How to Browse Videos on the YouTube Most Viewed Page

The Most Viewed page on YouTube offers its most popular videos, and it's one of YouTube's most interesting pages. YouTube's Most Viewed Page has videos that are likely to be worth watching. After all, out of all the millions of videos on the site, these are the ones that are attracting the most eyeballs.

1. Go to YouTube and click the Videos tab.

   
   

   You're zapped to the Videos home page. Didn't hurt, did it?

   
   



2. On the left side of the window, head to the Browse section and click the Most Viewed link.

   
   

   This takes you to the Most Viewed section of the Videos section. Note that a number of videos from the Most Recent page are listed here — this goes to show how many viewers your video can attract in the brief time that it appears on the Most Recent page.

   
   

Sexy sells, and many of the most-viewed clips get to be most-viewed because of racy content. Keep this in mind if you have kids who surf the site. Remember, nothing extreme is allowed on YouTube, but you’ll definitely find some R-rated content.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-browse-videos-on-the-youtube-most-viewed-pa.html

How to Dealing with Depreciation in QuickBooks 2012

Depreciation is an accounting gimmick to recognize the expense of using a fixed asset over a period of time. QuickBooks 2012 can help you record depreciation expenses.

Although you may not be all that familiar with the mechanics of depreciation, you probably do understand the logic.

For the sake of illustration, suppose that you bought a $12,000 delivery truck. Suppose also that because you know how to do your own repair work and take excellent care of your vehicles, you will be able to use this truck for ten years. Further suppose that at the end of the ten years, the truck will probably have a $2,000 salvage value (your best guess).

Depreciation says that if you buy something for $12,000 and that you can later sell it for $2,000, that decrease in value can be apportioned to expense. In this case, the $10,000 decrease in value is counted as expense over ten years. That expense is called depreciation.

Accountants and tax accounting laws use a variety of methods to apportion the cost of using an asset over the years in which it’s used. A common method is called straight-line depreciation. Straight-line depreciation divides the decrease in value by the number of years that an asset is used. An asset that decreases $10,000 over ten years, for example, produces $1,000 a year of depreciation expense.

To record depreciation, you use a journal entry like the one shown here.

Journal Entry 11: Recording Fixed Asset Depreciation

Account	Debit	Credit
Depreciation expense	1,000
Acc. dep. — delivery truck		1,000

Journal Entry 11 debits an expense account called “depreciation expense” for $1,000. Journal Entry 11 also credits a contra-asset account called “accumulated depreciation — delivery truck” for $1,000. (By convention, because the phrase “accumulated depreciation” is so long, accountants and bookkeepers usually abbreviate it as “acc. dep.”)

Note also that you need specific individual accumulated depreciation contra-asset accounts for each specific individual fixed asset account. You don’t want to lump all your accumulated depreciation together into a single catch-all account. That way lies madness and ruin.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-dealing-with-depreciation-in-quickbooks-201.html

Establishing a Business Website Update Schedule

Your content update schedule depends on the nature of your business website, as shown in the Sample Update Schedule. At the very least, review all site content at least once a year, and budget a complete site overhaul every few years. During that time, viewers’ expectations of a contemporary site change as technology improves and graphics styles evolve.

Sample Update Schedule

Frequency	Task
Every three to five years	Redesign site and add new content and features
Annually	Review and update all content and photos as needed
Monthly	Update at least one page of the site with news and seasonal content
Weekly	Offer new products and special promotions
Daily	Have the date change automatically
As needed	Maintain product inventory, especially price changes, deletions, and back orders

Updating some content at least once a month is much better for search engines and is achievable for most businesses. The more frequently you update your site with changing content, the more you need easy, inexpensive access to an onsite blog, a content management system, a storefront administration package, or software such as EasywebContent or Adobe’s Contribute.

Paying a developer for updates can get expensive, although some developers sell a hosting package that includes monthly update services. As a last resort, someone in-house who is already familiar with HTML or various web publishing software tools can make changes to your site and upload them via File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

Whatever the frequency of updates, decide who is responsible for making them and who will confirm that they’re complete. In other words, plan!

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/establishing-a-business-website-update-schedule.html

How to Wind a Hank of Yarn

Carefully unfold the hank (it’s formed into a large circle) and drape it over a chair back.

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You can also place it over a friend’s outstretched arms — or your bent knees if you’re sitting.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-wind-a-hank-of-yarn.html

How to Use Competition in the Workplace

Using competition in the workplace can be healthy and productive. Competition increases levels of chemicals like testosterone and is motivational in many situations. It also can cause stress and alienation, so it’s important to know how to make competition work for your organization. To do so, a great manager understands how competition affects all employees and how to build competition in a positive way.

Competition comes in two flavors. Direct competition is a one-to-one experience that produces only one winner. Cooperative competition occurs when a team works together to achieve a goal for the good of the group.

Direct competition

Direct competition, or competition between two individuals, can be destructive — if there can be only one winner, then there is always a loser. Too much competition within the workplace can lead to lower productivity, hard feelings, and a loss of focus. Anger and even hostility can arise to a point where people or teams won’t accept others’ ideas. As a leader, you need to carefully oversee competitive situations. This is especially true when an extrinsic reward — monetary compensation, extra perks, or a more prestigious position — is presented.

Intrinsic rewards for competition offer another approach worth considering. The feeling of accomplishing a goal can be reward enough. Acknowledgment from management and fellow workers might be sufficient motivation to get all employees to work harder and contribute more to the company. Because the male brain likes to compete, the intrinsic reward is in winning or being the best. Intrinsically, female brains consider acknowledgment by others motivating and yet still want others to feel good and be a part of the praise.

The question among many leaders is, “Do I praise them or raise them?” Offering bonuses for work well done has always been part of the business climate. Some research suggests that praising an employee in front of his peers motivates him or her more than money. Of course, either approach may be better for a particular individual.

Cooperative competition

In cooperative competition, a group or team sets a goal and pursues it together. Working together and helping each other releases brain chemicals that enhance motivation, pleasure, and bonding. The brain strongly desires these feel-good chemicals, and so the team is intrinsically motivated.

Working toward a personal best is also a healthy cooperative type of competition. The collaborative groups support each person’s quest to excel. Post a team chart that shows each individual’s current production rate. Together the team brainstorms ideas that work for each individual. Individual workers implement strategies; results are tracked on the chart. The whole team celebrates a person’s increases.

Research suggests that team composition works best if teams are divided by gender or have an equal gender split. A feeling of being a minority in any team is a problem. For instance, a team of four men and two women often results in the women contributing less. Mixed teams generate better ideas than single-sex teams. All-male teams are more likely to become overly competitive.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-competition-in-the-workplace.html

How to Solve Financial Shortfalls

If you have a shortfall after you calculate your required expenses, something’s gotta give to eliminate that shortfall. When you’re faced with a shortfall

• Don’t completely cut any required expenditures. You may be tempted to drop insurance coverage and/or save the amount of money you need to be saving for a rainy day. You aren’t doing yourself any favors by skipping these items, and the decision will come back to haunt you sooner or later.

  
  



• Review each of the necessary bills you pay and consider ways to reduce those expenses. You may be able to obtain less expensive insurance and save money on groceries, clothing, and transportation by shopping around.

  
  



• Consider your employment. Often, the only reasonable option you, your spouse, or your partner has is to increase income by working overtime (if that’s an option), taking on a part-time job, or changing jobs.

  
  

When your outgoing cash flow exceeds your income, get a clear picture of what you’re spending money on (you’ll be surprised how much you fritter away) by keeping a log of every cent you spend. Write down everything, whether you purchase a soda at work, buy gasoline on the way home, or go to the movies. Also track whether you paid by cash, check, or debit or credit card; who you paid; and whether the expenditure falls into the need or want category.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-solve-financial-shortfalls.html

Digital SLR Cameras & Photography For Dummies

The digital single-lens reflex (dSLR) camera is the great step upward for photographers who want to expand their creative horizons. Whether you want to become a serious photo hobbyist or simply want to take advantage of the improved control that digital SLR cameras give you, becoming familiar with the dSLR’s controls is one of your top priorities.

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Digital SLR Camera Controls on the Front

All those controls! What are they? If you’re working with your first digital SLR camera, all those controls might seem like a mystery to you. Let this diagram help you familiarize yourself with the controls on the front of your dSLR camera.

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Digital SLR Camera Controls on the Top

Don’t let the controls of the digital SLR camera flummox you. This handy diagram of the dSLR controls on the top of the camera will help you master them.

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Digital SLR Camera Controls on the Back

Because you can do so many different things with a dSLR camera, the learning curve is a bit steep. You’re a more serious photographer, though, so those options are probably the reason you bought a digital SLR in the first place — even if you might find all those controls daunting at first. This list will help you get your dSLR controls under control:

• Autofocus lock: Lock the focus zone at its current setting so that you don’t accidentally switch to another focus zone while shooting.

  
  



• Cursor movement pad: A four-way cursor control pad that you can use to navigate menus and move indicators (such as focus zones) in your viewfinder.

  
  



• Delete Photo: Press to delete the current photo.

  
  



• Information: Change the status information display.

  
  



• Jump: Advance to the next group of photos during review or to the next menu screen.

  
  



• LCD screen: Use this screen to review your photos after you take them and to view menu options.

  
  



• Main command dial: Spin this dial to adjust the main settings, such as exposure value (EV) or shutter speed.

  
  



• Memory card access lamp: This lamp, usually green or red, illuminates when the camera is writing to the memory card.

  
  



• Memory card door: The cover over the SD or CompactFlash slot.

  
  



• Menu: Press to navigate your camera’s setup, picture-taking, and playback menu options by using the multi-selector or cursor movement pad to move the menu cursor.

  
  
  



• On/Off switch: Flip your dSLR on or off. Typical cameras sip juice judiciously, so you might not need to turn off your camera until you finish a shooting session.

  
  



• Playback: Press to activate picture review.

  
  



• Print/share: Mark the displayed image for printing.

  
  



• Zoom in/zoom out: Magnify and de-magnify the image during picture review.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/digital-slr-cameras-photography-for-dummies-cheat-.html

Striving for a Headful of Healthy Hair

Although you see a lot of media and marketing hype about wellness these days, you never really hear anything about what a detrimental lifestyle can do to hair. Hair damage may not seem like such a big deal because hair doesn't become overweight or suffer from a fatal disease. Yet, when hair is damaged, every day can be a bad hair day — something that most people find depressing.

Avoid habits that cause damage

Some lifestyle habits can prove to be deadly to hair:

• Frolicking under UV rays: No matter whether you're at the beach, by the pool, or at your local tanning salon, UV rays fade color and cause dryness and brittleness to the point that the only practical solution is to cut off the damage with your scissors. Sun streaks in the hair, by the way, are a sure sign of sun damage.

To solve this dilemma, suggest to all your sun gods and goddesses that they wear hats, use hair products containing antioxidant or sunscreen ingredients, and do deep conditioners — those that are recommended remain on the hair five minutes or longer — as frequently as once a week.

• Compromising the health of hair by taking too many shortcuts: Overly committed people who don't have time to do things right often become their hair's worst enemy. They often take shortcuts, such as blasting the hair with hot air to make it dry more quickly, roughly combing through the hair while it's still tangled, and not conditioning properly for the sake of saving a little time.

To speed up the styling process without doing more damage, encourage busy folks to wrap their head in a towel while applying their makeup, shaving, brushing their teeth, and so on to remove at least 50 percent of the water before even going near their hair with a blow-dryer.

Never wrap a towel around the head too tight, as this stretches the hair and causes damage.

• Cruising the coast in a convertible sans scarf: Not only does this activity expose the hair to too much warm air and sun, the wind literally beats it up, creating roughness and split ends — the forked tips that develop on the ends of the hair.

You can prevent this type of damage simply by wearing a hat or a full scarf, and, if the hair's long enough, by securing it in a bun to protect the fragile ends from whipping about. If a helmet's involved, always put a scarf on the hair first to prevent the lining from tearing the hair.

• Being a chemical junkie: The too-frequent use of hair color, hair bleach, relaxers, and permanent wave solutions is extremely detrimental to the hair. In short, chemical junkies literally burn — sometimes even melt — their hair. The first signs of chemical abuse are extremely dry, dull hair. If chemical abuse continues, this leads to a noticeably rough hair texture, quick-fading color, the inability to hold a style, and breakage.

Much of this damage can be avoided by refraining from dramatically changing hair colors every month — going from red to blonde, for instance, requires extra stripping of the hair — and never overlapping hair chemicals when doing touch-ups (treating the new growth at the roots). Letting the hair grow out at least 1/2-inch before retouching the hair color makes it easier to avoid overlapping applications. This same advice applies to chemical relaxers.

As for permanent waves, overlapping perms is tough on hair. People should space permanent wave applications three months apart for very short hair; every six months for hair that's still above the shoulders; and as infrequently as once a year for hair that drapes barely past the shoulders. Fortunately, with today's smoother styles and better product formulas, most people don't need a permanent wave for their hair to look absolutely fabulous.

• Restless sleeping: A little bit of tossing and turning is okay, but when restless sleeping becomes a way of life, the hair can become worn to the point that it looks like a frayed rope.

The solution is simple: While you're waiting for your nerves to settle down, rest your head on a satin pillowcase, allowing the hair to glide easily across the fabric.

Screen for hair health

Creating a custom haircare plan means nipping problems in the bud — the onset of split ends, for instance, or the first signs of dryness — while working to correct past transgressions that are showing up in the hair. These sins are particularly apparent on longer hair because it hangs around for years rather than months.

A haircare plan should include the following

• A five-minute hair assessment to check for dryness, brittleness, breakage, and fading hair color.

• A talk about tools: Tell the person which ones to use to get the job done without harming the hair and when those tools need to be thrown away.

• Shampoo and conditioner recommendations: What products do individuals need to use in order to promote optimum health of their hair.

• Lifestyle recommendations: Discuss hair sunscreens and give advice about protecting the hair against wind, heat, sun, chlorine, salt water, and other harsh elements.

• A treatment schedule: The person may need treatments weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly, depending on the extent of damage and the length of the hair.

Re-evaluate the hair and the people's lifestyles every time you cut their hair: You may find they have been doing more swimming and hiking during the spring and summer. They may have taken up skydiving, or bicycling, or developed a restless sleep pattern due to stress. These things need to be addressed as they pop up, because they can affect the health of the hair.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/striving-for-a-headful-of-healthy-hair.html

Blood Pressure Classifications

When you have a blood pressure reading, the doctor will tell you two numbers: the SBP (systolic blood pressure) over the DBP (diastolic blood pressure). Use the following chart to compare your SBP and DBP numbers and classify your blood pressure. If your SBP and DBP fall into different categories, use the higher category. Note: mm Hg means millimeters of mercury.

Category	SBP mm Hg		DBP mm Hg
Normal	Less than 120	and	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120–139	or	80–89
High Blood Pressure
Stage 1	140–159	or	90–99
Stage 2	160 or greater	or	100 or greater

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/blood-pressure-classifications.html

Download Plug-ins from the Internet

When visiting certain Web sites, you will see a notice that you must download a plug-in to view the site. You download plug-ins from the Internet by allowing them when a site pops up a window that requests the download.

Computer programmers are now using fancy programming techniques called Java, Flash, RealPlayer, QuickTime, and other goodies to add animation and other movies to the Internet.

Programmers are also adding little software tidbits called plug-ins that increase your computer’s capability to display these flashy items — as well as splash moving advertisements along the top of your screen. You’ll know when you need a plug-in when you see a notice like the one shown in the following figure.

Install this software to run the Adobe Flash Player plug-in.

What’s the problem? If your computer says it needs a plug-in or its latest version, click the button that takes you to its download area — but only if you can trust it. The following plug-ins are both free and safe:

• QuickTime: The free version of QuickTime plays many video formats that Microsoft’s Media Player can’t handle, including those required to view most movie trailers.

  
  



• RealPlayer: This software can be offensive, but sometimes it’s the only way to see or view some things on the Internet. Be sure to download the free version, no matter now much the Real folks try to hide it behind the pay version on its Web site.

  
  



• Adobe Flash/Shockwave: Although this free download plays most of the elaborate moving advertisements on Web sites, it also lets you watch funny cartoons and animations.

  
  



• Adobe Acrobat Reader: Another popular freebie, Acrobat Reader lets you view documents as if they’re printed on paper. (Sometimes it doesn’t let you copy parts of them, though, or read them with your word processor.)

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/download-plugins-from-the-internet.html

Discovering Everything that GoldMine Can Do

GoldMine tracks all the names, addresses, phone numbers, and basic contact information you will ever need. If you never use GoldMine as anything more than an electronic Rolodex, you will have gotten your money's worth. But if you use GoldMine in such a limited way, you'll miss out on most of the power for which your company paid good money.

Consolidating all your prospect and customer information

You will reap tremendous benefits from consistently entering every lead and every account into GoldMine. And if you can convince everyone in your organization to do the same, you have not only one organized location for all your data but also the following advantages:

• Everyone with authorization in your organization can share data and schedules.

• You can link e-mail and other documents to appropriate records, enabling you to maintain a complete audit trail.

• When a salesperson leaves your company, you can easily transfer her accounts to her replacement without missing a beat.

• You can set up all sorts of imaginative Automated Processes to help you with sales, marketing, and support.

Keeping track of your life

You can use GoldMine to track your business schedule. Just as important, GoldMine can keep schedules for all users and can help you coordinate your activities with theirs. This capability is one of the compelling reasons to use a CRM system such as GoldMine.

GoldMine lets you see what everyone else on your team is doing (although it also offers many provisions for privacy); at the same time, it lets everyone else track what you're doing. (Or, at least what you claim you're doing.) GoldMine can even coordinate the data for remote salespeople who rarely venture into the office.

If your entire team uses GoldMine consistently to schedule both professional time and personal appointments, you can

• Eliminate most instances of overbooked or double-booked staff.

• Feel reasonably safe in scheduling appointments for others in your organization.

• Let GoldMine automatically find a time when everyone on your team is available to meet.

• Have a complete audit trail of team members' activities.

Setting up Automated Processes

One great feature of GoldMine is its Automated Processes, with which you can automate almost any business process you can design. With Automated Processes, you can have GoldMine send out follow-ups to sales calls or remind you to call a client or escalate an issue to your boss when you ignore GoldMine's first or second notices.

Organizing your customer support

Along with a completely reworked user interface, GoldMine Premium now boasts a customer service module that allows GoldMine to manage service issues by associating each issue with an account. It also assigns issues to a queue until someone deals with it and maintains a library of service-related documents.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/discovering-everything-that-goldmine-can-do.html

How to Save Time Installing vSphere 4.1

Installing VMware vSphere 4.1 is a complex process; you'll want to do what you can to make the installation go more smoothly. To make your life a bit easier, while preparing to install vSphere, use this handy checklist to save time and effort:

• Shared storage: vSphere requires shared storage for functionality such as vMotion and HA. Make sure that each ESX host being deployed in a cluster has access to all the datastores assigned to the ESX cluster.

  
  



• Networking: Connecting vSphere to your network is a lot like connecting an additional network switch. Confirm that the appropriate VLANs are associated with each ESX host's network connections and that VLAN tagging has been enabled accordingly.

  
  



• Hardware compatibility: Check VMware's Hardware Compatibility List on its Web site prior to beginning installation. vSphere is pickier about its underlying hardware than traditional operating systems like Windows and Linux.

  
  



• vSphere licensing: Although vSphere will run for a month or two using the built-in evaluation licenses, it's important to have your permanent licenses handy. Get those licenses installed before you forget and end up with virtual machines that refuse to start.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-save-time-installing-vsphere-41.html

How to Keep Team Members Committed to Your Project

9 of 10 in Series:
The Essentials of Managing a Project Team

When managing a project, you have to keep people committed to it until the end. Although some people commit to completing an assignment because someone tells them to do so, you get a much more serious commitment when a person recognizes and appreciates a project’s benefits.

Identify the benefits of a project

When discussing your project’s benefits with your team, consider those benefits that are most important to your organization, its employees, and its clients, such as

• Improved products and services

  
  



• Improved internal processes and procedures

  
  



• Increased sales

  
  



• Improved productivity

  
  



• Better work environment

  
  

Also consider potential benefits to each team member, such as

• Acquiring new skills and knowledge

  
  



• Working in an enjoyable environment

  
  



• Expanding business contacts

  
  



• Enhancing career potential

  
  

When you help people realize the personal benefits they can get from participating in your project, you increase their commitment to the project and, therefore, the chances that the project will succeed.

Identify the purpose of and hopes for the project

Occasionally, someone may remind you that his team members receive salaries for doing their jobs. In other words, this person is suggesting that he doesn’t have to worry about whether his team members realize personal benefits from doing their assigned tasks. As far as he’s concerned, people will perform their assignments because they want to receive their paychecks. Unfortunately, however, this type of reward power encourages people to do the least work necessary to ensure they receive their next paychecks rather than to work toward the highest-quality results.

Of course your main concerns on a project are not your team members’ personal benefits. However, people are more committed if they feel they can accomplish their personal goals while helping their organization achieve its goals.

Do the following to help your team understand and appreciate the benefits your project can achieve for the organization:

• Identify the situation that led to your project.

  
  



• Identify your project’s key drivers, and clarify their hopes for the project.

  
  



• Encourage team members to discuss the expected benefits and the value of those benefits.

  
  

Do the following to encourage your team members to identify the personal benefits they may realize from participating in your project:

• Discuss their personal interests and career goals, and relate those interests and goals to aspects of the project.

  
  



• Discuss past projects they’ve enjoyed and the reasons they’ve enjoyed them.

  
  



• Discuss some of the benefits that you and other people hope to realize by working on this project.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-keep-team-members-committed-to-your-project.html

USB 2.0 and Your MacBook

Today’s MacBooks has an ubiquitous USB 2.0, which is short for Universal Serial Bus. (By the way, ubiquitous means ever-present or universal.) USB has taken the world by storm. It’s used for everything from mice to keyboards, speakers, digital cameras, and even external drives and DVD recorders.

(A friend never misses the chance to point out that USB — which was originally developed by Intel, the makers of the Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, and i7 processors — was given its first widespread implementation on the original iMac. You’re welcome, Intel.)

USB 2.0 delivers performance comparable to the original FireWire standard: USB 2.0 can transfer 480 Mbps, although far less efficiently than FireWire, so the FireWire connection is still faster overall.

These ports are backwards-compatible — meaning that they work with the original USB 1.1 ports as well. (Don’t call Apple a snob . . . at the time of this writing, all the Mac models in Apple’s current stable have USB 2.0 ports.)

As is FireWire, USB connections are hot-swappable and may provide power over the connection. (Some USB ports don’t supply all the power that devices need.) A USB port offers a more limited version of Control over Connection as well, making it a good choice for virtually all digital cameras.

The latest USB 3.0 connections offer speeds of 5 Gbps, but that’s half the performance of a Thunderbolt port. At the time of this writing, Apple has not released a computer with a USB 3.0 port, so be wary of jumping on the USB 3.0 bandwagon — at least until it’s clear whether Apple will ever support USB 3.0.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/usb-20-and-your-macbook.html

How to Delete and Void Transactions in Quicken 2010

You can delete and void register transactions by using Quicken's Edit button’s Delete and Void Transaction(s) commands. Using either command is a snap: Just select the transaction you want to delete or void, then click the Edit button and select the appropriate command. And that’s that.

Use the Delete command if you want to completely remove the transaction from your register.

Use the Void Transaction(s) command any time you void a check. Quicken leaves voided transactions in the register but marks them as void and erases the Payment or Deposit amount. So by using the Void Transaction(s) command, you keep a record of voided, or canceled, transactions.

When you mark a transaction as void, Quicken does three things:

• Sticks VOID in the start of the Payee field

  
  



• Marks the transaction as cleared

  
  



• Erases the amount in the Payment or Deposit field

  
  

If you later fill in the Payment or Deposit field and don’t pay attention to the warning from Quicken that you’re editing a reconciled transaction, Quicken uses the payment or deposit amount that you enter to adjust the account balance — even though Quicken still shows the transaction as void.

The bottom line is that you need to make sure that you don’t edit transactions after you void them. Otherwise, you can all too easily foul up your account balance — perhaps even overdraw your account. And that's definitely something you want to avoid.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-delete-and-void-transactions-in-quicken-201.html

Gluten-Free Food Shopping Tips

If you have celiac disease, you need to maintain a gluten-free diet to stay healthy, but shopping for foods without gluten can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you avoid gluten-containing foods and find gluten-free foods in your grocery store:

• Become a label-reader. In North America, it is the law that food that contains gluten must say so on the label.

  
  



• Choose naturally gluten-free foods. These include fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products and certain grains such as rice and (pure) oats.

  
  



• Look for foods that contain the following gluten-free grains: rice, corn, (pure) oats, soy, millet, teff, sorghum, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth.

  
  



• Be careful when buying prepared foods such as those that come in cans, boxes, jars and other packages. Make use of various on-line and published resources to assist you in finding and buying prepared and packaged foods that are gluten-free.

  
  



• Because they contain gluten, avoid the following products:

  
  
  
  

  • Barley malt, malt extract, malt syrup, and malt vinegar

    
    
  
  

  • Soya sauce (unless made from non-gluten-containing food sources)

    
    
  
  

  • Modified food starch if it is derived from wheat

    
    
  
  

  • Brewer’s yeast

    
    
  
  

  • Products that do not specify their content

    
    
  
  
  
  



• Take your child along. If you are shopping for your child with celiac disease, if they are sufficiently mature, bring them with you (some of the time anyhow) as you shop, and make it into a gluten-free learning experience for them.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/glutenfree-food-shopping-tips.navId-323518.html

What an eBay Bidder Search Can Tell You about Other Bidders

Get to know your eBay competition! By performing a bidder search, you can find out information on bidders who’ve beaten you in recent auctions. For example, say meanguy123 outbids you in an auction for a rare antique glockenspiel. You can run a bidder search on the old meany and find out what else he has been bidding on lately — and how much he bids.

You can find out the following information when you run a bidder search:

• The items the bidder tends to be interested in: Might as well let your competition do the legwork of finding good auctions for the items you like.

  
  



• What time of day the bidder likes to make bids: You can get a sense of whether the bidder is in another part of the country (or the world) and use the time difference to your advantage.

  
  



• Other bidding habits: Some bidders like to place an initial bid at the beginning of the auction and then swoop in at the end and snipe. Or they never bid until the end of the auction. Or they never snipe. No matter what strategy your competition chooses, you can come up with a counter-strategy to improve your likelihood of winning.

  
  



• How high the bidder tends to like to bid: This is a key to enable you to win the auction by as few pennies as possible. Does the bidder end with .27? End yours with .32. Also, if the bidder is accumulating items one at a time, you really have a good picture of exactly how much he or she will bid. Information is power!

  
  

Keep in mind that investigating the opposing bidder is not snooping! It’s totally legal and acceptable. (Okay, maybe it’s a little sneaky.) When you’ve checked out your competition’s shopping cart, you can swoop in and bid or snipe back if you like the other items this bidder is interested in. Isn’t it easier to let someone else do the legwork and find the bargains for you?

You may find that relying on the bidder search can give you a false sense of knowledge and confidence. Others may use the bidder search to become familiar with your habits, too. And many savvy buyers have two eBay user IDs and alternate between them to confuse those who try to follow their bidding patterns. Sniping can also help because no one will know you’re interested in the auction until you win the item. Mix your bidding patterns up a bit to keep the competition wondering!

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-an-ebay-bidder-search-can-tell-you-about-othe.html

How to Assess Your Leadership Style

The following assessment gives you a good idea of your strengths as a leader. Knowing your leadership style may help you understand why you lead the way you do, whether changing your style will be easy, and what kind of people you need to hire to compensate for some areas of weakness.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being never and 5 being always, rate yourself on the following statements:

1. I like power and control.

   
   



2. I listen to others, but I like to have the final word.

   
   



3. I am not an expert in all areas of my business.

   
   



4. I don’t care what others think; I do what is best for me.

   
   



5. I like shared decision-making.

   
   



6. I prefer control to be with my followers.

   
   



7. I micromanage.

   
   



8. I like to recognize achievement.

   
   



9. Group members should create their own goals.

   
   



10. I do not trust my employees.

    
    



11. I like to encourage collaboration.

    
    



12. I allow group members to solve their own problems.

    
    



13. Employees do only what they’re told.

    
    



14. I want my business to run through teams.

    
    



15. I am not good at following up with employees.

    
    



16. I decide how to fix problems.

    
    



17. I like to help my employees grow and learn.

    
    



18. I give very little input because my employees know their jobs better than I do.

    
    



19. I don’t want to make time for employee input.

    
    



20. I like to hear the opinions of my employees.

    
    



21. Employees have the right to create their own objectives.

    
    



22. I like being in charge.

    
    



23. I want input from my employees.

    
    



24. I like my employees to make decisions on their own.

    
    



25. I tell my employees what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

    
    



26. I want my employees to fulfill their potential.

    
    



27. I don’t want more authority than others in my organization.

    
    



28. Mistakes are not acceptable.

    
    



29. When things go wrong, I ask for advice from team members.

    
    



30. Power belongs to the entire organization.

    
    

Authoritarian leaders

Add up your scores for items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, and 28. That sum is your authoritative total.

Authoritarian leaders know exactly what they want done, who is to do it, and when it should be completed. Although these leaders don’t offer much wiggle room, they often get the job done, and they make their expectations obvious. Authoritarian leaders do well in small organizations with untrained employees. Beware of failing to seek feedback or being dictatorial.

Democratic leaders

Add up your scores for items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 29. This is your democratic total.

The democratic style encourages employees and stakeholders to participate in decision-making. With an experienced workforce, the democratic style can be a positive and motivational experience for all stakeholders. Because everyone is included in making decisions, the decision makers need to be knowledgeable about the business, the process, the product, and the vision statement. This can require more time to get things done.

Delegative leaders

Add up your scores for items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30. This is your delgative total.

Trust and confidence are hallmarks of the delegative leadership style, which is sometimes called laissez faire leadership because of its minimal interference in employees’ efforts. Under a delegative leader, employees have free rein to make decisions and get their jobs done. This style works very well with an educated and experienced workforce, especially with those who would like to become leaders themselves. Be careful using this style with employees who are insecure, afraid of making mistakes, or have difficulty communicating with others.

The leadership style with the highest total is the style you use most often. One high score with two low scores indicates a strong preference for that leadership style.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-assess-your-leadership-style.html

Shortcuts to Navigate a Microsoft Word for Mac Document

In Office 2008 for Mac, you can move the cursor around your document without actually even touching the mouse. And if you really want to become a whiz with Word, you’ll want to memorize most or all of the following shortcuts. Here’s a table that shows how to move the cursor around a document using only the keyboard:

To Move. . .	Press. . .
One character to the left	Left arrow
One character to the right	Right arrow
One word to the left	Option+left arrow
One word to the right	Option+right arrow
One paragraph up	Command+up arrow
One paragraph down	Command+down arrow
Up one line	Up arrow
Down one line	Down arrow
To the end of a line	Command+right arrow or End
To the beginning of a line	Command+left arrow or Home
Up one screen (scrolling)	Page Up
Down one screen (scrolling)	Page Down
To the top of the next page	Command+Page Down
To the top of the previous page	Command+Page Up
To the end of a document	Command+End
To the beginning of a document	Command+Home

To select (highlight) text as you move the cursor using these shortcuts, just hold down the Shift or Command key.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/shortcuts-to-navigate-a-microsoft-word-for-mac-doc.html

M&A Investors: What’s a Strategic Buyer?

Strategic Buyer is simply a fancy term for corporate Buyer. Companies make acquisitions for a slew of reasons: growth, new markets, new products, buying out a competitor, and more. Strategic Buyers often focus their acquisition activity on companies that are a fit for their current (or future) strategic plans, often buying from PE firms.

Strategic Buyers are often the end Buyer after a PE firm has made an acquisition. PE firms may be willing to get their hands a little dirtier than a strategic Buyer is; that is, a PE firm may be willing to take on a deal with some moving parts, replace management, fix operations, add on other acquisitions, and so on.

After the PE firm has spruced up the portfolio company, a strategic Buyer may have great interest in making an acquisition. Much of the heavy lifting, such as turning an entrepreneurial company into a professionally managed company, has been done by the PE firm, and a strategic Buyer recognizes and pays for that value.

Aside from the added value of professional management, strategic Buyers pay more for companies for a few reasons:

• They need specific pieces for their puzzles. As the name implies, “strategic acquisition” is exactly that. The acquirer is buying a company that has an important strategic fit, so the acquirer may be willing to pay a premium to keep a valuable company out of the hands of a competitor.

  
  



• They’re often not bound by the same limitations as PE firms. The investors in PE firms agree to invest only if certain parameters are part of the deal; not paying too much for a portfolio company is often part of the PE mandate. Strategic Buyers have more freedom to spend what’s necessary to get what they need.

  
  



• They may be looking for a long-term investment. Strategic Buyers may be willing to pay a higher price because their strategy is to buy and hold long term. They aren’t seeking to earn a return on the investment; they’re seeking to earn a return on the cash flow of the acquired company’s operations.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ma-investors-whats-a-strategic-buyer0.html

Creating Paper Bag Luminarias for Holiday Decorating

Traditionally, luminarias are made of votive candles set in paper bags weighted with sand and placed in rows along walkways, driveways, and even rooftops. You can use them in new ways, however, to light paths, a mantel, or a staircase. Because they're so simple to make, you can use them as projects for children. Light up your nights for the holidays by making some luminarias for your home and customizing them for a specific holiday.

You can decorate, punch, or cut designs from lunch-size paper bags to make holiday luminarias quickly and easily. Use bags in holiday colors (you can find them at party supply stores) to give your luminarias a holiday look. For instant decorating — no embellishments required — use the preprinted themed bags that are often used for holding goodies.

Place one to two inches of sand in the bottom of each paper bag. Nestle a tealight or votive candle into the center of the sand. When you're ready to use your luminaria, just light the wick of the tealight or candle.

Stamping, stenciling, or drawing designs

You can customize plain bags by stamping, stenciling, or drawing designs on them with craft paint or markers. Stencil stars for the Fourth of July, or stamp shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. A simple drawing of a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween or a stenciled Star of David for a dusk celebration can provide a beautiful way to welcome guests and make any occasion special.

For a simple way to make a luminaria with a complex design, use a computer to print clip art in black ink on plain copy paper. Trim the copy to fit just inside one side of the plain brown bag, and then glue or tape it into place. When you light the luminaria, the black lines of the design show up on the outside of the bag. With this little trick, you can quickly make luminarias that look as if you spent lots of artistic energy on them.

Try to find designs that look like silhouettes or are completely black: They show up better when the luminaria is illuminated.

Perforating designs

When you perforate outlines of designs in your paper bag luminaria, bright pinpricks of light shine through the paper. Perforating outlines of designs in paper is easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Place several layers of folded newspaper on a cutting board.

2. Tape your paper bag, with the bottom flap unfolded, to the newspaper with pieces of masking tape or removable tape.

3. Take a thumbtack and prick evenly spaced holes along the outline of the design, making sure you prick through both layers of the bag.

Cutting out designs

Cutting small designs out of the paper bag will allow a little more light to shine through your luminaria. But remember, when you cut more paper from the bag, you also allow more wind in, making the candle flame more likely to go out.

When cutting out designs, use shapes that are 1 to 1-1/2 inches in size. Anything larger will weaken the structure of the bag, making it more likely to sag.

1. Place several layers of folded newspaper on a cutting board. Tape your paper bag, with the bottom flap unfolded, to the newspaper with masking tape or removable tape.

2. Draw or trace the outline of the design on the bag.

3. Cut out shapes with a craft knife.

If you want to use cookie cutters for patterns or larger motifs, you can use two bags (with one serving as a liner) to give the cut bag strength. This layered effect is very pretty when you use a contrasting colored bag for the inner liner.

When burning candles, always follow the manufacturer's instructions for safe and proper use. For more about candles and a close look at candle safety tips, head over to the National Candle Association.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/creating-paper-bag-luminarias-for-holiday-decorati.navId-400689.html

Mnemonics for Piano Notes

Reading piano music is a learned skill, and to help you remember the names of the lines and spaces for each staff and the notes they represent, try a mnemonic — a word or phrase created from the letter names of these lines and spaces.

You can use the following mnemonics, but feel free to make up your own. Unless otherwise noted, these mnemonics start on the bottom line of each staff and go up:

• 
  

  Treble clef lines (E-G-B-D-F):

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    Traditional: Every Good Boy Does Fine

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Musical: Every Good Band Draws Fans

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Pianistic: Even Gershwin Began (as a) Dummy First

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Culinary: Eating Green Bananas Disgusts Friends

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Shameless: Every Good Book (is a) Dummies Favorite

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  

  Treble clef spaces (F-A-C-E):

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    Traditional: FACE (like the one holding your nose)

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Musical: Forks And Chopsticks Everywhere

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Laundry (start with top space): Eventually Colors Always Fade

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  

  Bass clef lines (G-B-D-F-A):

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    Recreational: Good Bikes Don’t Fall Apart

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Animal: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Musical: Great Beethoven’s Deafness Frustrated All

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Musical: Grandpa Bach Did Fugues A lot

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Painful: Giving Blood Doesn’t Feel Agreeable

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  

  Bass clef spaces (A-C-E-G):

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    Musical: American Composers Envy Gershwin

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Animal: All Cows Eat Grass

    
    
  
  
  • 
    

    Revenge (start with top space): Get Even, Call Avon

    
    
  
  
  
  

Read enough of these mnemonics and you’ll be hard-pressed to forget them. Of course, if you do happen to forget these helpful tools, simply find the line encircled by the clef and move up or down the alphabet from there.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mnemonics-for-piano-notes.html

How to Create a New Style in Google SketchUp 8

Creating a new style in Google SketchUp adds it to your In Model collection of styles, so you can come back and apply it to your model anytime you like. Follow these steps to create a new style:

1. Click the Create New Style button in the Styles dialog box.

   
   

   This duplicates the style that was applied to your model before you clicked the Create New Style button. Your new style appears in your In Model collection as [name of the original style]1.

   
   



2. Use the controls in the Edit tab to set up your style the way you want.

   
   

   Frequently, you want to make a new style after you already make changes to an existing one. If you want to create a new style that reflects modifications you’ve made already, just switch Steps 1 and 2.

   
   



3. Use the Name box (at the top of the Styles dialog box) to give your new style a name and press Enter.

   
   

   If you want, you can also give your new style a description in the Description box, though you may want to wait until later.

   
   



4. Click the Update button.

   
   

   This updates your new style with all the changes you made in Steps 2 and 3.

   
   



5. Check the In Model collection in the Select tab to make sure that your new style is there.

   
   



6. Click the In Model button (which looks like a little house) to see your In Model Styles collection.

   
   

   Your new style appears alphabetically in the list.

   
   

If a bunch of styles exist in your In Model collection that you don’t use anymore and you want to clean up things, right-click the Details flyout menu and choose Purge Unused. This gets rid of any styles that aren’t currently applied to any scenes in your model.

Creating a new style doesn’t automatically make it available for use in other SketchUp files.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-create-a-new-style-in-google-sketchup-8.html

How to Read Capacitor Value Markings

When you’re building circuits with capacitors, you’ll need to learn to read the value markings, which not only designate values but other parameters as well.

###L (Three numbers and a letter)	Numbers 1 and 2 are value digits.
	Number 3 is a multiplier: 0 = × 1, 1 = × 10, 2 = × 100, 3 = × 1000, 4 = × 10,000.
	Letter denotes tolerance: J = 5%, K = 10%, L = 20%
##p or ##n	Numbers 1 and 2 are value digits.
	p denotes pF, n denotes nF.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-read-capacitor-value-markings.html

Irish Red and White Setter: A Dog for Outdoors

The Irish Red and White Setter has landed a lot of press coverage lately. This innate hunter and explorer was recently accepted as a sporting group breed by the American Kennel Club, introduced as a new Westminster Kennel Club sporting breed, and received three honors during Westminster’s 2010 dog show: Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, and Award of Merit.

So why all the sudden fuss about Irish Red and White Setters? Where did the breed come from and what makes it worthy of such acclaim? And, perhaps most importantly, would an Irish Red and White Setter be a good addition to your family?

Breed origins of the Irish Red and White Setter

As its name implies, the Irish Red and White Setter hails from Ireland, but it isn’t simply an Irish Setter of a different color. The Red and White is a completely separate breed. Pedigree records for the Red and White date back to 1790, but an exact year of origin isn’t known.

Until the mid- to later-half of the last century, it looked like the Irish Red and White might be headed for extinction. The solid-red Irish Setter had outpaced the spotted dog in popularity. However, some dedicated dog lovers worked to preserve the Red and White. In 1978, its popularity was reestablished and it was recognized as a separate breed by the Irish Kennel Club.

Since the late ’70s, the dog has made its way from Europe to North America. Approximately 1,000 Irish Red and White Setters call the United States and Canada home.

Red and White Setter physical characteristics

Not surprisingly, Irish Red and White Setters have a white coat with deep red spots that vary in shape and size. The hairs are soft, long, and fairly straight. Their eyes are dark hazel or brown.

The dogs’ muscular build, straight stature and alert countenance illustrates why Red and Whites were originally bred for an outdoor life of hunting and field work. The males measure 24.5 to 26 inches tall. Full-grown females stand 22.5 to 24 inches. Adult weight can range from 50 to 75 pounds.

Family-dog temperament

Irish Red and White Setters are friendly, kind, energetic, and courageous. They’re not only gentle with small children, but they also get along with other animals. They respond well to obedience training and consistent direction that is given in a firm, authoritative voice. These characteristics can make the breed a great choice for a family pet.

Red and White Setters need lots of exercise every day. Before you bring a pup home, make sure you have a big, fenced-in yard or open field where the dog can safely run and sniff around. If he doesn’t get enough outdoor time, his pent-up energy can devolve into nervous, destructive behavior.

Health of your Setter pet

Irish Red and White Setters typically live 11 to 15 years. The breed suffers few health problems, but one of the more common is a cataract that forms in the back of the eye, called posterior polar cataract. Rare in the breed are hip problems and Von Willebrand’s Disease, a disorder that prevents blood from clotting.

Adoption of your purebred dog pick

If you’re serious about adopting an Irish Red and White Setter, make sure you’re getting the purebred dog you want. Contact the American Kennel Club for a list of reputable breeders in your area. Any good breeder should supply you with

• Certified, three-generation pedigree from the American Kennel Club

  
  



• American Kennel Club registration certificate for the puppy being adopted

  
  



• Breeder’s three-generation pedigree

  
  



• Results of all health tests for sire and dam (dad and mom, respectively)

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/irish-red-and-white-setter-a-dog-for-outdoors.html

Choosing Your Pack for Trekking the Kokoda Trail

Finding a pack for your Kokoda Trail is likely to be at the top of your to-do list, unless you’re already a seasoned hiker. Have a look at how much room you need in a pack, depending on whether you’re carrying your own pack or hiring a porter to help you out.

Working out how much room you need

The amount of space you need in your pack depends somewhat on how long you’re trekking for, and where you’re going; this will vary depending on your chosen tour. But for a rough guide, here’s a quick guideline:

• 5 days of rations for the Kokoda Trail

  
  



• 6 days of rations for the Shaggy Ridge Expedition

  
  

Carrying these amounts of rations, plus your own equipment, equates to about 75 litres in capacity. However, this is only suitable if you’re carrying your own pack for the entire trek. If you’re hiring a porter to carry your bag, see the section below.

Secondhand-issue Australian Army packs (except for those from less than five years ago) have been found to be inadequate — unless your packing style tends towards minimalist. The other problem is that these packs don’t suit all shapes and sizes of bodies, and so the packs are often found uncomfortable by porters. Don’t bring these sorts of packs if you’re planning to use a porter to carry your equipment.

Using a porter to carry your pack

When using a porter to carry your pack on the Kokoda Trail, you need to keep in mind some key points, as follows:

• Inside your pack is the best place to carry all your gear and equipment, including the carrier’s items and food (see following bullet point); exceptions are a tent and waterproof sleeping mat. With a pack adequately equipped with tie points, these items can safely ride outside the main pack.

  
  

  Your waterproof pack cover needs to be sized to accommodate the outside items as well. So, if you’re using a porter, you may require an 80-litre pack. It goes without saying that your pack needs to be robust and of good quality.

  
  



• In your capacity calculations, check that a zip-off day pack attached to the main pack isn’t included in the size of the bag stated on the manufacturer’s label. If you’re carrying the zip-off backpack, then that space isn’t available to carry the porter’s, or your, needs.

  
  



• Most day (jockey) packs unbalance the load carrying of the main pack when full and zipped on the outside of the main pack.

  
  



• The porter needs about 6–8 litres’ space in your pack for his own items.

  
  



• If his additional gear poses a space problem in your pack, you can create extra internal space by securing tents or sleeping mats to the outside of the pack (if your pack has provision for tie-ons).

  
  



• You need about 4–5 lites of space inside your main pack for food, and this is additional to the porter’s space requirements.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/choosing-your-pack-for-trekking-the-kokoda-trail.html?cid=RSS_DUMMIES2_CONTENT

Solving Easy Caesar Ciphers

Caesar Ciphers are also known as Shift Ciphers — yes, you guessed it, the alphabet is shifted along by a set amount to create the cipher. This is an encryption method that was used by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, hence the name. Once you’ve figured out a few letters, you can easily write out the rest of the encrypted alphabet, and read the cryptogram.

Caesar ciphers are like substitution ciphers. So the standard tricks, like looking for the most frequent letter and recurring words, can also help you solve these puzzles.

You can find more tips on how to crack cryptograms on the Cracking Codes & Cryptograms For Dummies Cheat Sheet.

Easy Caesar Cipher 1. Remember that longer ciphers are much easier to decrypt than short ones!

KYV MVIP NFIU “JVTIVTP” ZJ IVGLXEREK ZE R WIVV REU FGVE JFTZVKP; REU NV RIV RJ R GVFGCV ZEYVIVEKCP REU YZJKFIZTRCCP FGGFJVU KF JVTIVK JFTZVKZVJ, KF JVTIVK FRKYJ REU KF JVTIVK GIFTVVUZEXJ. NV UVTZUVU CFEX RXF KYRK KYV UREXVIJ FW VOTVJJZMV REU LENRIIREKVU TFETVRCDVEK FW GVIKZEVEK WRTKJ WRI FLKNVZXYVU KYV UREXVIJ NYZTY RIV TZKVU KF ALJKZWP ZK. AFYE W BVEEVUP

Easy Caesar Cipher 1 Hint

Easy Caesar Cipher 1 Answer

Easy Caesar Cipher 2. Decipher this cryptogram to discover the secrets of Freemasonry!

LZWJW SJW “GMLOSJV” KWUJWLK: VWLSADK GX JALMSD SFV KAYFK GX JWUGYFALAGF, DACW HSKKOGJVK SFV ZSFVKZSCWK. LZWJW SJW SDKG “AFOSJV,” GJ HWJKGFSD, KWUJWLK, DACW LZW WPHWJAWFUW GX HSKKAFY LZJGMYZ S JALMSD AFALASLAGF, GJ OZSL S ESF DWSJFK STGML ZAEKWDX LZJGMYZ TWAFY S ESKGF.

Easy Caesar Cipher 2 Hint

Easy Caesar Cipher 2 Answer

Easy Caesar Cipher 3. The last words of an infamous Revolutionary War character, just before he was hanged for spying:

OCLQT CPFTG YCU JCPIGF YJKNG YGCTKPI VJG HWNN-FTGUU WPKHQTO QH C DTKVKUJ QHHKEGT. JKU NCUV YQTFU YGTG, “K RTCA AQW DGCT OG YKVPGUU VJCV K OGV OA HCVG NKMG C DTCXG OCP.”

Easy Caesar Cipher 3 Hint

Easy Caesar Cipher 3 Answer

Easy Caesar Cipher 4.Crack this cipher to find out what Freemasons do:

SGYUTY IUTJAIZ XOZAGRY UL OTOZOGZOUT. ZNKE KTMGMK OT INGXOZE CUXQ. ZNKE MKZ ZUMKZNKX LUXSGRRE LUX HAYOTKYY SKKZOTMY, GTJ OTLUXSGRRE LUX YUIOGROFOTM. ZNKE JU MUUJ OT ZNK CUXRJ, ULZKT OT YKIXKZ. (G HGM UL MXUIKXOKY COTJY AV UT ZNK COJUC'Y JUUXYZKV, ZNGZ YUXZ UL ZNOTM.) ZNKE YZAJE GTJ VUTJKX SGYUTOI VNORUYUVNE GTJ NOYZUXE. ZNGZ, VRAY ZNKE'XK ULZKT YTGVVE JXKYYKXY.

Easy Caesar Cipher 4 Hint

Easy Caesar Cipher 4 Answer

Easy Caesar Cipher 5. This is an unusual quote - some of the single letter words are not A or I! Two men exchange the password during the first degree of initiation into the Knights of the Golden Circle, Confederate sympathizers:

CSY AMPP WEC, “H”; LI AMPP WEC, “E”; CSY AMPP WEC, “Z”; LI AMPP WEC, “M”; CSY AMPP WEC, “W.” “HEZMW” MW XLI TEWWASVH XS XLI JMVWX HIKVII. [RSXI: NIJJIVWSR HEZMW AEW TVIWMHIRX SJ XLI GSRJIHIVEGC.]

Easy Caesar Cipher 5 Hint

Easy Caesar Cipher 5 Answer

>

>

>

Easy Caesar Cipher 1 Hint

M = V

>

>

>

Easy Caesar Cipher 2 Hint

H = P

>

>

>

Easy Caesar Cipher 3 Hint

J = H

>

>

>

Easy Caesar Cipher 4 Hint

S = M

>

>

>

Easy Caesar Cipher 5 Hint

A = W

>
dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/solving-easy-caesar-ciphers.html

Optimizing Your Recording Room: Controlling Sound

After you create a recording room that’s as isolated from the outside world as possible, you need to control or at least deal with the way sound acts within your room.

Sound travels through the air in the form of waves. These waves bounce around the room and cause reflections (reverberations or echoes). One of the problems with most home studios is that they’re small.

And because sound travels very fast (about 1,130 feet per second — the exact speed depends on the humidity in the environment), when you sit at your monitors and listen, you hear the reflected sound as well as the original sound that comes out of your speakers. With big rooms, you can hear the original sound and reflections as separate sounds, meaning that the reflections themselves become less of a problem.

For a good home studio, you need to tame these reflections so that they don’t interfere with your ability to clearly hear the speakers.

How all these reflections bounce around your room can get pretty complicated. Read up on acoustics (the way sound behaves) to discover more about different room modes: axial (one dimension), tangential (two dimensions), and oblique (three dimensions). Each relates to the way that sound waves interact as they bounce around a room.

Knowing your room’s modes can help you come up with an acoustical treatment strategy, but very complicated formulas are used to figure out your room’s modes, especially those dastardly tangential and oblique modes.

You can find out more on room modes, as well as discover some room mode calculators, by using your favorite Internet search engine and searching for room modes.

An excellent source for sound control and acoustics information is Ethan Winer’s forum at Musicplayer.com. You can check it out at Musicplayer Forum.

Sound control plays a major role in two aspects of recording — tracking and mixing — and each requires different approaches for you to get the best possible sound from your recordings.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/optimizing-your-recording-room-controlling-sound.html

Pistas Útiles para Trabajar en Windows 7

Muchos se ven obligados a usar Windows 7 como única alternativa, ya que sus nuevas computadoras probablemente vinieron con Windows 7 ya instalado. La siguiente lista contiene varias pistas útiles que le ahorrarán tiempo y dolores de cabeza al trabajar en Windows 7:

• ¿No sabe qué función cumple un botón determinado en un programa? Descanse el puntero del mouse sobre el botón unos segundos. Suele aparecer una práctica casilla para explicarle el propósito de dicho botón.

  
  
  



• Si está confundido, pruebe presionar la tecla F1, esa “tecla de función” cerca de la esquina superior izquierda de su teclado. Aparecerá una ventana de ayuda que suele ofrecer pistas sobre su problema actual.

  
  



• Para ver lo que puede hacer con un elemento en Windows, haga clic derecho sobre él. Aparecerá un menú con una lista de todas sus opciones disponibles.

  
  



• Presione Alt para revelar cualquier menú oculto de cualquier programa, incluido Media Player.

  
  



• Para encontrar ventanas perdidas en el escritorio, mantenga presionado Alt y luego presione Tab. Windows le mostrará imágenes en miniatura de ventanas abiertas. Mantenga presionado Alt, presione Tab (Tabulación) hasta que Windows seleccione la ventana deseada y luego suelte Alt para que aparezca esa ventana en primer plano.

  
  



• Para compartir archivos con todos los usuarios de su computadora, cópielas en una de las carpetas públicas de Windows: Haga doble clic en el nombre de cualquier biblioteca y aparecerán dos carpetas. La carpeta llamada Public (Pública) es accesible para cualquier persona que use su PC (incluso a través de una red).

  
  



• Si su computadora se comporta de forma extraña después de instalar un nuevo hardware o software, utilice System Restore (Restaurar sistema) para retrotraerla a un momento en el que funcionaba bien. Haga clic en All Programs (Todos los programas) desde el menú Start (Inicio) y clic en el menú Accesories (Accesorios), luego elija System Tools (Herramientas del Sistema). Finalmente, haga clic en System Restore (Restaurar Sistema).

  
  



• Recupere archivos y carpetas que haya borrado accidentalmente abriendo la función Recycle Bin (Papelera de reciclaje) en su escritorio. Haga clic derecho en el elemento borrado y seleccione Restore (Restaurar) para regresarlo a su ubicación original.

  
  



• Para volver a una versión anterior de un archivo que modificó, haga clic derecho en el archivo y seleccione Restore Previous Versions (Restaurar versiones anteriores). Cuando Windows muestre en una lista la fecha de la versión que desea recuperar, haga clic en el botón Restore (Restaurar).

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/pistas-utiles-para-trabajar-en-windows-7.html

Minimizing Excessive Spatter in Stick Welding and Mig Welding

Spatter is made up of little bits of metal that are sent flying away from your welding area by your welding arc. Excessive spatter can result in low-quality stick and mig welds, make your welding area messy, and cause visibility problems (especially when sparks and smoke are involved).

You can't really avoid spatter completely, and it's much more common in stick and mig welding than it is in tig welding. The causes of excessive spatter occurring during stick welding are different from the causes that are part of the mig welding process. Here's a quick look at the differences.

• Excessive spatter when you're stick welding usually indicates your arc length is too long. Try shortening your arc length, and keep in mind the general rule for arc length during stick welding: Don't let your arc get much longer than the diameter of your electrode's metal core. If your electrode has a 1/8-inch-diameter core, keep your arc length at or near 1/8 inch. That should help keep down your spatter.

  
  



• During mig welding, one of the most common causes of excessive spatter is using too much wire. If you're getting spatter everywhere during a mig weld, try slowing down your wire feed speed. If that doesn't work, the excessive spatter might be the result of arc blow, which occurs when magnetism in your base metal affects the quality of your arc. To combat arc blow, try welding toward your ground clamp. If that doesn't do the trick, switch your welding machine to alternating current.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/minimizing-excessive-spatter-in-stick-welding-and-.html

The Haggadah and the Steps of a Seder

The Passover seder (a Jewish ritual dinner) is based on the haggadah, a book of instructions, prayers, blessings, and stories that lays out the proper order for the ritual. Haggadah means “the telling,” referring to one of the most important aspects of the seder: the recitation of the Exodus story.

The basic text of the traditional haggadah is almost identical to that used in the eleventh century. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, many different versions began to appear, and now there are literally hundreds of haggadot (the plural of haggadah) available, each laying out the same basic ritual but with a different spin.

Each seder needs a leader, someone who will orchestrate the proceedings and read key parts of the haggadah. In traditional homes, the leader may wear a white kittel (robe), which is worn only during the seder, Yom Kippur, one's wedding, and one's burial, which helps create the sense that this is a sacred time. The seder then proceeds through its 15 steps:

1. Kadesh (sanctification of the day)

   
   

   Fill your cup with the first glass of wine or grape juice, lift the cup, say the Kiddush (sanctification over the fruit of the vine and over the special energies of the holiday), and drink, leaning to the left. Tradition says to fill the cup to the brim, but also says that you shouldn’t get drunk, so you only have to drink half the glass (which may be small).

   
   



2. Urchatz (handwashing with no blessing)

   
   

   The second step is a ritual ablution — a spiritual cleansing by pouring water over the hands. The water should be warm enough to make the washing pleasant. Traditionally, a pitcher of water is used to pour water over the right and then over the left hand. You can then dry your hands on a towel. In some homes, and in a large congregation, the leader often acts as proxy, performing the urchatz for everyone in attendance. Ordinarily a blessing is said over the ritual washing of the hands, but not this time.

   
   



3. Karpas (eating the green vegetable)

   
   

   The first bite of food people get is the karpas, the green vegetable, symbol of spring and renewal, which they dip in salt water (purifying tears) before eating. Apart from its ritual symbolism, karpas serves as an hors d’oeuvres before the meal. Wise arrangers make sure there is plenty available, so eat plenty.

   
   



4. Yachatz (breaking the matzah)

   
   

   Now the seder leader picks up the middle of the three matzah from the matzoh plate and breaks it in half. The leader puts the smaller half of matzah back in between the other two pieces of matzah, but the larger half is reserved as the afikomen (“dessert”), which is eaten at the end of the meal.

   
   

   In some families, the afikomen is taken away and hidden somewhere in the house, and near the end of the seder, the kids are allowed to go looking for it (see Step 12). Another common practice is to place the afikomen near the leader, from whom the kids must steal it during the seder without the leader noticing. In some Sephardic families, each person places a broken afikomen matzah on their shoulder, symbolizing the quick exodus from Egypt.

   
   



5. Maggid (telling the story)

   
   

   Usually the longest of the 15 seder steps, the Maggid is the telling of the Exodus narrative. It’s now that the youngest child at the table asks the four questions (every haggadah lists them). Actually, any person can read the questions, or everyone can read them together. The four questions all revolve around the basic question, “Why is this night different than all other nights?” (Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?)

   
   

   The rest of the Maggid answers this question with the story of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt, some Torah study, and a discussion of the description of the four types of children: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child, and the child who doesn’t know enough to ask a question. You may be tempted to look around the table to find a good example of each child, but it's more appropriate to look inside, to find the parts of ourselves that fit each of these descriptions.

   
   

   Finally, the second cup of wine is poured, but don’t drink it yet! Traditionally, you dip a finger into the wine and transfer ten drops of wine to your plate, one for each of the ten plagues in Egypt. Then, after songs praising God, pointing out the various items on the seder table yet again, and reciting the blessing over the wine, you can drink the second cup. By this time, you usually need it!

   
   



6. Rachtzah (handwashing with a blessing)

   
   

   It’s time to wash your hands again, but this time you do say the blessing. It’s customary not to speak at all between washing your hands and saying the blessings over the matzah. You can use this time to reflect on the sanctification and purification that you’re undergoing.

   
   



7. Motzi (blessing before eating matzah)

   
   

   Next, raise the matzah and recite two blessings over the bread: the regular motzi blessing and one specifically mentioning the mitzvah (Jewish commandment) of eating matzah at Passover.

   
   



8. Matzah (eating the matzah)

   
   

   Blessings said, everyone breaks off a piece of matzah and eats it.

   
   



9. Maror (eating the bitter herb)

   
   

   It’s perfect Jewish irony that just as your stomach is starting to growl, you get to eat maror, the bitter herbs. Whether you eat a fresh slice of horseradish (which promises to bring tears to your eyes) or a leaf of romaine lettuce (which is pretty wimpy), you should be thinking of the bitterness of slavery. Traditionally, you should dip the maror in the charoset (the apple-nut-wine-cinnamon salad) to taste a small amount of sweetness along with the pain.

   
   



10. Korech (Hillel’s sandwich)

    
    

    While the English Earl of Sandwich is generally credited for inventing the snack of his namesake, Hillel may have originated it two thousand years ago by combining matzah, a slice of paschal lamb, and a bitter herb. Jews no longer sacrifice and eat the lamb, so the Passover sandwich is only matzah, charoset, and a bitter herb now (many people use the chazeret instead of horseradish).

    
    



11. Shulchan Orech (eating the meal)

    
    

    Once the korech is finished, it’s time for the real meal, usually beginning with a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water and quickly progressing to gefilte fish with horseradish, matzah-ball soup, chopped liver, and as much other food as you can stuff down your gullet.

    
    

    Although you drink four ceremonial glasses of wine during Passover, this doesn’t mean you can’t have some more during dinner, too. No beer, though.

    
    



12. Tzafun (eating the afikomen)

    
    

    Whether or not dessert is served after dinner, the last food that is officially eaten at the seder is a piece of the afikomen matzah (see Step 4), which symbolizes the Pesach sacrifice. If the afikomen is hidden or stolen by the children, it must be returned to the leader by the end of the seder. The seder can’t be concluded without the afikomen (and tradition says that the seder must end before midnight), but the children are usually pretty tired at this point, so both sides have good bargaining positions. Many folks don’t actually eat the afikomen itself; any taste of matzah will do once the afikomen has been returned.

    
    

    The afikomen also represents the part of the self or soul that is lost or given up in enslavement. The seder represents the journey from enslavement to freedom, and at Tzafun, people reclaim the pieces of self that were missing. Again, it’s traditional to ingest the symbol to internalize it.

    
    



13. Barech (blessing after eating)

    
    

    Jewish meals always conclude with a blessing, and this meal is no different. At this point, however, the meal may be over, but the seder is not. The third cup of wine celebrating the meal is poured and, after a blessing is recited, drunk. Now, a curious tradition occurs: A cup of wine is poured in honor of the prophet Elijah, and a door is opened to allow Elijah in. Many folks think the cup is for Elijah. Actually, the extra cup stems from a rabbinic debate over whether we should drink four or five cups of wine during the seder; the compromise was to drink four (the fourth is drunk in Step 14), pour a fifth, and wait until Elijah comes to tell the Jews which is correct.

    
    

    An alternative custom invites each person to pour a little of their own wine to fill Elijah’s cup, symbolizing each person’s own responsibility toward bringing about redemption.

    
    



14. Hallel (songs of praise)

    
    

    After closing the door, the final seder ritual includes singing special songs of praise to God, and then filling, blessing, and drinking the fourth cup of wine.

    
    



15. Nirtzah (conclusion)

    
    

    The prescribed rituals and actions end at the 14th step; Nirtzah celebrates a conclusion. The most common prayer at the end is simply L’shana haba-a bi-Y’rushalayim, meaning “Next year in Jerusalem!” Then, depending on the hour and the energy level of the participants, you may find yourself singing more songs and possibly even dancing! Some families make a tradition of reading aloud the Song of Songs at the end of the seder, though be prepared for sleepy groans if you suggest it.

    
    

Like ballroom dancing, the seder has relatively clear rules and an order, but what makes the evening special are the extra flourishes that all the participants add along the way. You have plenty of room to be creative and add stuff to the seder — additional songs, prayers, poems, stories, commentary, and so on — so if you aren't having fun, you aren't doing it right.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-haggadah-and-the-steps-of-a-seder.html