Find A Tradesman

The most important thing in any relationship is trust. This applies as much to working relationships as it does to your day to day dealings with friends and family members.

When it come to dealing with tradesmen we all know some horror stories about people being conned, ripped off or simply disappointed by unscrupulous or unreliable tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians. The work that is done for you in your home is something which you are going to use, or at least be left looking at, for a long time. For this reason it is extremely important that you hire someone who now only gives you a good feeling of trust, but who can also back this up with solid recommendations and an excellent work history.

Nowadays there is no excuse for simply flicking through a phone book, choosing a tradesman at random, crossing your fingers and touching wood. With the depth of information and choice which the internet has opened up for us we can look for a worker whom we know we can trust from the outset. This may seem a dubious claim, but let’s look at the system for hiring a tradesman online and pick out the points which will give you that level of confidence:

1) Only registered, local tradesmen will respond to your announcement. Once you advise of the work needing done local builders, plumbers etc will be notified of the job possibility.

2) Recommended tradesmen stand out. With the responses from interested parties in your email you can check what feedback ratings they have each been given by previous customers.

3) Maintain your privacy. Your details are kept from the site’s other users. You should only gives your details out when you choose a tradesman, hire him and give him the full details of the job.

4) You get to voice your opinion. All the workers who use the site know full well that one of the most important features of the internet recruitment system is the feedback aspect. A bad review from you could lead to someone dropping from being the most highly rated builder on the site to being an average looking one. With internet recruitment sites, more than ever, local tradesmen have to take care of their customers and protect their reputation.

Once you a find a tradesman you can trust then you will find the whole building process to be a lot simpler, whether it is a simple painting job or a sizable extension being built to your property.

This Week at Orla Murphy Jewellery

What an exciting week!
The highlight of the week was our slot on TV3's Ireland AM. Sinead Desmond was genuinely blown away by the price and quality of all that we have to offer, and the reaction from the stylish ladies of Ireland has been fantastic.

News of the online store continues to spread. Julie Cobb from Style Fish had huge praise for our collection, while Caroline Ryan of Style By Caroline offered her readers a competition to win a necklace from Orla Murphy Jewellery. We are delighted too, to be featured in the Boutique Guide of Chiconomics.ie and hope that the news will continue to spread.

 

My favourite piece on the website this week is one of our new hinged bracelets. Easy to wear, very dramatic and affordable at only €29.

Yoga and Peace

Every day at the same time, the religious leader would walk through the town. As he traveled the same route each day, his followers trailed behind. One day, as they were walking through a narrow street in a poorer part of town, an upper-story window flew open. A woman leaned out of the window and shouted insults at the leader. She then dumped a bucket of garbage on him. Anger surged through the followers like an electric current. They shouted angrily and started moving toward the stairs in order to subdue the woman and avenge their leader. The leader thrust out his arms to stop them. He then said calmly, "My religion is one of peace. Come. Walk with me."

Carefully he wiped the garbage from his head and shoulders, and then peacefully walked on as if nothing had happened. The followers were again walking through the same part of town. As they approached the place where the incident had occurred the day before, the shutters flew open. The same woman leaned out of the window and dumped insults and garbage upon the leader, just as she had done the day before. The followers were now livid with anger, their repressed rage having simmered for a full day. Yet once again, the leader smiled gently, as if he had been expecting this to happen. Again, he held out his hands to restrain his followers and simply said, "My religion is one of peace, of brotherhood. Come. Walk with me."

The followers were incredulous. They could not understand how the leader could willingly accept such abuse a second time. But they reluctantly consented to their leader's wishes and fell in tow. The next day, the same thing happened, and the next, and the next, and the next. And so it went. The leader bore the brunt of the anger and hatred of the woman on the upper floor, while the followers continued to be perplexed by his gentle acceptance. One day, they were walking down the same alley, and as they passed that now-familiar window, no shutters flew open, no insults were hurled, and no garbage descended. The leader stopped. He turned to his followers, and, as if talking to himself, wondered aloud, "Yesterday she looked pale. I think she is sick, and that is why she has not come to the window." To the astonishment of his followers, the leader walked upstairs and knocked on the door of the woman's apartment. A servant came to the door. The leader asked about the welfare of the lady who lived there, and the servant confirmed that the woman was indeed ill and in bed.

The leader then went to her bedside, held her hand, and comforted her. He sat beside her for a long time, stroking her hand and soothing her pain. He then sent for a doctor, and when he felt certain that she was well taken care of, he left and resumed walking down the street with his followers. Each day thereafter, he visited the woman and cared for her. She was initially full of distrust. As the days passed, her suspicions began to melt away. She realized this was no ordinary man. When she was finally well, she bowed to him and said, "I am deeply sorry. You are truly a great leader - nay, you are a prophet. I accept your faith, and I am deeply humbled by your might equanimity and your immovable peace."

This woman became one of the most ardent devotees of the leader whom history remembers as the great prophet Mohammed. In this lovely story, prophet Mohammed embodies the unshakeable inner peace that keeps us sane when life seems to be dropping garbage and insults on our weary heads. (I cannot verify this story of the prophet as being true, though it brought me to tears, and helped me to truly respect him. It was told to me by a family member to explain what a great and peaceful man the prophet Mohammed really was.) Peace is the inner awareness that, despite it all, everything is in its places. Peace of mind keeps us afloat when wild waves buffet our fragile boat. It is peace that allows us to sleep well at night. It is peace that creates the inner knowing that no effort is in vain. Indeed, even physical healing happens only when our nerves are calm and we are at peace.

By meditating or practicing yoga, we should not merely seek the peace that a wise practice inevitably leaves in its wake. Peace is not an end unto itself, just a means. When our mind is at peace, we can listen to our heart, realize our dharma, and then act upon it. A troubled, turbulent mind can hardly see itself objectively or fathom the purpose for its creation. Hence, cultivating peace of mind helps us discover the purpose for our existence. Peace must not simply serve our desire for comfort; it must serve our dharma. So find peace, yet reject peace. Strive for purposeful peace, while discarding the lethargic peace that prevents you from actively living your dharma.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1623480

AC Power Inverters and Their Benefits

There are two kinds of power inverters. One is the kind that converts AC power to DC power. If you have a device that can only be powered with direct current, but need to use it in the house or job site, these converters change the current from alternating current to direct current, and power 12v products. The other kind, which we will be discussing here, are the kind of inverters that change direct current into alternating current. They change the 12v electricity that you have in your vehicle and turn it into 110AC current so you can use the same electronics and other products that you would normally plug into your household wall sockets.

There are many different benefits for using an AC power inverter. If you are on the road a lot, and need to use your laptop, you can plug your inverter into the accessory lighter port on your vehicle and plug your laptop into a regular plug. If you need to recharge the batteries on your cellular phone, iPod, or other electronic device, power inverters can do the job.

When camping, an AC power inverter is invaluable for a number of reasons. You can take along your home coffee maker and use it while you are at the campsite. At night they can be used to power lights, a television and DVD player, or whatever else you may want to bring along. You can be worry free about bringing your digital camera, because if the batteries need to be charged, you can simply plug the pack into the inverter and charge them up.

An AC power inverter can also be useful in an emergency. Power inverters can power some of the basic necessities if you ever have a power outage in your home. They can help to run lights, keep heaters going, and even power large appliances like a refrigerator for a short period of time.

There are some things that you should know about these power inverters. One of them is that they are not like regular household current, which is almost always unlimited. Because an AC power inverter is plugged into a car, truck, or RV battery, it will drain it. You have to use it while the motor is running, or at least have enough power left in the battery to start the vehicle. Another thing to understand is that there are many different sized inverters, and you have to find the right one for your needs. For an example, there are many 450 watt inverters out there. These are small compact units that can fit in the glove compartment when not in use. While they are convenient, they don't power large appliances like televisions and DVD players. They will power a charger, or a laptop, but this is about it.

One of the things to consider when buying an AC power inverter is cost. It really depends on the amount of output, as well as the features they include. If you want just a small basic unit, for charging up your iPod or some other small electronic, then you can buy one hundred to one thousand watt power inverters for $100 dollars or less. If you need more power, these can run from over $100 to more than $1,000.

Nicole roberts JumpStarterPro.com offers high quality, affordable jump starters, portable air compressors, AC power inverters and more that are perfect to fit your needs.

Uninterruptible Power Supply - The Basics

Your computer can be adversely affected by the problems that its power supply encounters from the wall outlet or power source. One problem the power supply might encounter is a blackout, which is a loss of power that can occur because of a blown fuse or damaged power line. A power surge is a significant increase in power that can last for a fraction of a second. It can be caused by turning off your appliances. Another problem that the power supply can encounter is a power sag. This is a drop in power that can last anywhere between a fraction of a second to several hours. This can be happen if heavy equipment is being used.
There is a device that can protect your computer from these problems. It is called an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The use of this power supply will ensure that there is no direct connection between the wall outlet and the power supply of the computer. Instead, both the wall outlet and the power supply of the computer are connected to the power supply. The power supply has the ability to eliminate noisy power sources and power surges. With this configuration, if there is a blackout or power sag, the non-interruptible power supply can provide the power supply of the computer with power from its own internal batteries. An UPS can usually provide power for about five to twenty minutes. But this is usually enough time to fix the problems with the power from the utility company. If you want a power supply to provide power for a longer time, you can expect to pay more money for it. In case the problems with the utility company cannot be fixed before the power supply runs out of power, the employees will still have enough time to save their work and safely power down their machines.
There are two types of non-interruptible power supply. One type is the standby UPS. A computer that is using a standby power supply will use the power from the wall outlet as long as there are no problems with the power from the utility company. But if the standby power supply detects a problem with the power, it will power the computer with its own internal batteries instead of the power from the utility company. However, there is a problem. The internal batteries deliver DC power but the power supply of the computer prefers to use 120-volt AC power instead. Fortunately, the standby uninterruptible power supply has an internal power inverter that will convert the DC power into AC power before using it to power the computer. The transition from using the power from the utility company to using the power from the internal batteries will occur in less than five milliseconds.
The other type of power supply is the continuous UPS. A computer that is connected to a continuous power supply is constantly supplied with power from the internal batteries of the continuous UPS. While this is occurring, the internal batteries are also being recharged by the wall outlet. Like the standby UPS, the continuous power supply has a power inverter. The power inverter will continuously convert the DC power of the internal batteries into 120-volt AC power that the power supply of the computer can use. If the power from the utility company is incapable of recharging the internal batteries, then the computer will use whatever power is left from the internal batteries.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/746339

The Desktop Computer Isn't Dead Yet

According to news articles in the past year or two, the desktop computer is beginning to cry "I don't want to go on the cart." According to this article, the arrival of real tablet PCs is going to take a slice of the computer market, and it won't be coming from netbook or laptop sales.

I won't deny that laptops are everywhere these days, and getting more powerful all the time. Currently, I use a laptop as my main computer, and have a 10-year-old desktop kicking around used to play YouTube videos and such on my TV. I, for one, plan to buy a desktop computer as my next major computer purchase, for several reasons.

Firstly, my laptop hardware went obsolete REALLY fast. I bought it in July 2007, and by the fall there were far more powerful models out for the same price. I bought a model with a decent-enough video card in hopes of playing a few games, but even games of several years earlier than 2007 had to be run with minimal video settings. As far as 2010 games go, the situation is hopeless.

Secondly, I dislike very much that for my laptop's processor to run at full advertised speeds, the bottom of the computer gets hot enough to cook pizza pops on. If I hadn't bought the 12-cell battery that lifts the bottom of the computer off the desk, providing extra ventilation, the computer would be hot enough to cook two pizza pops on. It's possible that newer laptops are better now and don't run as hot, but I've always found myself running in power saver mode at 600 MHz just so I didn't scald my lap.

Thirdly, one of the main arguments against desktop computers is that they are chained to your desk. While it's nice that laptops have batteries and can go anywhere, they still need to spend some amount of time chained to a wall outlet every so often. Until wireless power is brought to the consumer market, laptops will still partially have the same chained problem as desktops. After a few years, your laptop battery goes and you have to stay chained to the wall all the time anyway.

Desktop computers have much more longevity than laptops for several reasons, meaning that they're more worth the money you spend on them in the long term. First and foremost, desktops are super upgradeable if you buy a system with future upgrades in mind. You can always pop in more RAM, another hard drive, another video card, etc. Laptops are almost always not so. Also, the hard drive in a desktop will last much, much longer than that of a laptop, because it remains stationary all the time. Laptops bounce around all over the place, and usually the hard drive will give out in a few years' time at most. My current 10-year-old desktop still has its original hard drive running fine. When your laptop eventually does need repair, one needs to either send it away to a manufacturer for weeks, or attempt to dismantle the entire computer, just to tinker with whatever is broken. When a desktop computer is opened up, everything is easily accessible and within reach.

It used to be that you could make a valid argument against desktops and their space requirements. You need room for that giant CRT monitor, and someplace to put your tower. These days, you can buy compact desktops that are about the size of a laptop standing on its side, or even smaller if you look at the Home Theater PC market. LCD monitors are the standard these days, so they don't require much space either.

I can't speak for the rest of the computer user world, but when I need to sit down and focus on work on the computer, I work more productively if I'm sitting at a desk. If I'm sitting at a desk, I enjoy having a big screen to spread out all my windows on, and a mouse and keyboard. I could use all these accessories with a laptop, but it seems more practical to me to have a dedicated desktop hooked up, rather than plugging and unplugging from my comparatively underpowered laptop all the time. I can especially see this situation if I ever found a job doing computer work from home, as I imagine is the case for a significant portion of the working population in the computer industry.

In the past year or two I've seen home servers come out on the market for the average computer user. Regular users are beginning to realize the importance of file backup and the convenience of central media servers. Combine this market with the home theater market, and you have one desktop-dominated market area. Laptops just don't make sense to be run as always-on servers.

Desktops can clearly offer more performance power than laptops if you are willing to pay for it, and it's not just hardcore gamers that need the power anymore. Users of CAD software, graphical design software, video editing and encoding software, and virtualization software all need a large amount of RAM, processing power, and storage space. Even software developers would enjoy faster compile times for development projects, even if it means less time to use as a valid slacking-off excuse.

In short, if desktops are losing share of the PC market, it will stop losing and eventually stabilize. The desktop computer is not going away any time soon.

Event Management for Corporate

As a communication tool, the broad range of events that organizations have been known to use has made a tremendous impact on how information has been relayed to the range of stakeholders involved with their business, both internal and external.
Whilst there were many opportunities for willing-and-able enthusiastic employees to get involved when organizational events were laid on in their early days, businesses are now much better able to fund more professional ways to show themselves off. After all, an excellent event will flag the image that is required and that's where the experts come in.
As the demand for corporate event management has grown, so has a proliferation of event managers who have the skills to achieve exactly what is needed in every sense for corporate event management. From tiny budgets for small occasions to the major events for the well known brands, there is always a solution out there these days.
For unlimited budgets there will be a plethora of corporate event management teams who will fit the bill. Yet finance is not the only thing that matters. A core skill of experience, blended with an excellent organizing capability are probably the most valuable assets - and without them, positively memorable outcomes will be difficult.
The development of corporate event management organizations - from the smallest to the very big (corporate themselves!) businesses - will always entail a gradual stepping up of abilities and experiences. This will so often be restricted to those who are the true professionals and who develop as they go, rather than some of the less capable businesses out there who have evolved into the corporate market from party planning and weddings. So it's important to distinguish between the two.
Having clarity for the desired outcome is a mindset that any event manager needs to be successful. Some are capable of this and are able to meet the stringent needs of the most demanding client. With outcomes that deliver, repeat business will come from happy clients, a consequence that every event business seeks.
Whilst appreciating the need to understand the new technological innovations out there and providing ideas for corporate clients to consider, there is one element that event management companies need to have fixed in their sights. As in all service industries, the quality of customer service will directly relate to success - or otherwise - of any provider. It's always important to set sights for client satisfaction at the highest level.
The best at corporate event management are - above all - excellent communicators. It's about asking the right questions of a client, as well as being prepared to listen hard to them and then ask more again. Understanding the requirements of a client can't ever be too clear! By showing that you are interested upfront, you will show your client that you care, as well as being able to ensure that you get it right for them, whilst reducing the potential for costly misunderstandings as well.
Over the years, corporate event management has come of age. From years gone by where activities were almost entirely in-house, to today's media rich experiences, new expertise has had to evolve. The modern day event managers have the skills, creativity and logistics resourcefulness to deliver outstanding and memorable branded extravaganzas that identify organizations. More, they are able, through the use of technology, to leave a lasting impression where it matters and are well worth the investment for any corporate's future.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5670442