It has begun. With the release of iTunes 8.2.1 (via TiPb), gut46 tells us, Palm Pre syncing with iTunes is indeed kaput. At least on this Pre user's Mac, iTunes sync isn't working after the 8.2.1 update.* According to Apple's surprisingly forthcoming release notes: iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple Devices. We were wondering if this day would come after the back and forth between Apple and Palm on the issue. It's as-yet unclear exactly what method Apple is using to block Pre sync, but we suspect is wasn't easy. ...Which means we also suspect it might not be easy for Palm to turn it back on. Well, webOS developers, a hard choice is in front of you. We already know you're awesome, now you just need to decide whether you direct your awesomeness at this cat-and-mouse game or focus on other things (like custom notification sounds). For me, this news doesn't actually hit all that hard -- I already use doubleTwist for Palm Pre Media sync and recommend you do too until this issue gets sorted out. It may just be a long time, though. As noted in our comments - you also have the option of just not updating iTunes. Update 1: plugging the Pre in does bring iTunes 8.2.1 to the front as though it wanted to work, but then iTunes simply doesn't show the Pre in the sidebar. Update 2: Brent reminds us that Mac users may also want to check out The Missing Sync for Pre. |
Turkish students at Sakarya University have built a hydrogen car that gets 1,336 mpg. Well, sorta. Called the SAHIMO, the vehicle's current range is about 353 miles on a quarter gallon of fuel (568 kilometers on 1 liter). It travels such an obscene distance with so little fuel due to the vehicle's uber-light weight: it weighs only 240 pounds (110 kilograms). The car's made up of 90-percent carbon fiber. ![]() I assume the size and weight limit it to holding only a liter of fuel. I couldn't verify this as their site is in Turkish and mine is a little rusty. The SAHMO won third most efficient vehicle in Europe's 26th Shell Eco Marathon. And their next goal is to conquer the inaugural 2009 Global Green Challengee–an evolution of the World Solar Challenge competition in Australia–this October. About twenty electric, hybrid, alternative fuel and low emission production and prototype vehicles will compete in the race. A 3,000 kilometer trek across the Australian Outback on just 3 liters is quite ambitious but I really hope they can pull it off. |
When the teaser went up, we knew the hotly anticipated BlackBerry Tour for Sprint was right around the corner, but the only hint of a release date was "later this summer." ![]() Lucky for us, the, um, insiders at Inside Sprint Now have clarified the vague window for all of us mere mortals. They confidently state that the Tour will be available on July 20th, just over a week after the purported release date on Big Red. This hasn't yet been confirmed by Sprint, but we're sure they want this baby out sooner rather than later, so quasi-mark your calendars, quasi-set your alarms, and get your $199.99 ready. |
Acer's been on a tear with the new gear lately, and while we're not going to say we're as hot for the new Aspire M5800 tower as we are for, say, the Timeline, it's still a pretty nice little machine -- you're looking at a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad with 8GB of RAM, 1.5GB GeForce GT230 graphics, a 740GB drive and HDMI out for $800. Not bad at all. ![]() Little brothers Aspire M3800 and X3810 are far less interesting, with a 2.5GHz Pentium and integrated X4500 graphics for $450 in a tower or $529 in a low-profile case. Not exactly mindblowing, but you've still got HDMI out, so they could make for reasonably cheap HTPCs if you don't need much more than Flash support. Acer's also got a new display out, the 23-inch H235H, which offers 1080p resolution, 2ms response time, a 160-degree viewing angle, and 100,000:1 contrast ratio for $239. |
Your Guide to Wooden Office Furnitures
On the more technical aspect, here are the things that you need to know about wooden office furnitures: About the finish. The finish of a wooden office furniture has evolved and made fine with all the innovations in the office furniture today. The finishing process undergoes a lot of operations. After a piece has been sanded, a stain will be sprayed on or wiped on. Sometimes, the grain is “highlighted” using a steel wool. If the piece is traditional in design, some fly specking can be added using anything from a chain with bolts to a paintbrush dipped in the desired colored paint to give the piece an “aged” look. After which, a sanding sealer will be applied to prepare the piece for the final finishing steps. A final sanding coat will be done before applying the topmost coat. Lacquer is commonly used to top this off, giving the piece its finished appearance. So whether a piece is flat or buffed high, it is the lacquer that provides the water resistant and durable qualities that are most desired today. About engraving or printing. Other pieces of office furnitures may look like wood are not necessarily wood. But because of veneering, a method wherein the grain of wood can be replaced photographically. This image of the wood is then over to the flat panels to simulate a wood surface. There are two ways to tell if what you are looking at is an engraved or just a printed surface. If it is too perfect with no flaws of nature, then it is not real wood. This adopted process is done to provide the surface of the backs of cabinets where the manufacturers feel that they can save on expenses without being obvious. However, on less expensive furniture, engraving is obvious in all the parts of the furniture. Engraved surfaces have a catch: they are not repairable and the grain may come off due to some use of solvent. So, ask the sales representative before purchasing and consider only a small area to be engraved.Choosing Panel Office Furnitures
The furnitures in the office are the most valuable things that the workforce rely on. After all, they spend at least eight hours for five days every week in their assigned workspace. Office Furnitures must be something where employees can sit on comfortably. Whether they are ergonomic office chairs or adjustable office desks for those who are required to stand up during their work, choosing office furnitures are not something that one should take for granted. This is why solutions have been created to make office furnitures affordable for everybody, for even if a company can not afford one, there will be a simple solution for that: Used Office Furnitures.
Office furniture systems today are commonly designed as panel-mounted: the panels are basically the support of the system. Other components such as the office desks and the file cabinets, are implemented directly onto the panels. This is different to freestanding office panel systems because these use separate panels that are placed around the furniture to have the effect of individual offices.
If one should choose the panel-based systems, it offers a greater design flexibility which can be enhanced to a taller height and give privacy to those who need a quiet and private workspace. These panel-based systems are usually equipped with internal power options. On the other hand, the freestanding systems can be easily installed and reconfigured. This has proven to be more convenient for growing firms that need to constantly rearrange their office or move into new locations.
How to choose which design to avail for your company?
First of all, you must be keen on the ideal set-up of the workspace. Whether the company requires traditional rows, or the “bullpen” style where workers have to share a bigger enclosed space, or in diagonal layouts. The power source is also a huge factor. Decide which areas need these circuits, because powered panels may cost more than the ones that does not. At the same time, it should still be accessible to outlets for the computers and other electrical devices.
And lastly, you should observe the durability of the make and the entirety of the system. While office panels may be designed to last for a year, it is still safe to check the warranty to be sure about the panel's expected life span. A key point here is also the reputation of the office furniture retailer, for they must be credible enough to provide the parts and needed service.
Nokia, together with its partners Ayala Foundation, Globe Telecom, and SEAMEO-Innotech and the local government of Isabela led by Governor Padaca recently reached out to 20 public elementary schools in Isabela and provided them with highly interactive, easy-to-use multimedia packages through its Text2Teach program.
Text2Teach is a private sector-led program that utilizes mobile technology for education. Since 2003, over 700,000 students and 1,300 teachers in more than 200 schools all over the Philippines have benefited from this program. The province of Isabela is the first recipient of the project's second phase of implementation.
The program also includes elements such as lesson plans, teacher's guide books, and teacher training done by SEAMEO-Innotech with Ayala Foundation and DepEd to ensure the high quality and standard of using Text2Teach. Before it was to be implemented in Iligan, more than 120 school heads, teachers, and supervisors attended the training. Higher LearningText2Teach has evolved from the original satellite based delivery to a full cellular platform using a 3G enabled device such as the Nokia N95 8GB for fast video downloading. The Nokia N95 8GB is equipped with an exclusive application called "Nokia Education Delivery" that allows the teacher to select from the available 387 topics from subjects like Math, Science, and English, download it, then store the data in the phone for future use. The video can be watched using the provided TV set connected to the mobile phone. It is a highly effective visual aid for teachers and provides an opportunity to create a new, interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom. The lesson plans that come with the teachers' guides are fully integrated into the basic education curriculum and are created to meet local education guidelines and standards. Additional video materials that will be developed in the future can be accessed by the schools through their Nokia mobile phones using Globe's 3G services. Helping handsEach partner makes a contribution to the program. Nokia provides the private sector counterpart funds to implement the project in the country, Globe provides P150 monthly load allowance for one year to be used for helpdesk concerns and additional P1,000 load if there are new materials to be downloaded, while Ayala Foundation is the overall project manager.
The province of Isabela aims to boost the academic performance of its public elementary schools in terms of national achievement level. With Text2Teach in the picture, it is certain that this is not far from becoming reality. |
| My answer, "it depends" Is the employee gaining profitable relationships and making money for you and themselves on twit or face? If they are...leave 'em alone! It depends on the job. Is it a sales driven job where relationships are everything?? Leave 'em alone. We have only yet begun to realize the tip of the iceberg, have not even reached the tipping point, of the amount of actual sales biz that is getting done on these sites. Talent, sales, recruiting. you name it. So, take a step back and do you homework. If you understand the global implications, and local of these sites, you will quickly realize that an open mind can take your business to the next level. A closed mind, will shut your doors, as your competition utilizes this as "one tool" in an overall marketing campaign.
For me, the issue is "managing the use of the sites" as opposed to setting yourself up to look like an old codger that is waaaaay behind where business is headed. I just met with an industry colleague that I met on facebook. think about it. Now follow me on TWEETER |
twtAd is a relatively new site that pays you to tweet ads on Twitter. You need to have at least 25 followers to tweet the ads for twtAd. Yesterday it was 50 followers you needed but they have changed it to 25 to make it more accessible to everyone. Also you should only tweet the ads every couple days or not more than once a day to keep your Twitter account in good standing. You don't want to be accused of spamming. Although you can tweet the ads up to 3 times a day.
It's easy to tweet ads, you just find the one you'd like to tweet and click the link where it says "click here to tweet". You can also use more than one Twitter profile to publish ads through twtAd.
So far it looks like most twtAds pay $0.01 to $0.07 per ad clicked. Once you reach a balance of $20.00 you can request a payout. Payouts are made through PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can get one here, PayPal
![]() Above is Jaquet Droz's La Machine à Ecrire le Temps, a machine that has taken over ten years to build, and has thousands of moving parts. For those of you who speak French, you already know what it does. For everybody else, the machine does one thing, and one thing only: writes the time. That's it. When activated, the piece writes the time in hours and minutes, and then spits it out for you. And how much would you expect to pay for this marvel of technology? It took nearly a decade to develop this masterpiece with more than 1,200 components, including 84 ball bearings, 50 cams and 9 belts. Jaquet Droz's "La Machine à Ecrire le Temps" (The Machine that Writes the Time) is an implausible horological machine that was showcased at Baselworld 2009. The La Machine à Ecrire le Temps is an upshot of manufacturer Jaquet Droz's eternal quest for excellence. The project was the brainchild of Manuel Emch, president and head of artistic creation at Montres Jaquet Droz. It was developed by the engineers and artisans at the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It's one of the most amazing horological sculptures to date that offers a perfect blend of tradition, kinetic art and high-tech horology. The awesome machine is placed in an elegant cage, with the aluminum fames fitted with a liquid crystal glass. So the possessors of the masterpiece can cover or unveil the whole movement to their liking. The mechanism gets activated with a simple touch and a stylus writes the time in hours and minutes. At 400,000 Swiss francs (US $342,275), it's not cheap, but it's the ultimate luxury any passionate watch collector or horological machine lover would love to own. |
The Different Kinds of Office Desks
Office furnitures have been made available with different kinds to fit in with the different requirements of the people. Among the prominent things in an office is the office desk. The office desk should be ergonomic to let your hands have its rest while still being able to achieve the tasks that it needs to fulfill. At the same time, they should be sturdy enough too.
When looking for the right office desk to suit you, budget is of course always on the top of the thigns you should consider. Look for the good office desks that are more than its worth. It only takes time and patience but certainly, that desk will come to you. But just the same, it should not be mistaken that budget over quality works---because it does not. The table should be able to provide its ergonomic functions to the employee first and foremost, so look for one that fits in the budget.
Office desks have a wide range of variety for you to choose from. Then again, they also vary according to its purpose. Here are a few types of the office desks that you will encounter:
- 1- Managerial Desks: this desk, obviously, is for the manager. Their workplace should be different from the rest of the employees, not only because they have a bigger role to fill, but also because they have a different nature of work, able enough to hold everything that they need.
- 2- Executive Desks: similar to the managerial, the executive should also exude authority. While design may vary, the quality and ergonomics can not. It should be big enough to accommodate the tasks that the owner needs to organize.
- 3- Height Adjustable Desks: the capacity to adjust a table is very important because people vary, and so do their needs. This is helpful to those who need to stand while working, or sit down after a few hours of standing. This table should be sturdy enough though, otherwise it will be futile.
These are most of the commonly required office desks that you shall be able to encounter during your hunt. So be careful, because no matter how cool the design or style is, it should be comfortable primarily, to be worked on.
Splurging on Office Furnitures
Splurging on office furnitures is not so bad, especially when the company can afford it. The idea is to create a sense of environment where one will want to stay in for a long time. Luxurious office furnishings need not be only for the bosses---it is healthy also for the regular employees to keep them energized for their work.
Say good-bye to those worn-out furnishings and get a new vibe by incorporating new ones that offer great style and comfort. The improvement of the furniture industry means that it is also able to create new designs that will bring new comfort than the old ones. They may be costly, but they are usually the most ergonomic ones---perfect for the modern-day worker. The employees may even boost their confidence in work because it may make them feel like they are being pampered, when in fact they are just being treated right.
However, just as the reception area serves as the army's front line, more attention should be emphasized in this area. After all, this is where the visitors will first make their impressions about the company, and where it is top priority to make everyone feel at ease. A cozy chair or two will not hurt the goal to bring life at the reception area.
Next room, the conference room. This place is where people will be gathering to discuss pertinent matters about the company. Either way, this room should have the right blend of furnitures---not too cozy for the people to fall asleep during a meeting and not too uncomfortable either. This should also have luxurious furnishings because guests will be making their decisions in this particular area.
Splurging on office furnitures is indeed a wonderful idea to toy with. But it is not so bad to make it happen either. With all of the innovations that has been going on, it is only normal to prioritize the office before, say, getting an new cellphone. After all, the office is where we spend most of our time, so make that time worth it.
Finding the Right Computer Chair
The right computer chair requires a lot of thought and deliberation. Of course you do not want to compromise the style, size and the budget of the chair. The computer chair is a valuable office furniture---a piece of investment that you can make and get a lot in turn. It may be easy to find a comfortable chair for the house, but not so much for the office, all the more one that will work well with the desk.
Computer chairs are made available at almost any office furniture retailer. It is not so hard to find anymore, especially if you know the ergonomic comfort that you are looking for. But more importantly, the best ergonomic computer chair will help prevent many health hazards such as pain in the back, neck strain, and even in the hands.
The best office chair should have the right height, so consider the adjustable ones. This also goes with the computer chairs. If the chair is solely for your use, make sure that it will fit your body perfectly to enhance comfort. The best computer chair should be able to exude flexibility when it comes to varying work styles, so before buying one, go ahead and sit on it first.
Also, you will know that you have found the “right chair” if once you sit on it, its ergonomic features will immediately take effect on your comfort. The office chair ensures productivity of a worker, so it should not be ignored that the computer chair also needs these demanding requirements.
Your local furniture store will surely have a variety of computer chairs for you to choose from. But it also would not hurt to make a trip to other furniture stores to check if they may have other designs that your local store is not offering. Remember that the best buy is to get more out of its worth. You may have a limited budget but buying the chair that is worth more than the price is truly for keeps.
Good-priced Office Furniture, Good Service-I
Office and even in small businesses require the essentials of high-quality office furnitures, as this has been known to provide productivity and comfort for the worker. Today's leading designers and office furniture dealers have provided different type of services either through the Internet, while still being able to give the conventional customer service that one can rely on. Establishing a physical showroom gives a larger presence, and these dealers manage to acquire the people's trust than the small time ones who can not offer a showroom.
A study has shown that over 100,000 Americans suffer spinal and muscular injuries due to the health-hazard office environments that they go to for eight hours everyday. This means that the ergonomic office furniture really does a lot for the employees. Office chairs, office desks, and other accessories that are able to provide all the necessary comfort and support that the body needs while working also gives a huge boost on the worker's productivity. Just as well, thousands of children were said to acquire musculo-skeletal injuries ever year due to the amount of time that they spend in bad office chairs with the wrong height and distance from the computer monitor while using it. These injuries will get more serious as they age.
The Internet has opened a lot of doors for office furniture dealers who want to expand their clientèle. This allows them to eliminate all the unnecessary hassles of stocking inventory and site maintenance. However, while the concept of an online shop is easy, it would also mean that other people can do it too. Hence, a wider arena of competitors.
In North Carolina, furniture dealers have become experts in office furniture retail because they willingly bear the extra cost of maintaining a showroom and physical presence. While it may be easy to pose a discount on the Internet, a mere photograph of the office furniture piece will not really assure the customer of its comfort. This is why the traditional way still persists, it is because customer satisfaction is still prime when one is able to test its physical features, or spot the damages of the product. One can not always have it all---the best furniture and the best customer service, but the industry is getting there.
The Style and Ergonomics of Office Furnitures
Entering the corporate world means that you are venturing into a new world. It will be intimidating at first because it seems uptight, very professional, and as if the employees were really meant to be sitting on those office chairs all day. But believe it or not, this “illusion” is one of the products of the office furnitures that are being used. Office desks, office chairs, filing shelves and cupboards up to all the electrical equipment being used in the room---they all add up to conjure the image of the ultimate workplace. Just as well, it may or may not create a sense of productivity, a sense of feeling that one would want to work in a place like this.
Thus, it should be noted that office furnitures should not be taken for granted. They play key roles in the productivity of an employee, and they make up the entirety of the day's work. From work organization to the proper sitting position, office furnitures do a lot for the workers. For instance, since we are already in the age of the computer technology, most people will be working with computers. Their office desk should be capable to hold the PC while managing to give the ergonomic features to let the elbows rest comfortably while typing. The office chairs should also attain the level of the desk, and should provide support for eight hours a day.
Aside from these, space is a very important element to consider. This do not only apply to office furnitures, but even for home furnitures too. The mark of a good furniture is that it should be able to consume minimum space, yet at the same time being able to give the worker the feeling of totality. As if everything that he would need is within reach. Most modern office furnitures are amply designed to achieve this. They look attractive enough to one's aesthetic standards, but at the same time they also provide great comfort. This allows the worker to feel free to move while confined in his own workspace.
Office furnitures today have become completely stylish in the sense that it caters to the utilization of the owner. What is great about it is that designers are now offering customization of desired furnitures. This is a very smart move as it will enhance the worker's comfort and accurately fit in to his space.
Conventional office furnitures and modern ones are always easy to find for those who seek comfort and style in the office. Although the designs may have evolved as time passes, they all boil down to what they are made of: ergonomics.







