Activities that Can Refine Your Writing Skills

Writing is an essential part of school, regardless of your major or classes you are taking at the moment. Whether you need to write a paper for your English course or record extensive details for your science lab, you are always going to need strong writing skills. If you feel the need to brush up on your writing, take a look at these simple activities that can help you do just that.

Review grammar basics

Do you know the difference between ‘there,’ ‘they’re,’ and ‘their?’ How about ‘lay’ versus ‘lie?’ If these common grammar basics trip you up, perhaps a quick refresher is all you need to hone those writing skills. After all, proper grammar is really the backbone of good writing. Your writing will gain much more credibility if you can perfect the language you are using.

Enhance your vocabulary

Having an extensive vocabulary of powerful language is only going to make your writing that much stronger. If you do not feel you have a full repertoire of words readily available at the back of your mind, it would be wise to brush up on your vocabulary. There are a number of ways to do this. For one, you could do the age-old trick of reading the dictionary. However, if you are looking for a bit more excitement, challenge yourself to learn one new word each day and naturally incorporate it into your conversations in some way. Learning by doing can be quite impactful. If none of these options feel ideal, try picking up a word search or a crossword puzzle. The words hidden deep in these puzzles can be beneficial to pick up and understand. Moreover, always try to look up any words you are unfamiliar with!

Read, read, read

One way to truly refine your writing skills is simply to read! Pick some favorite, respected authors and study their work to get a feel for how they choose certain words and stylistic choices to create powerful pieces of literature. Dedicate at least a few minutes each day to immerse yourself in a book you love. It could be a non-fiction piece, a how-to guide about a topic you are interested in, or even a mystery novel. Before you know it, you will find that you are a better writer yourself because you have had the chance to engage with and ponder powerful words written on a page. You may even find that you favor a certain writing style and take inspiration from that by applying it to your own work. Try to pay extra attention to how words are used and see if you can apply some of those techniques to your everyday writing.

Keep a journal

Oftentimes, the best way to improve your skills with anything in life is to simply practice — this is no different when it comes to writing. Sitting down and spending even just five minutes free writing every single day is going to help you refine your skills in the long run. Keeping a journal is perfect for this. You have the chance to get some daily writing in, but you also have an opportunity to express yourself freely in a written form that will not be reviewed or graded by someone else. Plus, it can be pretty fun to look back at your old journal entries and see your thoughts from a particular day in the past!

 

Jenny Modlisz is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/varsitytutors/activities-that-can-refine-your-writing-skills/

Tips for Protecting and Securing Your Smart Phone

We no longer use our phones only for communication, we used them to check our emails, check our social networks, play games, browse the web etc. It is basically our personal computer that we keep nearby, which is why our smartphone contains lots of sensitive information.

If you are logged into all of your accounts, anyone who gets their hands on your phone can use your profiles and manipulate sensitive data. Furthermore, if your phone has valuable information, once it is damaged that information can be lost forever, which can present a problem.

Locking your phone

The first line of defense that you can use to protect your special data is to simply lock your phone. We either use a pattern lock or pin to do this, but we rarely secure our phones properly with these features. We are very often afraid that we will forget your pin or pattern, so our password ends up being something simple that is easy to remember.

As a consequence, someone can get your phone and just type 1234 or write the letter N or letter Z as a pattern and that person is in. Also, when we want to use our phone we want to enter immediately, and we opt for a simple password just for our own convenience.

If you are doing this, you are making a huge mistake. First of all, it will only take you a second or two more if you use a more complicated password. Second, if you frequently use the password or the same pattern, you won’t forget it. You can just write it down on a piece of paper for the first couple of days, or use a long and complex number that you already know.

Third, a lot of new phones have a feature that allows your fingerprint to unlock them, so use this feature as well. It will be convenient for you to access the data, but anyone else would have to know a complicated password.  

Be careful what you download

Another thing you need to worry about is what you download. If you love using all sorts of apps and games, then you might be at risk. First of all, even if you do download something from Google Play, make sure that you go through all of the reviews, sure nowadays it’s almost impossible to have an app that can damage your phone on the Google Play store, but check the reviews just to be safe.

Also, do not trust all of the reviews, since some people give low grades just because they are not impressed, so since there are a lot of these harsh punishments going around, do not be too biased based on the grade of the app.

Avoid using other unreliable app stores, and never, and I do mean never download .apk files from random websites. Sure, not all of them are viruses, but the risk is too great and certainly not worth the price. Many people have already suffered for being this reckless, so there’s no need to test out the theories yourself.  

Mobile phone insurance

Just having content insurance won’t be enough. This will only cover you if your phone is stolen from your home, and this is highly unlikely, considering that it is always in your pocket. You need to find insurance that is designed specifically for cell phones. When you are picking an insurance provider make sure you compare their deals, and see how they cover the damage. Do you get a new phone or do they replace the parts that are no longer working etc. Also remember that caution is the best security you can get, so just be more careful.  

Multiple accounts and data back ups

Lastly, it is never wise to put all of the eggs into one basket, so if you have sensitive data on your phone you should create a backup. This is not only because your phone might get damaged or stolen, but also because you’ll have to use the factory reset feature a few times. Also, do not keep all of the info on one user account, create multiple accounts and distribute the data, so that if one account is hacked the other ones can still be safe.

As you can see, it’s quite easy to protect your smartphone or any sensitive data you might have on it, just make sure you fully utilize the existing features and you’ll be fine.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/aleksandarilic/tips-for-protecting-and-securing-your-smart-phone/

Used Mitutoyo Brite Systems Are Great Value

You need to acquire a coordinate measuring machine with high accuracy standards, great speed, DCC controller, and you need it all on a strict budget. The task may not be as daunting as it initially seems – coordinate measuring machines do not see the same kind of wear and tear that most machine tools do, and they can operate for decades, sometimes even 35 years with the right care and maintenance. While portable arms and shop-floor-ready equipment have involved some mechanical innovations, for the most part, these tools do not become mechanically obsolete. Upgrades, retrofits, and software updates maintain the competitiveness of older models in terms of accuracy and speed.

Mitutoyo is one of the oldest manufacturers of coordinate measuring machines as we understand them today, having moved from manufacturing gages and calipers toward electronic measuring technology in the 1970s. Based in Kawasaki, Japan (with American headquarters in Aurora, Illinois), their BHN and Brite models are reaching a vintage where they can be commonly found previously owned at vendors like CMM – Canadian Measurement Metrology. Though the BHN series is from the earlier-to-mid-1990s, many experts argue that they are the most mechanically superior product Mitutoyo has ever produced, and they perform very well with little maintenance. The Brite series from the 90s to the 2000s is a good-value purchase, and the recent Crysta-Apex performs with accuracy in the 1.7 μm range and a temperature compensation system.

The advantage of working with a metrology vendor as opposed to the OEM is definitely access to used equipment, which can save you as much as half of the price of the same machine new, but vendors can also handle all of your repairs, calibration services, and retrofits, according to your needs. If your machine has fallen behind contemporary standards, a vendor like CMM can upgrade your Renishaw probing system, incorporate laser scanners or vision systems, increase the size of its measuring volume, or incorporate the latest software.

The software is one of the most significant aspects you should check before buying any used metrology equipment, as it develops much more rapidly than the mechanically-consistent coordinate measuring machines themselves. Many Mitutoyo systems use an obsolete OEM software like Geopak and Geomeasure, and it’s strongly advised that you update these software programs. Third-party software programs, especially PC-DMIS, are popular because they are more widely adopted than most options unique to the manufacturer, and using the same software across the board makes it easier to share CADs and communicate between systems.

You can get top quality performance and decades of usability out of a used Mitutoyo CMM, especially from the Brite series. Remember that any time you buy pre-owned, you can work with a retrofitter to get the system to meet your specific requirements. In fact, retrofits today have become the norm in order to meet a variety of industry standards and measure complex components. While warranties on preowned products can be hard to come by, do not buy anything without a guarantee that it will be operational on the shop floor. Trust full-service metrologists to get great value on a used Mitutoyo instrument.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/michaelsanduso/used-mitutoyo-brite-systems-are-great-value/

6 Cool Means of Transportation That You Can Use to Avoid Walking

Sure walking is healthy, but sometimes you need to look cool and stand out from the crowd as you move around. Here is a list of really cool gadgets or means of transportation that you can use to get around, or even use to ride around the house, since some of them are quite compact.

An important thing to remember is that these are not one hundred percent user-friendly, meaning if you are not careful you can fall off, but all of them are quite easy to master, so no need to worry too much.   

Solowheel

It is a gyro-stabilized unicycle that runs on electricity, and it would be wise to try out and get a hang of it before you start using it as a primary means of transportation. This is a hands free experience, so it will look like you are levitating as you move around. Solowheel goes up to 10mph, and it can carry a person who weighs up to 220-lb.

Solowheel weighs 24lb and has 1500-watt motor and it is a bit pricy. You can get a solowheel for approximately $1,500, but if you want something faster you can go for an Xtreme version that has over 2000-watts of power, since these are also available.  

Orbitwheels

This is probably the weirdest item on this list, and it is created by the same company that makes Orbitwheels. The picture is pretty self-explanatory: there are two wheels, with pads that you place your feet on, and once you do that you are mobile.

If the Solowheel is too expensive for you, then this will be the product you are after, since they only cost around $100. They are a cross between a pair of inline skates and a skateboard and they run on all sorts of different surfaces, so you’ll have a blast moving on those.

Longboards

Longboarding is a sport that has gained a lot of popularity recently, so there are a lot of new users who are trying to master riding a longboard. This is very similar to skateboard, so if you are an experienced skateboarder this should be quite easy. In case you are new to the whole experience then a wise thing to do is pick some longboards for beginners and give them a try. All of these longboards look really awesome, so you can’t go wrong, just get the one you like the most.

Hoverboard

Very similar to solowheel, but far easier to balance, however they do present some form of a challenge, but that only makes them more fun. Hoverboards have become a trend over the past few years and a lot of celebrities do not shy away from using them in public. The prices for a hoverboard go from $400 to $1800, so if you manage to find something cheaper, make sure the product you use is safe. Also, it would be wise to use helmet for a few days before you are absolutely sure you can navigate the thing without falling.  

Treadmill Bike

It is a bit healthier than the rest of our vehicles, but with this one you walk and don’t walk at the same time. To be precise, you walk to move, but your feet do not touch the ground. It is a costly product that is around $2000 and the name is rather self-explanatory: you walk on a treadmill and the wheels will turn.

Surprisingly these things are quite popular, in spite of the fact that it is exactly the same thing as walking. The only difference is that when you use Treadmill bike, you don’t have to get your feet dirty.

The Segway

It’s not exactly new, but with all of the other different means of transport popping up, it’s no surprise that the Segway managed to make a comeback. It costs around $1000, it travels at speed of 12,5 mph and a single charge will last you 24 miles. It is a safer option than the rest of the vehicles on the list, and it is also very fun.

This about sums it up, these are the alternative means of transport that you can use to get around, and look cool while doing it.  

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/vladzivanovic/6-cool-means-of-transportation-that-you-can-use-to-avoid-walking/

How To Use Recycling To Boost Your Bottom Line (And Save the Environment)

Every week businesses put their trash on the curb for collection.
Every week it seems to miraculously disappear. But where does it all go: the empty toner cartridges, the obsolete computer monitor, those outdated HR training manuals?
Perhaps the biggest, costliest, dirtiest secret about our trash: our lack of awareness of how much we produce and where it goes after it leaves our hands.
To get an idea, consider the most recent survey conducted by Columbia University and the trade journal BioCycle. Research found that the average American discards more than 7 pounds of garbage every day, and that less than 1/4 of it gets recycled.
In fact, American communities on average spend more money on waste management than on fighting fires, parks and recreation, libraries or textbooks, according to U.S. Census data on municipal budgets.
Of course this doesn’t include the waste that businesses produce. And even though these factoids are specific to the United States, they do provide some insight into a problem that is plaguing the entire world. Something needs to be done, and soon.
We’re generating millions of tons of waste every year and as space in landfills runs out, the race is on to find environmentally friendly alternatives. After all, what happens when our landfills are full?

Business Waste Management: What’s the Big Deal?

Recycling seems to be the watchword nowadays.
But why should the business world care, why does it matter, what is the big deal? Don’t business owners have better things to do than follow the minutest details of the items they throw away?
The short answer: No.
Across the land, there are literal mountains of garbage. Although it’s hard to connect them with simply throwing a plastic soda bottle in the garbage bin, the facts remain.
The cost of sending garbage to landfills is rising as we run out of space. It hurts the environment and isn’t a long-term solution. Maintaining your company’s current waste management is simply not a viable option, financially or ethically. It’s time to find ways to divert rubbish from landfills.

Why Should My Business Recycle?

You may ask “why rock the boat?” if you have been using your current waste management solution for some time now. In addition to the reasons already provided, there are environmental and financial benefits.
When you become known as a company known with green credentials, it may help attract new customers and clients who respect and value your ethics. Far too many businesses pay lip service to “going green” and consumers know the difference. They are attracted to businesses who demonstrate a genuine commitment to reducing waste.
If your business sells directly to the public, changing or reducing your packaging can deliver financial benefits. It can also help reduce post-consumer plastic packaging waste in households. That is a good thing because plastics are one of the worst culprits continuing to clog landfills even as we try to reduce the amount of waste that we dump in those landfills.

Smart Businesses Encourage Reuse, Recycling and Resource Recovery

If you are wondering how to get started with sustainable waste management, here are a few tips to help you get the ball rolling.
Measure business waste – the first thing you want to do is get an idea of how much waste your organization is generating currently. A ballpark figure is good enough to begin with. Take a look at all of your garbage collection bins before the collection truck empties them. How full are they? Note the size of each, how much waste it contains and how often it is collected. This will give you a rough idea of how much waste your business generates in a specific time period.
Reduce waste going to landfill – for businesses going green, a quick win is to lower the amount of waste sent to landfills. Here are three ways to get started.

• Reduce – Is there waste that can be avoided or reduced by changing the way your business procures its goods and services? What about by changing the way your business operates?
• Reuse – Is there another local business that can make use of the waste materials you produce? If so, reach out to them and forge a partnership.
• Recycle – What waste materials can be targeted for recycling?

Identify local collectors of recyclable materials – once you have identified materials suitable for recycling, it’s time to find someone in your area who can collect your recyclable materials. Consider private and local government recycling services. This includes collection, transport and drop-off locations. Search by type of material and location to locate the appropriate recycling services. Contact your industry association to get independent advice. They may even offer assistance programs. Check the green credentials of potential waste management companies to make sure that recycling or recovery meets your needs.
Implement material collection systems at business premises–This is the stage where you get everyone that works for your business involved. For example, if you have separate paper or cardboard collection services, then paper and cardboard will need to be separated from other recyclable materials, preferably at the point where they are generated. You’ll need to communicate the new process to employees, janitorial staff and, in some instances, customers.


Hopefully, you’ve seen how recycling can elevate your company’s reputation and boost your bottom line. Australian businesses should consider recycling as an option for waste management because sending waste to landfills isn’t a viable option and encouraging reuse, recycling and resource recovery can save you money and benefit the environment.
Remember, actions speak louder than words when it comes to corporate responsibility. The world is watching…and waiting for businesses to do their part.
Are you ready to get started? Do you want to learn more about recycling management solutions?

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/twitter-epicninjadaboss/how-to-use-recycling-to-boost-your-bottom-line-and-save-the-environment/

Taptic Technology and You — How to Protect Your New iPhone

Apple’s latest iPhone 7 Plus may be new to the scene, but it’s already received stellar reviews from critics. In terms of looks, there’s nothing obviously different with the most recent generation, but a closer look reveals Apple invested in some serious upgrades. Most prominent in its list of features is its dual 12-megapixel camera with increased zoom capabilities and optical image stabilization, allowing for crystal clear photographs bright enough to make IG stars out of any of its users. Another major upgrade is the 7 Plus’ new home button. It relies on the same haptic feedback that’s built into Apple’s ForceTouch trackpads, meaning you no longer have to depress the button in order to use it.

A pressure sensitive-home button is a step towards the future; however, it can make protecting the new 7 Plus a challenge. Typical forms of protection are too thick for its Taptic Technology and render it useless. If you intend on defending your iPhone from daily wear and tear, you need an accessory that can work with Apple’s technology. A flexible and responsive vinyl skin made to measure to the latest generation is exactly that kind of accessory.

Manufacturers of thick hard cases have designed their products for less innovative phones that don’t have sensitive technology or moving parts. Meanwhile, manufacturers of iPhone 7 Plus skins, such as the smartphone defenders at dbrand, design their blueprints to complement the latest in cellphone technology. They’ve invested both time and effort into creating a malleable cover that’s thin enough to be sensitive to the iPhone’s Taptic Technology yet strong enough to protect the device from everyday dangers.

By using 3M vinyl, manufacturers like dbrand can ensure the iPhone’s safe from sharp objects and rough surfaces that could otherwise damage its bezels, buttons, or backing. It’s also an impermeable material that amplifies the iPhone’s natural water-resistant properties and makes it grime-resistant, too. The material also comes naturally textured in a way that improves your grip, reducing the chances of dropping it to the floor and causes structural damage.

The texture isn’t just something you can feel against your fingertips. When you stop by dbrand.com/shop/iphone-7-plus-skins you can customize the texture and color of the skin you choose, creating a complete covering that speaks to your personality. True colors like purple, blue, and green can be matched with textures like leather, stone, and wood. Whatever you choose, it’s guaranteed to be better than the boring colors Apple has come up with.

The introduction of Apple’s jet black and black aren’t the most exciting upgrades to come from the iPhone 7 Plus. Trust the initial reviews of the phone; the real reasons for buying it are for the internal upgrades to its camera, battery life, processing power, and its new taptic home button. Just make sure you get a protective accessory that can work with these new upgrades. 3M vinyl accessories are the skins iPhone 7 Plus lovers can trust. Don’t settle for anything else.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/michaelsanduso/taptic-technology-and-you-how-to-protect-your-new-iphone/

Optimize Your Site with 5 Simple SEO Tricks to Get New Leads

Optimize Your Site with 5 Simple SEO Tricks to Get New Leads

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The digital marketing industry is warmly receptive towards every innovation made in the field of SEO. Also, large businesses pick up the new SEO trends more quickly since one of the most effective ways to stay relevant in this industry is by using the latest technology. They usually have bigger budgets for marketing activity and can invest in new SEO techniques to reach out to the audiences scattered across the various platforms On the other hand, small or local businesses find that marketing has become challenging or complicated owing to similar reasons. They are unable to operate on a level platform partly due to the lack of resources. Hence, they find it more challenging to reach out to audiences spread across numerous social media channels, apps and search engines, etc. Considering this issue, it might be a wiser choice for such businesses to concentrate on a few key areas in order to be more productive. Small businesses looking for a more user-friendly digital marketing strategy are often able to find the solution by streamlining their marketing strategy and simplifying their SEO techniques.

The following strategies provide an overview of how businesses that have previously invested a lot into a website (which wasn’t generating the expected results or leads), were eventually able to cut back on the costs by doing less, and instead putting their expertise to use in key areas.

 

• Spend On Local SEO

 

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In the world of online marketing, it is essential for businesses to have an online presence so they may reach out to their target audience. That means letting search engines like Google aware of are your business’s products/services and where it is located, so that your business may show up on online search pages – in front of relevant audiences. According to studies,

• 50% percent of mobile users conduct online searches with the intention of finding local results,
• over 60% of consumers have utilized the local information provided in ads,
• and 50% of mobile users who conduct local searches on their devices, also visit the stores the same day or the following day.

Optimize Your Website

So, optimize your website to include location specific keywords and personalize the content according to your target audience’s location, since it gives Google the hint that your business is relevant in the area.

Optimize Your Online Presence

Moreover, you’ll also need to optimize your online presence, which deals with:

• Listing your business in local directories
• Making sure your business is mentioned in Google maps, Google+, etc.
• Generating positive reviews for your business

Your listing in local directories and other pages can generate consumer/audience engagement with your business and hence also boost your ranking.

 

• Go for a Mobile Friendly Design

 

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More searches are being done on mobiles than on PCs, so it critical to mobile-optimize your site or you may end up losing your leads and around 50% of your customers. Mobile accessibility of website has been an important factor in determining search pages rankings since Google’s 2015 update. On average, mobile searches have been seeing an increase of 43% per year. According to data collected from various sources:

• 4 out of 5 consumers use their smartphones to browse and shop
• 70% mobile users take action on those searches within an hour
• Around 1.2 billion people have access to the net via their phones, hence 15% of global online traffic originates from smartphones
• 92% of mobile users have searched for local info of businesses via their smartphones

What Mobile Users Look For?

It is anticipated that mobile-optimization will continue to take a up a prominent place in the SEO strategies implemented by most businesses at least over the next few years. The following explains the essential features that users look for in a site during mobile searches:

• That it is an appropriate fit for the mobile screen
• The font is readable
• Page loads fast
• Other features that are compatible with and should work on a smartphone

How to Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

You can work on making your site mobile-friendly according to the following steps:

• Run a test on Google’s Mobile Friendly Checker to determine what your site looks like on smartphone screens.
• Once you’ve determined the kinks in your site you can create a test mobile version (e.g. with Duda Mobile)
• Discuss with your website designer possible ways to make your site more mobile responsive
• Overhaul the design of your site

 

• Add Click-to- Call Feature

 

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Since more consumers carry out local searches on their smartphones, they expect to find most of the business information, especially the phone number, easily available online. Make the process more convenient for consumers and increase your leads by including a click to call button on your website.

How Click to Call Works

Click to call uses a hyperlink, but instead of redirecting them to another web page, it leads to a phone number. Clicking on it via a smartphone results in the mobile user directly calling the number, without first having to write it down or type it in.

 

• Simplify Site Design

 

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Sometimes visitors may end up leaving a site because its design is too complex and they can’t quickly find the answer to their online searches. Simplifying your site’s design can help visitors easily navigate your site; and once they have an answer to their question it might result in them taking action – causing in producing more leads. Hence, focus on the following guidelines:

• Include important information above the fold (I.e. at the top of the page)
• Make your phone number prominent
• Include call-to-actions in the form of buttons or others throughout your site
• Say more with less – keep the text brief and precise. Make use of the headings, images and bold text to bring focus to certain information
• Cut down the amount of options available to visitors. For instance, does your contact form include a lot of options? Too many options are more likely to confuse visitors or drive them away. Instead, focus on 3-5 important questions.

 

• Add Value to Your Site

 

Visitors are more likely to convert into a lead for your business if they perceive some value to your site. The message of your business and what your site offers to the visitors should be apparent and presented in an uncomplicated manner.

Ways to Increase Perceived Value of Your Site

• Offer free advice that can benefit your visitors in some way.
• Make an effort to identify and present solutions to your audience’s problems
• Provide helpful trustworthy backlinks. You choose to can concentrate on on-page SEO and outsource this work to other link building services
• Advertise a special offer

Conclusion

If your content marketing strategy right now is overwhelming you and is draining your resources or its too complex for your clients, then implementing the techniques stated above can help simplify your digital marketing strategy.  By streamlining your marketing strategy, and sectioning it to spend more time on the techniques that can increase your conversion rates you will be able to generate more leads as well as increase profits.

 

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/komalparveen/optimize-your-site-with-5-simple-seo-tricks-to-get-new-leads/