching alleles were
ones the women had inherited from their fathers and not from their
mothers.
That goes against the prevailing theory that outbreeding is
always best. Going for a mate with different immune system genes to
your own should ensure that your children have the widest possible
arsenal with which to attack pathogens. Also, the rarer their MHC, the
less likely it is that evolving pathogens will be able to outsmart them.
Limited inbreeding
But McClintock thinks that interpretation is too narrow.
Limited inbreeding can work, as it may actually make sense to stick
with combinations of genes that are known to successfully fight
disease. "There's an intermediate number of matches that's probably
optimal," she says.
Wayne Potts of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City has a
different explanation. Although mice prefer mates with different MHC
genes, they go for nest mates with a similar genetic make-up, probably
to ensure they are near their kin. Women may be attracted to their
father's odours for a similar reason - reflecting an ability to home in
on relatives using smell.
For instance, he says that Ober's own studies show that women tend to marry MHC-dissimilar men (New Scientist, 10 February 2001, p 36). "It is probably more reliable to draw conclusions ... from marriage patterns," he comments, "than from odour preference tests where boxes with odiferous, unknown contents are briefly sniffed."
Google AdSense, Google's advertising program that lets webmasters display ads from Google's extensive list of advertisers, has taken the Internet by storm. Through this successful program, unobtrusive text-based ads are served in member sites, who then earn a commission every time someone clicks on the advertisers' links.
At this point in time, the jury is still out on whether this program will continue to enjoy its initial success. That is why, through this article, we want to give you some highlights and insights on how the Google Adsense program has worked for us, one month after we signed up for it, so that we can use it as a checkpoint for future analysis.
Google AdSense uses Google's proprietary PageRank™ search technology to deliver ads that are highly relevant to the content of a page. Since Google assigns a PageRank™ only to pages listed in its index, the page must first be listed in Google before relevant ads can be displayed (if the page is not in the Google index, Google will display public service ads, for which no commissions will be accrued).
Running Google AdSense is simple and straightforward: Google gives you a snippet of HTML code that you can paste in the desired location on your page, and the ads start appearing immediately after you upload the changes to your server.
However, Google AdSense's main claim to fame is that, by displaying text-based ads, it is able to deliver much higher click-through rates than traditional graphic banner ads. As usability studies have widely shown, users are already conditioned to ignore banner ads (or anything else that looks like them). As a result, banner ad click-through rates have dropped below a dismal 0.5% (in other words, it takes 200 page views, on average, to get someone to click ona banner ad).
By using text based ads instead of graphic banners, Google has been able to overcome banner ad blindness, delivering click-through rates that are much higher than the industry's average (some put the figure around the 1.5% mark, twice the averge of banner adds).
The pay-off per click varies widely depending on what each advertiser decides to offer, based on the profitability of their products and their expected conversion rate (percentage of clicks that deliver a sale). Google is not saying what the average pay-off is, but they are normally good, but vary widely.
For a typical site it is not enough to get rich, but a nice extra income nevertheless, that you can use to pay for your domain name and hosting costs, and then some.
This is the big question, and nobody has a definite answer yet.
On the downside:
On the positive side, I believe that Google AdSense's success is not only due to the fact that they deliver text based ads instead of banners, but because those ads are served by Google. The credibility and brand equity that Google enjoys is huge, and I expect them to continue to beat other search engines and advertising networks that may eventually jump on the bandwagon.
However, it is reasonable to expect at least a slight decrease in click-through rates and pay-off as a result of the increased competition.
Mario Sanchez.
In 1944, Asperger's Syndrome was first described and named after the Austrian doctor, Hans Asperger. He described individuals who showed odd-like behaviours, a lot like the symptoms thought to be shown by Albert Einstein and Bill Gates.
Asperger's Syndrome is a form of autism that affects how a person communicates and relates with others. This means that they commonly have difficulty in social relationships, in communicating, and have limitations in imagination and creative play
Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome are quite often easily understood, and have intelligible speech before being 4 years old. Their grammar and vocabulary are usually very good, but they often repeat what they say and partake in conversations that revolve around themselves. They are usually obsessed with complex topics like patterns, weather, music, and technology.
IQ's of people with Asperger's Syndrome fall along the full spectrum, but many are above normal for verbal abilities and below average in performance. Many have dyslexia, writing problems and difficulty with mathematics. They mainly have concrete thinking and often lack common sense.
People with Asperger's Syndrome have odd forms of self-stimulatory behaviour and their movements are often clumsy and awkward. They are often overly sensitive to sounds, taste, smells, and sights; preferring soft clothing, certain foods, and can be bothered by sounds or lights no one else can see or hear.
They have a great deal of difficulty reading body language, have trouble determining personal body space, and are socially aware but often react the wrong way. It is because of this that those with Asperger's Syndrome are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying.
People with Asperger's Syndrome are often punctuality, reliability and dedication.
Sometimes people assume everyone who has autism and is high-functioning has Asperger's syndrome. However, it appears that there are several forms of high-functioning autism, and Asperger's syndrome is one form. Asperger's Syndrome is probably hereditary in nature as many families report having an "odd" relative or two. It is often reported in those also with depression and bipolar disorders.
Asperger's syndrome is a neurobiological disorder that affects the brain and the people who have it seem very "normal" and people with Asperger's Syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. As a guess there is about 1 in every 500 people in the US have this dysfunction which can include everything from language disabilities to sensory problems and physical awkwardness. These people are very intelligent, extremely structured and have no social awareness; they are often very literal. Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with Asperger's Syndrome show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest.
It's important to remember that the person with Asperger's Syndrome perceives the world very differently. Therefore, much behaviour that seems odd or unusual is due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behaviour, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".
Most individuals (although not all) exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality. People with Asperger's Syndrome often develop an almost obsessive interest in a hobby or collecting. Usually their interest involves arranging or memorising facts about a special subject, such as train timetables, Derby winners or the dimensions of cathedrals.
As soon as we meet a person we make judgements about them. Just by looking we can guess their age or status, and by the expression on their face or the tone of their voice we can tell immediately if they are happy, angry or sad and respond accordingly. Not everyone has this natural ability. People with Asperger's Syndrome find it more difficult to read the signals which most of us take for granted. As a result they find it more difficult to communicate and interact with others and have a large problem with social interaction. Meanwhile they often develop overwhelmingly obsessive interests, which can preoccupy them (but may form an ideal basis for a job).
People with Asperger's Syndrome often find change upsetting.
Young children may impose their routines, such as insisting on always walking the same route to school. At school, sudden changes, such as an alteration to the timetable, may upset them. People with Asperger's Syndrome often prefer to order their day according to a set pattern. If they work set hours then any unexpected delay, such as a traffic hold-up, or a late train, can make them anxious or upset.
The causes of autism and Asperger's Syndrome are still being investigated. Many experts believe that the pattern of behaviour from which Asperger's Syndrome is diagnosed may not result from a single cause. There is strong evidence to suggest that Asperger's Syndrome can be caused by a variety of physical factors, all of which affect brain development - it is not due to emotional deprivation or the way a person has been brought up. There is not treatment.
Asperger's Syndrome is most likely hereditary in nature as many families report having an "odd" relative or two.
As they get older, they may realise that they are different from other people and feel isolated and depressed. People with Asperger's Syndrome often want to be sociable and are upset by the fact that they find it hard to make friends. But Adults with Asperger's Syndrome can and do go on to live fulfilling lives, to further education and employment and to develop friendships. Many lead productive lives, living independently, working effectively at a job (many are college professors, computer programmers, dentists), and raising a family.
A Visitor Commented that "Those with Asperger's Syndrome have normal scores on IQ tests and are of average or above average intelligence. You should know that normal menas a score above 70. You create the impression that those with AS are all very bright. This is not so. Incidentally, current research suggests that there are good reasons for not differentiating between autistism and Asperger's Syndrome."
In the world of sales, impulse purchases are the most important. Impulse sales alone can account for over 50% of general purchases. Impulse purchases also help businesses to successfully release new products and maximise profits.
What makes an impulse sale so appealing to businesses is that they are instant sales with the customer giving little thought about:
Price
Reliability
Usefulness
This is important because cost, reliability and usefulness are the main areas where businesses compete. Profit margins will be reduced if a business tries to reduce the price while improving the reliability and usefulness.
Impulse sales are determined by 3 separate factors. These are:
First impression
Availability
Ease of purchasing
By using these 3 factors we can work to encourage impulse purchases. Here are some ways that might help to encourage impulse purchases.
You need to catch your customers attention with a feature that is:
Impressive
Attention grabbing
Marketable
Cool
Your customers need to be thinking that your product or service is like no other and can do things much better, faster or easier. All your marketing needs to emphasise that what you have to offer is like no other. This will encourage impulse buying.
Your marketing needs to also make your customers think that they need your product or service right now. They should have no reason to put off buying your product or service. For example, you will have more impulse purchases if you try to sell winter clothes in the winter.
Discounts, special offers and sales are a great way to catch the attention of your customers. Deals make people think that they are getting something worth more than what they are paying for it. A well placed 3 for the price of 2 deal can have you customers walking out the door with 3 items when they only came in to buy one.
You need your product or service to be very accessible to your customers. This includes:
Having the product or details in a very prominent position that makes yours easier to find than your competitors.
Place the product or details of the service everywhere people might look.
Be able to deliver if the customer needs help to transport the product.
Be able to provide the service on time.
In your marketing, you need to cater for two types of audiences:
Those who understand the features
Those that do not understand
You will rarely get an impulse purchase from someone who understands the features. As long as the features and details are available, they will compare your product with others. Just make these details easy to spot.
For the rest of us, we are often overwhelmed by features and numbers. We are put off when we have to consider technical features as we automatically class the product as complicated and not easy.
To appeal to those that do not understand features and the details and make more impulse sales we need to state the benefits more prominently than the features. This means stating the direct effect on the customers. For example:
Feature that customers use to compare your product:
100 gigabyte per second transfer rate
Benefit that drives impulse sales:
No waiting
Rated fastest by [technical
sounding magazine]
Feature that customers use to compare your product:
Double Glazing
Benefit that drives impulse sales:
Warm in the winter
Save on your home heating costs
Potential customers are more likely to make impulse purchases if they can see that others are also buying your product. When your customers walk away with your product, you need others to be able to see what they have brought. This will get your next customers interested and thinking that they are missing out on something.
New Zealand is a small country about the about the size of Japan or California, that is located in the n the South Pacific, between latitudes 34'S and 47'S. Its two main islands cover 268,798 Sq Km, about the size of Japan or California and slightly larger than Great Britain.
One of the things that New Zealanders pride most, is their clean green image, and rightly so. From its Northern Island with its many hot springs and volcanic peaks, to its South Island with it's alps and glaciers, New Zealand is a place of marvellous scenery and views. The forests on New Zealand are home to endemic plants and animals, found nowhere else on earth. The Lord of the Ring movie trilogy show cased New Zealand's pristine image, with filming being done throughout the country. Nothing yet comes close though, to gazing over the closest place to the garden of Eden.
The first recorded inhabitants of New Zealand was the Maoris, who arrive between 1000 and 1200. According to the Maoris oral history, they arrived in seven canoes from other areas of Polynesia. A Dutch navigator, Abel Tasman, explored New Zealand in 1642, and British captain James Cook made three voyages to New Zealand from 1769.
1840. The Treaty of Waitangi, was signed between the British and several Maori tribes promised to protect the Maori customary entitlement to the land if the Maoris recognized British rule.
1893. New Zealand was the world's first country to give women the right to vote.
1945. New Zealand became a founding member of the UN.
1951. New Zealand signed the ANZUS Treaty with Australia and the US.
1985. New Zealand banned nuclear weapons and nuclear power ships from its ports, which resulted in the US withdrawing guarantees of security to NZ under the ANZUS treaty and later imposing a trade freeze.
1999. It became part of the UN peacekeeping force sent to East Timor.
2002. Prime Minister Helen Clark apologized to Samoans for the unfair treatment they received during colonial rule.
2003. Parliament legalized prostitution.
There are 5 basic types of handshakes that most of us have
experienced. Perhaps you can think of others.
This type of person is earnest but nervous. While
meaning to convey warmth through a tight grip of your hand, the person
only causes you pain. The impression created is definitely
that of a person who lacks sensitivity.
This type of person, who places a limp, lifeless hand in
yours, is sending a negative message. While the knuckle cruncher hurts
you, at least there is a desire to express a real feeling.
You are left with the impression of this person having a lackluster
personality.
This handshake is overly eager but also insecure.
This person doesn’t know when to quit, almost as if stalling
because of not knowing what to do next. They keep on
vigorously pumping your hand up and down—and with it your
entire arm. You may not feel pain but you certainly feel
foolish.
This person will barely put three or four fingers in your
hand—and then withdraw them quickly, almost as if afraid of
catching a dread disease. They appear timid and sheepish.
This is the person who comes across as too familiar, clasping
your right arm or hand, and perhaps attempting to hug you.
This behavior may be appreciated at a funeral, but it comes across as
condescending and inappropriate.
The protocol for handshaking is simple to learn. Here is what you should do: Walk up to the person you want to meet. Look into their eyes, smile, and extend you hand. Offer a warm, firm, palm-to-palm handshake.
When you proffer your hand to a stranger or a distant acquaintance, simultaneously say, “My name is......( use both first and last names ). This way you eliminate the awkward moment of the forgotten name. The person being greeted is often relieved at being reminded, and will usually respond with their full name, which will in turn relieve you.
Both men and women should rise to shake hands. Rising is a compliment; it shows energy and eagerness to connect.
Initiating a proper handshake will make an incredibly positive impression. You will be perceived as a person who is knowledgeable, possesses excellent social skills, and has leadership capabilities.
An excellent handshake shows your charm and
self-confidence. It becomes an integral part of your style.
“Any person who has charm and some confidence can move in and through societies ranging from the most privileged to the most needy. Style allows the person to appear neither inferior in one location nor superior in the other.” - Maya Angelou... (noted poet, educator, and best-selling author)
Throughout history it has been an advantage if an individual can read body language. Body language helps in everyday life from closing a business deal or trusting someone with your life, to recognising when someone is upset.
Body language is the art of making an educated guess at a person’s feelings or intentions based on their posture, movement and positioning. To understand a person’s body language you need to take into account more than one aspect of their body language. Take tears for example. Just seeing tears on a person’s face does not tell you much as they could mean a person is happy, sad or just they might just have watery eyes. It is only when you also observe a smile that you can assume a person is very happy.
Each action or stance in the following list means very little, unless there is more than one indicating the same thing. They may also vary between cultures.
Arms
|
Body Language |
Indication |
Alternative Reason |
|
Crossing of the arms |
A negative or critical viewpoint |
Person is feeling cold and is crossing their arms to keep warm or is relaxing |
|
Tapping fingers |
Bored, anxious or agitated |
Habit |
|
Fidgeting with hands |
Bored or has something to say |
Habit |
|
Fidgeting with objects such as a pen |
Bored or has something to say |
Habit |
|
Open hands or showing palms |
Showing trust and interest |
Inviting others opinions |
|
Covering one hand with the other |
Concealed feelings and insecurity |
Cold hands |
|
Clinging to objects |
Confusion or insecurity |
The object is important |
|
Clasping hands |
Defensive |
Habitual posture |
|
Making a fist |
Aggression, angry or irritated |
Holding something small or stretching hand |
|
Firm handshake |
Confidence |
Habit |
|
Weak handshake |
Nervous, Shy, Insecure or scared on interaction |
Has a sore hand |
|
Biting fingernails |
Nervous |
Habit |
|
Wringing hands |
Nervous |
Habit |
|
Looking at watch |
Boredom |
Has to keep on time |
Feet
|
Body Language |
Indication |
Alternative Reason |
|
Placing feet up on desk or chair |
Relaxation, authority or ownership |
Habit |
|
Tapping feet |
Impatient or distracted |
|
|
Twisting feet continuously |
Nervous, Concerned, Stressed or Angry |
Can never sit still |
|
Sitting with crossing legs in direction of speaker |
Relaxed, confident or listening carefully |
Habit |
|
Sitting with crossing legs in direction of door |
Would like to leave |
Habit |
|
Sitting with legs wide apart |
Feels safe, confident and can show leadership |
Disinterested |
|
Dangling loose shoe from toes |
Physically attracted |
Habit |
|
Pacing the floor |
Nervous |
Has been sitting down too long |
Head
|
Body Language |
May Indicate |
Alternative Reason |
|
Resting chin on fist or palm |
Boredom or disinterest. |
Tiredness |
|
Gently resting chin on fingers or touching fingers to lower face |
Questioning, critical or Deep Thought |
Habit |
|
Looking over the top of glasses |
Attentiveness, serious or critical thought |
Vision problems |
|
Pinching the bridge of the nose |
Deep thought |
Nasal problems or poorly fitting glasses |
|
Rubbing or touching around the nose |
Negative thought or doubt |
Habit, itchy or sore nose |
|
Ear rubbing |
Unsure or weighing up possibilities. |
Itchy or sore ears |
|
Direct eye contact |
Dominance or attentive |
Looking past the person into the distance |
|
Sustained eye contact |
Like or interest in you |
Mistaken for attentiveness |
|
No eye contact |
Disinterest or lying |
Distracted, uncomfortable or too confined |
|
Nodding head rapidly |
Eager, Impatient or want to add to conversation |
Listening to music |
|
Nodding head slowly |
Interested, Validating comments or encouraging |
Listening to music |
|
Pressed lips |
Disagreement, Disapproval or desire to end conversation |
Sore or parched lips |
|
Pressed lips with raised chin |
Aggression |
Usual posture |
|
Pursed lips |
Disapproval, Fixed views, Arrogant, Superficial character, Thinking or Deciding |
Usual posture |
|
Biting lips |
Embarrassed or lacks self-confidence |
Habit |
|
Holding hand over mouth |
Hide an expression, Talk without other people hearing or Indicate mistake |
Hide a hiccup, burp, sneeze or cough |
|
Raising eyebrows |
Surprise |
Trying to focus eyes |
|
Eyes open wider |
Astonished |
Dark environments will cause people to open their eyes more |
|
Raised forehead |
Trying to remember, or is crying |
Is looking up |
|
Looking up or into distance |
Trying to remember or think |
Is looking at something in particular |
|
Loud Sign |
Understanding or Strong emotions |
Tiredness |
|
Clearing of the throat |
Nervousness, or wants to be heard |
Has a cold |
|
Slowly taking of glasses and cleaning them |
Wants time to think before continuing |
Had dirty glasses |
|
Relaxed Brow |
Comfortable |
Has had Botox |
|
Tensed Brow |
Confusion, tension or fear |
Permanent frown marks |
|
Leaning back with hands behind head |
Comfortable |
Habit |
|
Winking |
Shared secret or moment |
Sore eye |
|
Massaging Temples |
Anxiety |
Headache |
|
Stoking chin |
Thinking |
Itchy chin |
Chest
|
Body Language |
Indication |
Alternative Reason |
|
Breathing faster |
Nervous or Angry |
Has just finished exercise |
|
Inhaling loudly and shortly |
Wants to interrupt conversation |
Hiccup |
|
Slow breathing |
Relaxed and comfortable |
Breathing problems |
|
Shoulders hunched forward |
Lacking interest or has a feeling of inferiority |
Tired |
|
Rubbing collar |
Nervous |
Trying to get a mark off |
|
Adjusting tie |
Insecure or wanting to impress |
Tie needed adjusting |
|
Shrugged shoulders |
Concerned, or wants to be left alone |
Usual body posture |
|
Shoulders at different levels |
Doubtful about following actions |
Usual body posture |
|
Rigid Body Posture |
Anxious, uptight |
Usual body posture |
Other
|
Body Language |
Indication |
Alternative Reason |
|
Mirroring you |
Likes you or wants to be friendly |
Luck |
|
Staying still |
Interested in what is going on or is being said |
Is tired |
|
Keeps everything tidy and ordered |
Thinks about everything and plans things out |
Habit |
|
Allows things stay unorganised |
Risk taker or stressed |
Too busy |
Holding gaze - This is where you look into someone’s eyes while they look into yours. Ensure that they have a smile on their face.
Touching - Touching the other person without them pulling away, while they have a pleasant look on their face. Best to start with safe places, such as the back or the hands or arms, or by brushing or bumping against him or her.
Leaning in - Leaning towards the other person while being engaged in what they are saying or doing.
Facing them – Although facing the person is not primarily romantic body language, it is a method of engaging with them. If your body is tilted away from them it might seem like you are looking forward for the conversation to end.
Paying attention – This should be simple, but can be missed. Looking at your cell-phone or doing anything that prevents you from looking at them is negative body language.
Stroking – If a person is looking at your while stroking their legs, arms, face or hair, this is an indicate that they might want you both to touch in that manner.
Looking at you from afar - A person looking at you from afar, for longer than usual may indicate a romantic interest. If the person looks back at you again this idea is strengthen.
Licking lips – If a person is looking at you while licking or pursing their lips into a kiss shape, this indicates they might be wanting to kiss you in some manner. This may also involve objects such as wine glasses.
Preening – This includes tossing of hair, touching hair, brushing clothes, polishing glasses. Generally anything that might mean they are making themselves look good for you.
Body displays – Exposing, thrusting, wiggling or accentuating their body in any manner is an attempt to get sexual attention. This includes arms, legs and crotch for guys and breasts, neck, bottom, legs and feet for women.
Mirroring – This is when the person copies what you are doing or your pose. This indicates their awareness of you.
Body scanning – This is where a person looks up and down a person’s body. This shows interest in how they look. This is emphasised when they let you catch them looking at your body.
The 2 foot rule – When someone is within 2 feet of you, they are within your personal space; this indicates a willingness to risk the chance of physical contact. This is a good time to brush against them.
Evaluating responses – This involves the person making slow but steady advancements in their romantic body language while watching your response. This allows them to determine if you feel the same way.
Laughing – Laughing a lot is quite a strong romantic sign, especially if what they are laughing at was not really that funny. Girls can get a giggle that indicates a flirty mood.
Talking – When they are talking a lot when they are around you it is a good sign. People like to talk about themselves, and although this is not always romantic, it can be a sign.
As computers have become part of everyday life, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has become more widespread in the general public. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is caused when the median nerve travelling through the group of bones (the Carpal Tunnel) in the wrist are constantly under pressure or are compressed.
Any occupations or hobbies that require constant repetitive movement of the wrist or for the wrist to be at an awkward angle may cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Some occupations are more at risk than others, such as:
Computer users
Typists
Carpenters or construction workers
Hairdressers
Poultry, fish and other meat processors
There are a few symptoms that you can look out for:
Thumb, index and ring fingers may start to tingle as the day progresses.
The ability to squeeze things may be impaired.
Sometimes you may feel pain up the arm, sometimes up to the shoulder.
May become unable to pick up small objects.
Fingers may feel swollen when they are not.
May loose the ability to differentiate temperatures.
Hand is numb or has a painful tingling at night. This might be bad enough to disturb sleep.
May become unable to undertake tasks such as tying shoe laces.
Remember: If you are in pain see your doctor.
Like many forms of repetitive strain injuries (RSI), the best prevention is to avoid repetitive movements, but this is not always possible. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is something that often comes on slowly, with a tingling sensation often preceding pain. If you think you might have a minor case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome coming on, you can still stop it with preventative measures.
Maintain a healthy weight
Avoid resting your wrists on hard surfaces for long periods of time.
If possible, switch hands periodically.
Use tools that are comfortable for you to use.
Take regular breaks.
Try not to continually twist extend or bend your hands continually.
Do not stand or sit in a similar position for a long period of time.
Adjust your workstation so that is comfortable and you do not need to move your wrists to type.
Avoid using your hand as much as possible.
Prop your arm up at night with a pillow when you are lying down.
Use your other hand as much as possible.
Use a different tool
Use a different motion or position.
Wear a splint.
See your doctor as surgery or medication may be a possible solution.
The average modern piano has over 230 strings under a combined tension of 15 to 20 tons. A concert grand piano may have a combined string tension of up to 30 tons. Pianos made in the eighteenth century were not as powerful and used low-tension wire made from an alloy different from the wire used today.
The scale design of a piano refers to the calculations the piano manufacturer used to determine the pitch, diameter, length, and the tension of each wire. Good quality pianos usually have a better scale design that involves a lot of engineers and scientists taking many measurements and crunching the numbers. The piano is then built in the laboratory and is tested by listening to it. If the piano does not sound good, the design team does more calculations, makes another test piano and listens to it. This continues either until the piano manufacturer is completely pleased with the results or until the research budget runs out!
If the bass strings were made of plain steel wire, the lowest notes would have a string length of around 25 feet long! Since the piano has to be able to fit into normal-sized living rooms, the designers had to achieve a lower pitch using shorter wires. Getting a lower pitch with shorter wire requires using a larger diameter wire. Unfortunately, if a wire is used that has too large of a diameter, the wire will break under the required tension. The solution is to use a smaller steel core wire and then to use another wire wrapped around the core wire to add mass. The extra mass makes the wire behave as though it is a larger diameter wire without causing the problems of string breakage.
Originally, the wire that was used to wrap around the core wire was made of iron. Later, some pianos were made with aluminium-wrapped bass strings, and now copper wrapping is used. Plain steel music wire is used throughout the tenor and treble sections of the piano.
A common question is "Why does the piano have only one or two wires for each note in the bass section and three wires in the rest of the piano?" The short answer is that the number of wires used for each note helps determine the volume of that note. A large bass string can produce much more volume than a smaller plain wire. The volume is balanced by using more wires for each note in the treble section and fewer wires for each note in the bass section.
Occasionally a wire will be broken and need to be replaced. If the string is not replaced promptly, it can cause uneven wear on the hammer that will lead to additional repairs being necessary. A string can break for a number of reasons. In most cases of string breakage, there usually is the presence of rust that weakens the string. The string might break because of a kink or a bend in the wire, or there may be a defect in the wire. In tropical areas or areas with high humidity, pianos are made using tinned wire to prevent excess rust. Strings frequently become brittle with age, and the splintered ends ofa broken wire can testify to that. Concert instruments and other pianos that receive a lot of heavy use are notorious for popping strings.
When a piano is being tuned and a string breaks, it is usually due to a weakness in the string as listed above. Sometimes the wire can also be broken by a piano tuner who does not use a proper technique in using the tuning lever. When the broken wire is examined and the wire shows evidence of "necking down" (the wire being overstretched to the point that the wire is damaged) it often is the fault of the tuner. If a piano is flat in pitch because it has been neglected, the pitch raise can cause rusty strings to break. However, I have successfully raised pitch on a number of old pianos that had very rusty strings and were more than a whole note flat in pitch, and often the entire tuning will proceed without any of the strings breaking. Other times I may be tuning a much newer piano that is not flat, and a string will just decide to break.
When a piano string breaks, there are several repair options available. A broken string can be repaired by tying a tuner's knot to splice the old wire to a short piece of new wire. The advantage of such a repair is that an older wire that is spliced will often match the tone of the surrounding strings better than if it had been replaced. In addition, a string that has been repaired this way will stabilize much more quickly than a new wire. Tying a broken string eliminates the need to return several times to retune the string back to the correct pitch. The drawback is that a wire with a knot in it doesn't match the other wires in appearance.
My preference is to replace a broken wire with a new wire. Piano wire comes in long coils that are several hundred feet long. I use a micrometer to choose the appropriate gauge of wire, cut off the appropriate length, and do the replacement. When a bass string breaks, you have the option of having the string replaced with a universal bass string or a custom-made bass string.
A universal bass string set has a number of different sizes of core wires with different sizes of copper wrapping. The replacement is cut to the correct length, and then the wrap wire is "unravelled" until the beginning and end of the wrapping matches the other bass strings on the piano. The problem with using universal bass strings is that often the tone of the new piano string is decidedly different from the surrounding strings. It is rare to find a universal bass string that will perfectly match the core diameter and wrap diameter of the broken wire. Also, I have personally had a problem with universal bass strings breaking shortly after they are installed.
A string maker will make a custom bass string precisely to the correct size. The string maker already has a list of stringing scales for many current production pianos, but an older or obscure brand of piano may not be in their files. To find the correct size of wire requires either sending the broken string to the string maker, making a paper pattern, or taking several measurements of the broken string. Custom-made bass strings involve more work, take more time, and are more expensive, but it is my preference to use them, because they give the advantage of matching the tone of the existing strings much more closely.
An older piano often will develop a lot of rust on the
strings, or it may have a problem with breaking strings. The bass
strings often become tubby and "dead" because dirt and debris will be
caught in the coils and make the strings not as flexible. The bass
strings can sometimes be rejuvenated by working to get the junk out of
the coils, but it is preferable to replace the entire set.
When restringing a piano, the tuning pins and strings are usually
replaced as a unit at the same time. When the strings are removed, they
are carefully measured and the scale design is calculated to determine
what size of strings should be used for replacement. Good quality newer
pianos often will have an acceptable scale design, but old or obscure
piano designs can often be improved upon, especially in the bass
section. The tone of the piano can often be improved by "tweaking" the
scale design.
Although piano wire is made of steel, it does have some elasticity and
does stretch. A new piano, or one that has been restrung, will continue
to stretch and go flat for quite some time. If you have ever replaced a
set of strings on your guitar, you know what I am talking about! After
a piano has been restrung and returned to the customer's house, it
needs to be tuned a minimum of four times that first year and a minimum
of twice a year thereafter. It is my opinion that a piano will
stabilize much more quickly the more frequently it is tuned.
Even in the ancient days when the Greeks reigned, there has been holidays aimed at mothers. The Greeks were first to honour Rhea, the mother of the gods. Some Romans also had a similar holiday for Cybele, the Roman mother goddess. Latter in 17th century Britain, mothering Sunday came about when servants could return home for the day to visit their mothers, but this holiday almost died out.
The person with the most credit of helping create mothers day is Anna M. Jarvis. Anna was a ministers daughter and for 20 years taught Sunday School. She was also quite attached to her mother. When her mother died in 1907, Anna began a letter-writing campaign to gain the support of influential ministers, businessmen and congressmen in declaring a national Mother's Day holiday. She wanted children to show their appreciation for their mothers while they were still alive and help strengthen family bonds.
In May, 1913, The House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the President, his Cabinet, members of Congress, and all officials of the federal government to wear a white carnation on Mother's Day. Congress passed another Joint Resolution May 8, 1914, designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
So on the second Sunday in May, remembers Mother's Day.
A lot of us buy cards for our fathers on fathers day. This may make it seem as if the greeting card writers thought fathers day up to sell more cards, but this is not the case.
Fathers day was created when a Washington lady by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a Mothers day sermon in 1909. As her mother had died during childbirth, her father William Jackson Smart had to raise her and her 5 siblings by himself. Her father had made many sacrifices by being a parent, and Sonora wanted to that him for this.
On the 19th of June 1910, Sonora celebrated her fathers sacrifice. In 1924, president Calvin Coolidge supported the idea a national fathers day, and president Lyndon Johnson declared the 3rd Sunday of June as fathers day.
So on the third Sunday in June, remember, Fathers Day
Google is good for so many things, among which is searching for all sorts of files, including MP3's. Here's a quick primer:
Try it now. Just substitute the term "Nirvana" for any band or singer you might be looking for, and your search will lead you to open indexes that contain downloadable music files.
Here is some music where the SPM and BPM ratings are known:
Every organism has DNA, and this DNA held in every cell of your body. It is like a blueprint that describes how a cell of your bode should operate and also your characteristics. Genetic Engineering or Genetic modification is the modification or manipulation of these "Blueprints" to change the characteristics of an organism.
Although the understanding of genetics has not been around long, humans have really been controlling the genetics of organisms for thousands of years. One of the most common forms of control is to selectively allow only the organisms with the best traits to breed. This would give the offspring characteristics of the best possible parent.
Over the last few years, Genetic engineering has only been seen from a bad point of view. The media has failed to emphasise the importance of genetic engineering and have used many excuses against genetic engineering:
There are also a lot of reasons to use genetic engineering:
