Computers and electronics while traveling overseas

COMPUTING ON THE MOVE

Well i'm off on my holidays,this time abroad,the good ole USA,but i still need to be "on-line" on a daily basis for my personal & business needs, so i have brought some lightweight products ,that don't take much room and are easily transportable

1, THE COMPUTER

Well the first thing is the computer ,shall i take my old compaq armarda M700 ,which has been usefull in the past or shall i invest in a new one , here we go scouting around the shops or should i say online ,there's so many choices from, this notebook to that notebook with this spec' to that spec'geez my holiday will be over before i choose one at this rate .In the finish i have made my choice on size ,purely for travelings sake ,i went for for a Packard Bell XS200-06,seems a pretty good choice to me, it has a built in web cam ,microphone ,ofcourse speakers,bluetooth ,wifi , hey its the business,as long as you have keen eye sight, as the screens a bit small, its ideal for me.only weighs a couple of kilo's, so i thinK i have made a good choice.

2, MUSIC

Now i'm not into music in a big way just a few songs,so i won't be taking too much in that regards ,cut out the cd's, so i have brought myself a mp3/dab radio .my other portable radio packed up so this one will do two jobs.As i'm driving over 2000 miles i need some entertianment to keep me entertained,and my experiences in the past of radio stations in america have not been good i can record off the net my favourite english station and download onto my new Alba mp3 player,and thro' a simple device can get it playing thro' the car stereo system..im ready to go now .

3, ATTACHMENTS & ACCESSORIES

So what do i need in this area,i prefer a handheld mouse rather than the inbuilt touch pad ,i'll be taking my phone so i need my charger,head set perhaps ,external mic so i can keep in touch with "back home" at a discount rate,carry case, Now buying these bits indiviually might cost a few pounds , but wait i have found something cool, the local supermarket is selling computers & accessories this week, lets see what they've got...I'm in luck an accessory pack for £14.99 WOW,what a deal. Now i ain't heard that much about Tevion products but anything else i have brought from there seem good quality, and for that small amount i'm prepared to take a chance ,so what do we have?

1, USB KEYPAD................not much use ,but i can make the space usefull for something else
2, USB HUB 4-WAY.............great as the laptop has only 2 usb sockets this might come in handy
3, USB CABLE.................okay if i need a bit of extension i guess
4. EARPIECE with MIC.........great,small compact and will definatly come in handy
5, NETWORK CABLE ............okay this might be usefull at some of the motels i stay at
6, USB MINI OPTICAL MOUSE....fantastic will be extreemly usefull
7, MINI USB ADAPTOR..........saves me taking the mp3 cable ..great
8, USB PIN ADAPTOR...........may be useful at some point
9, USB LIGHT.................i've found these out to be useless in the past ,but you never know

and all wrapped up in a smart 6" x 2" zip up case what a GREAT deal

So there we are i'm ready to go i got my electronics, my ticket the faithfull credit card next stop AMERICA
LAPTOP COMPUTERS

www.discount-notebooks.net

Compensation Solicitor - Meet Your Expectations

Compensation solicitors have a well-earned reputation of being aloof. Their offices are like something out of the Victorian era. They're professionals who don't like outsiders telling them how to run their private little clubs, called "Firms". All in all, they may even have a horrible reputation. So, what should you expect when you first meet a personal injury solicitor?

The Offices

Unlike the Dickensian movies you may have seen, accident solicitors these days like to work out of offices that are spacious and open-plan. Like banks, they hope to give visitors the feeling of being friendly and comfortable. More often than not, you'll be met by a receptionist, but it is also likely that as soon as the solicitor knows you have arrived they will come and greet you and walk you through to their offices or a meeting room depending how packed their rooms are with files.

The Discussion

Having enter the room, it is likely that the first thing the compensation solicitor will ask you to do is to tell them all about what happened. It is at this time, the notes you wrote following the accident will come in handy as you can use these to tell the solicitor all about the accident.

If possible, you should also hand over any photographs you took at the scene of the accident and a copy of your medical report, if you have one. Don't be overly concerned if the accident solicitor doesn't say too much at this time and don't worry if you see them taking notes from time to time. They only do this to jog their memories of facts they may want to ask you more about later or use against the other party.

The Questions

Frequently your personal injury solicitor will hear your story before they ask you any questions. Once you have completed your story they will then ask some questions that they feel are central to whether or not you'll win your case. When answering these questions you need to be as honest as you can – after all, if you mislead the accident solicitor you are really only misleading yourself. Waste his time, and you are wasting your own.

Agreeing To Act For You

So long as your story and your answers to his questions give the solicitor grounds to believe you have a claim, he'll likely agree to act as your compensation solicitor. In that case you should expect the following things to happen:

• If you have not already had a medical examination by this point, the solicitor will then arrange for you to have one.

• The solicitor will arrange for you to sign an engagement letter authorising you to retain his/her services.

• The solicitor will likely ask you to sign a power of attorney authorising him/her to have access to certain information relating to the case; such as your medical records and the status of your insurance claim;

• In the engagement letter you sign, the solicitor will likely have a clause that says he can act as your represented solicitor in any discussions with the insurance company or the insurance loss adjuster.

• The solicitor will ask if you have spoken to the insurance company and will then ask you not to talk to them directly any more but to direct any queries to him.

What Happens If The Accident Solicitor Doesn't Agree To Act For You?

In certain circumstances, having heard your story the personal injury solicitor may tell you that they cannot act for you in this matter. Now, there may be a number of reasons for this.

It may be the case that they do not think you'll win the case. Just as likely, it could be the case that having heard your story they have become aware of a conflict of interest and realise they cannot, professionally and ethically, act for you.

Whatever the case, if the solicitor tells you that they cannot act for you, you should ask them if they can recommend to you an accident claim solicitor who can help you. In most cases they'll be very happy to give you the name of an accident compensation solicitor they believe will be happy to represent you.

Finals...

Don't be misled into thinking that everything has to be one way. If you are not too sure whether you want to retain the services of the accident solicitor for your compensation claim you should feel free to ask questions of them.

Good questions you may want to ask are what areas of law they specialise in (to make sure that they specialise, or at least know, the area of law that is going to affect your case) and how many similar cases they have won in the past (so you get some idea about their track record!).

Whatever you do, do not be afraid or overawed by being in the presence of an accident claim solicitor – they're only human after all!

Finally

So do you really need to see them?

Not really, as you can cut out the journey, which practically saves you a lot of time and energy. Today, to be efficient, everything is done either on the phone or over the net, except for the obvious court attendance. Not virtual yet, but could be in the future!

Comparison of Pay per Click Programs

Pay per click programs are the biggest source of income generator source of 
online money. We provide you the best information about PPC (Pay Par Click).
Compare and chose the best one for you.

Google Adsense
If you dont know what Google AdSense is then youve been living under a rock.
This is pretty much a must have if you want to make money from a blog. Google
display simple text and image ads on your blog that are targeted to what youre
writing about. Google has been a consistent money maker for this blog.

TTZ Media Network
This is my own ad network. Its ideal for technology and shopping related sites.
TTZ Media provides product based ads that are trigger by keywords. The ads show
products that are based on the keywords entered and a list of online stores
where the products can be purchased. A reader clicking on the product will be
taken to the store offering the product for sale. Money is generated with a CPC
model. A reader need only click on the banner and visit the advertiser in order
for the site to make money. The reader does not have to purchase the product
from the advertiser. CPC rates are based on product categories and number of
clicks the affiliate can generate. Our tech/review site based affiliates realize
eCPM as high as $12.

Pepperjam Network
Founded by my friend Kris Jones, Pepperjam Network represents an evolution
in affiliate marketing. The creation of Pepperjam Network represents eight years
of research and development and the combined ideas, feedback, and intelligence
of hundreds of affiliate marketers and advertisers. Pepperjam Network offers a
quick and easy way to get started in affiliate marketing with the pepperjamADS.

Kontera ContentLink
Kontera ContentLink allows you to make money from advertising without giving up
any current advertising spots. Their technology reads your post and turns
certain words into an ad. The highlighted words are double underline and an ad
pops up when you hover over it. Normally Kontera requires a site have a minimum
500,000 page views per month before being accepted into the program. However, I
have a partnership with Kontera that will allow smaller blogs to use their
ContentLink service.

Text Link Ads
Text Link Ads is one of my favorite ad networks. They help me make money online
by selling those text links you see under Featured Sites. The links offer
advertisers traffic and search engine benefits and readers dont seem to mind
them at all because they are not intrusive. Your link price is set by Text Link
Ads and is based on Alexa, Google PageRank, number of RSS subscribers, and other
factors.

Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser, a CPC ad network that competes with Google AdSense. It main
advantage over AdSense is its low $10 payout. You only need to make $10 in order
to be paid. Big publishers wouldnt care about this but for many small blogs
that are still waiting to hit that magic $100 Google payout level, getting pay
at a lower level is quite attractive.

AzoogleAds
AzoogleAds is one of the largest performance-based online advertising networks
in the world. They offers some of the best and highest paying affiliate deals in
the industry. No matter what topic your blog covers, you can find a deal that
matches your site. The payout range from $1 to over $100 per action. Affiliate
marketing is one of this blogs biggest moneymaker and AzoogleAds is the
affiliate network that offers us the best payouts.

AuctionAds
AuctionAds is one big eBay affiliate. What AuctionAds does is put all their
publishers into one big collective to go after the higher revenue share.
Publishers can leverage AuctionAds creative delivery of eBays auctions and
AuctionAds ability to achieve the higher performance incentive tiers with the
aggregate volume of traffic to make more money than they could with their own
eBay affiliate relationship. Right now, affiliates will get 100% of any money
they make from the system. As the collective moves up the eBay revenue share
tiers, AuctionAds will start to take a cut of revenues. The goal is for you to
make more with AuctionAds than directly with eBays affiliate program, which
will be the case as the network increases its volume.

ReviewMe
ReviewMe is this biggest money maker, accounting for $2,400 of the
$8,545.25 March income. ReviewMe allows advertisers to buy sponsored reviews on
your blog. Review prices are based on your blogs Alexa, Technorati and
estimated RSS numbers. Publishers can set their own pricing if they dont like
the price ReviewMe set. Reviews can be positive or negative. The only
requirement is the post must be at least 200 words long.

DealDotCom
DealDotCom offers a two-tier affiliate program. When you refer others to
DealDotCom and they get a free account, they are marked in the system as having
been referred by you. Anything that they buy will nets you a 35% commission.
Unlike other affiliate programs that place a time limit your your commission
(like AuctionAds 5% for 6 months), the DealDotCom commission is forever. Thats
right, forever. It doesnt matter if they buy something tomorrow, next week, or
fifty years from now - you are going to get paid. Whats more, anyone that they
refer to DealDotCom goes on your second tier. Anything people on your second
tier buy nets you a 15% commission, forever.

Comparing Google's Search Franchise To Mccormick's Spice Franchise

Google has a competitive advantage. In fact, one might even say it has a franchise in web search. I wouldn’t say that. I mean, Google does have a franchise; but, it doesn’t have a monopoly on web search and never will. There are real problems with Google’s model that are often overlooked. It does a poor job of finding certain sites that are difficult to describe in keywords. For this reason, there may still be a market for web search in the form of specialized niche directories and in some of these “social search engines” (e.g., Stumble Upon) for many years to come.

I’m not suggesting any of these services will be as successful as Google; I’m sure they won’t be. I am simply pointing out that there is a difference between a need and the means by which that need is satisfied. Even as the dominant search player, Google will only have a franchise on the means (keyword search); it will not have a franchise on the need (finding stuff on the web). Also, Google can not, at present, rightly be called the dominant search player. There is no dominant player in search. Google is the leading search player. It is also the catalyst for many changes in search. But, it is not yet the dominant player in search the way McCormick (MKC) is the dominant U.S. spice producer.

Looking at McCormick’s franchise is actually a pretty good way of evaluating Google’s. Why do I say McCormick is the dominant player (domestically) in spice, but Google is not yet the dominant player in search? There are a few reasons.

McCormick has a 45% share of the U.S. retail spice market. Its closest competitor has a 12% market share. We may differ about exactly how the web search pie is carved up. But, I think we can agree that Google’s share of the market is less than 45%, and that at least two of its competitors have a share of the market greater than 12%. So, Google’s position differs from McCormick’s in two material respects (already). Google has a smaller slice of the pie, and the search market is less fragmented than the spice market.

The spice market is an upside down funnel. The few producers are at the top. They feed their products through three distribution paths: retail, industry, and restaurants. In each case, the shape of the upside down funnel remains intact, because the widening happens at the very end. The ultimate consumer of McCormick’s product doesn’t get to choose from all available spices. His choice is always indirect. He picks a grocery store, a food product, or a restaurant. Then, must choose from the spices that particular supermarket chooses to carry, or the restaurant he frequents chooses to use (and/or make available).

In search the story’s a little different. There is still something of an upside down funnel shape in search. Although, it is less pronounced than it was a few years ago. Search results are fed through dependent sites that searchers visit. But, it is the searcher who chooses the dependent sites. A few of these dependent sites account for a large part of all searches. That is very different from the spice market, where no supermarket or restaurant chain accounts for a large part of all spice consumption – none even comes close. So, the searcher has a much bigger role in choosing his search provider than the spice consumer has in choosing his spice provider. Even though it is true you are sometimes searching without knowing Google is the search provider, the situation is nothing like it is at McCormick. When eating a meal you aren’t thinking about McCormick. Quite often, however, you are using a McCormick product. Whether it was in that package of spices you used to cook a meal at home, or in that manufactured food product, or in the dish you ordered at the restaurant, you are a consuming a McCormick product.

What matters as far as the investor is concerned is that the ultimate consumer of McCormick’s product rarely makes an active, unfettered choice to consume that product over all other competing products (or even many competing products). The closest he comes to making such a choice is at the supermarket; though even there, the decision of how much shelf space to allocate to each company’s products was made for him. To use Google, the first time searcher must make an active, unfettered choice.

Finally, there is the matter of infrastructure. This consists of two parts: production and distribution. McCormick has an existing production infrastructure which is helpful as far as costs are concerned, but isn’t especially valuable. It could be duplicated by a new entrant with deep pockets. McCormick’s distribution infrastructure is almost impossible to duplicate. It is worth far more than it cost McCormick to create it. Prying McCormick’s customers (situated at the narrow of that inverted funnel) away from the company’s products would not be easy. This distribution infrastructure gives solidity to McCormick’s spice franchise in the U.S. In some instances, it will also help McCormick aboard (as some of the company’s customers are expanding globally and will be inclined to stick with McCormick in their overseas operations).

Google’s production infrastructure (the algorithm and the index) is easy to duplicate and will become even easier to duplicate in the future. There isn’t much of a barrier to entry here. Google may currently offer the best search service around, but there is no reason to believe this will always be the case. Distribution is very often the most valuable part of any franchise (it is usually the part that is hardest to duplicate).

So, the natural question is: in the world of search, if you build it will they come? Will the best search engine always attract the most searchers? Probably not. That’s good for Google, because it won’t always be the best search engine. Google has a great brand. Whatever value is in Google comes from that brand. That brand is what will keep searchers from flocking to the inevitable newer, better search engine.

All of Google’s revenues are ultimately dependant upon attracting searches. Getting those searches requires two things. First, millions of people must make the active, unfettered choice to search Google. Then, those millions of people must keep searching with Google. The brand is the key to step one. The service is the key to step two. Search customers are sticky. But, they probably aren’t as sticky as we think. It’s very easy to take immediate action on the web (just click a link). Switching away from Google isn’t like switching away from Windows.

That leaves the brand. True, when you think search, you think Google. But, is that brand worth $120 billion? No – and neither is Google.

Company CEO Holds Drawing for His Salary

RX Processing Corp.'s CEO Peter Fiorillo is serious about supporting the passage of the Dorgan-Snowe bill that is currently trying to make its way through Congress. He is so serious that he has implemented a campaign that allows citizens to enter into a lottery to win his first year's salary: 500,000 shares of company stock.

The shares have a market value of around $100,000. By doing this, Fiorillo hopes to draw attention to the grassroots efforts of not only RX Processing Corp. but countless others who are devoted to the legalization of prescription drug importation to the United States.

RX Processing Corp. is a company that utilizes licensed American pharmacies and a licensed pharmacy group from Canada to help Americans obtain prescription drugs from safe and affordable suppliers outside the United States.

Many other countries, including Canada, offer the same medications for a much lower cost to consumers. As for safety, Canadian standards meet or exceed U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug safety requirements, Fiorillo says.

The growing issue of rising U.S. prescription drug costs is causing concern across the country. One of the biggest sectors of the population dramatically affected by this problem is senior citizens. Many are bound by fixed incomes and do not have full prescription drug care coverage.

Overall, there are upward of 43 million Americans that are uninsured, and millions more that have insurance yet do not have comprehensive prescription drug coverage. Due to this discrepancy, many people are faced with daily decisions that force them to choose between life saving medications and other needs.

Due to current regulations, the FDA does not advise individuals to import prescription drugs, even though many Americans are requesting the U.S. government to allow them to do so. The goal of the Dorgan-Snowe bill is to change this situation.

One of the biggest benefits of the bill is that it would not only allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada - where prescription drugs are 30 percent to 80 percent cheaper - but it would also revolutionize the health care industry by opening up the doors to competition and choice. Growing public pressure is what prompted the drafting of the bill in the first place, and grassroots efforts within the senior community are helping to propel the cause even further.

Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk

I've noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc.

Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) "Intellectually stifling and (that) offers few challenges of one's creativity and innovation.''

These folks are asking how best to move from being someone else's bored employee to coming into their own as an excited entrepreneur.

These people are called "intrapreneurs," and their ranks are growing, which should be of great concern to the employers who have either been unaware that they existed or have chosen to ignore them in the past.

By definition, intrapreneurs are employees who think with an entrepreneurial slant. Instead of just doing their jobs by the numbers, intrapreneurs approach every task with an entrepreneurial mindset.

They are always thinking of ways to improve products or processes. They are innovators, creative thinkers, and are quite often viewed by management as squeaky wheels. Unfortunately, intrapreneurs also are often seen as troublemakers and hard to manage because they push the envelope of what's expected from a traditional employee.

Most big companies don't want employees who think independently. They don't want employees who think outside of their job description, as intrapreneurs are prone to do. I know this from personal experience, but that's a whole 'nother column.

The primary difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs is that the intrapreneur would be just as happy to spend his life as someone else's employee if the working environment nurtured and supported his efforts. Intrapreneurs do not want to become entrepreneurs.

They are perfectly happy working for someone else if the environment offers opportunities for advancement and growth based on initiative and creativity, not just on years punched in.

Sadly, most big companies do not know how to nurture their intrapreneurs. Just the opposite is more the norm: They give employees a policies manual and tell them to toe the line.

They hand you a written job description and expect you to operate within its parameters. When I quit my last real job some 10 years ago, my reason for doing so was that the corporate environment was just sucking the genius and the life right out of me. It's something I hear every week now from intrapreneurs.

Intrapreneuring is nothing new. As long as there have been employers and employees, there have been intrapreneurs. But the Internet boom spawned a new generation of free-agent-minded employees who want the mental rewards and freedom of working for an entrepreneurial venture, and the financial stability of working for an established company.

Just because the Internet boom went bust does not mean the mentality of this generation of entrepreneurially minded employees has changed.

To the contrary, intrapreneurs are now part of practically every midsize to large organization, and they are biding their time and watching for opportunity while on the company payroll. This new generation of employees brings a change in the workplace mindset - from one of "serial employment" to one of "entrepreneurial advancement."

The only way to convert the focus of these employees, who are usually the most talented people within the organization, is to give them what they want - the opportunity to excel and grow within an environment that appreciates entrepreneurial thought. When intrapreneurs are allowed to flourish, the entire company will follow.

We are in the age of ownership, where everyone from the CEO to the janitor has more opportunities and options than ever before. We demand ownership in our lives and in our careers. The gold watch has been replaced by the brass ring.

Here's to your success.

Como Controlar Adiccion a las Apuestas

Dicen que el primer paso para detener una adicción es admitir que tienes un problema. Aquí te presento una serie de consejos para tratar a un ser querido que es adicto a las apuestas de una forma efectiva.

Tratar con alguien que tiene una adicción a las apuestas puede ser doloroso. Tienen una tendencia a desconectarse de la familia y de los seres queridos, entonces a continuación te explicare lo que debes hacer en el caso que alguien que quieres es adicto a las apuestas.

Algunos de los pasos son difíciles, sin embargo tienen un muy buen resultado y son importantes tener en cuenta la hora de actuar.

La primer cosa que debes hacer es esconder tus objetos de valor, y si esta persona vive contigo, deberás mantenerlos bajo llaves y si eso no es posible entonces llevarlos a un banco bajo una caja de seguridad.

Si esta persona es tu hijo o pareja, entonces deberás limitar su acceso a tu dinero. En muchas circunstancias gente ha gastado los ahorros familiares y ahorros para la universidad de sus hijos. Entonces si puedes obtener el número de cuentas de la persona indicada, si no es demasiado tarde, y cancelar todas sus tarjetas de crédito.

En algún momento deberás confrontarlo. Cuado lo hagas, es importante no gritarle y no enojarse; sino diles como te afecta lo que están haciendo. Asegurate de que la gente cercana a ellos estén ahí para ayudarte y apoyarte (sin contradecirte).

Es importante que todos tomen turnos y le digan a la persona como su adicción a las apuestas ha afectado sus relaciones, sin hacerlo agresivamente, sino tranquilamente. Esto ayudara a la persona a darse cuenta que la gente que lo quiere esta viendo algo que el no ve, y comenzara a mirar a sus acciones con otros ojos.

Recuerda, el objetivo de confrontarlo no es de hacerlos dejar de apostar completamente, pero ayudarlos a reconocer que tienen un problema. Y buscar ayuda profesional.

Algunas personas recomiendan que lleves a la persona a Encuentros de Adictos Anónimos a las Apuestas, pero yo no creo que sea buena idea. Aunque esta sea una organización que ayuda a aquellos con problemas de apuestas a alejarse de ellas, creo que algunos necesitan una sesión o dos con un psicólogo o un consejero entrenado para tratar con adictos al juego.

Luego de que todo este dicho y hecho, deberás estar listo ya que la mayor parte del tiempo el apostador seguirá apostando, quizás lo intenten hacer en secreto pero no se detendrá completamente.

En la mayoría de las adicciones, la persona con el problema necesita tocar el fondo, y luego cuando haya perdido todo lo que significa para el importante (familia, amigos, trabajo), comenzaran a ver el problema y buscar ayuda. Si conoces a alguien que no admite tener el problema de ser adicto, te recomiendo que si ya has intentado tu mejor esfuerzo, deberás estar listo a alejarte, y recuerda que en algún punto debes abandonar a un barco hundido antes de ir abajo a buscarlo.

Para encontrar más información sobre el tema puedes buscar en Apostadores Anónimos.