Tap Your Computer’s Power to Develop Wealth-Building Insights

This is hard to describe in general terms because by definition, what the computer lets you do is get very specific. Consider this: Personal financial planning is essentially applied mathematics. What that means is that to make a decision, you often need to tally up the costs and benefits of Option A versus Option B, and then you need to make time/value of money calculations.


(Practically speaking, this just means that you also need to figure in things like interest expense and investment income.) These sorts of tasks are the perfect applications for the personal computer.


When you use your computer to make better personal financial decisions, you develop powerful, wealth-building insights that often supply the rest of the money you need for your investing. More specifically, if you need to save $300 per month and you can get $150 of this from your employer and through tax savings, you still need to come up with that last $150 per month.


Your computer can, and should, help you find this money.


Here’s one example: Have you heard about early mortgage repayment? It sounds like a good idea, at least on the surface. If you add an extra $25 per month to the regular mortgage payment on a typical mortgage, you often save about $25,000 in interest. (Maybe more. How much you save depends on the interest rate, the mortgage balance, and the remaining number of payments.)


Based on that bit of financial data, early mortgage repayment sounds like a pretty good idea. Lots of people — encouraged by financial writers — have started doing this. But is it a good idea? It depends.


To determine whether this is truly a good idea, however, you need to weigh your options. If you can instead put an extra $25 a month into a 401(k), you end up with about $100,000.


So there you have it: Option A, which is early mortgage repayment, sounds pretty good because $25,000 of interest savings is a lot of money. But Option B, the 401(k) option, is clearly better because, for no extra pain or hassle, you end up with $100,000.


But other important financial decisions and personal financial planning issues often provide you with similar opportunities for free money or extra wealth because you use your computer:



  • ARMs: Sometimes, adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) actually make you bear less risk and work better.



  • Buying a home: Sometimes this isn’t a good investment — even when it seems like it is.



  • Car leases: They can be great deals or terrible deals. It all depends on the implicit interest rate that the lease charges.




The Internet also provides a ton of tools, many helpful, for doing personal financial planning. Use these sorts of computer-based financial tools to make wiser decisions. A little extra money here, a little there —and pretty soon, you’ve found that last bit of money you need to save for a comfortable retirement. No kidding.











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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/tap-your-computers-power-to-develop-wealthbuilding.html

How to Open and Adjust the Laptop Screen


  • If your laptop has one catch that you must release to open the lid, the catch is probably in the middle. If your laptop has two catch release buttons, they’re on the front corners of the laptop's lid. The catches are on either the front or sides. The below figure offers some hints.


    >

    Possible locations for the lid latch(es).>

    Possible locations for the lid latch(es).


  • The front side of the laptop is the side without all the connectors (although, in the future, laptops may have connectors on the front).



  • It's possible to configure the laptop to be on without opening the lid — for example, when you’re using a docking station or an external monitor.



  • Some laptops allow you to play a music CD when the lid is closed, even sporting special buttons to control the CD player.




  • Be aware that your laptop's cooling system is designed based on the assumption that the lid will be open. Many laptop users who keep their systems on while closed have cooked their displays. Beware!



    >
    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-open-and-adjust-the-laptop-screen.html

    Essential Manager Tasks: How to Plan Online Community Events

    Online communities don’t gather only online; they get together offline as well. As community manager, you may be tasked with setting up a variety of events.


    If you’re someone who enjoys planning parties and meeting people, you’ll enjoy this aspect of your job. Not only will you have fun putting together meetups and tweetups, finding a venue, and inviting your community members, but you’ll also have to attend the events you put together.


    In some cases, you may have to travel to plan parties in other locations. Traveling to meet and greet members of the community is often cited as a favorite part of the community manager’s job.


    Event planning isn’t only fun and games, however, and not every community event is a party. You may also assist in putting together more serious functions:



    • Conferences



    • Lectures



    • Fund-raisers



    • Awards ceremonies



    • Luncheons or dinners




    Most likely, you’ll be involved only in affairs that have to do with your community, not those that involve other departments. Also, not all brands host events for their communities. If there’s an occasion for your brand and your members to meet offline, however, it’ll probably fall to you to help put it all together.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/essential-manager-tasks-how-to-plan-online-communi.navId-323004.html

    How to Draw a Basic Fashion Figure

    Fashion figures need attitude as well as style. Here’s how to draw a basic fashion figure with a look that rules the runway. Start by creating a fashion croquis, or rough sketch of the body:



    1. Lay tracing paper over a full-body picture of a model from a magazine and use a pencil to trace around the perimeter of her body.



    2. Draw lines to show the angles of her shoulders and hips. Trace a center line down the front of her body and draw an oval for the head.



    3. Break your figure down into basic shapes, using two trapezoids for the torso and cylinders for the arms and legs, as in “a” in the figure. Include circles for the elbows and knees.



    4. Remove the tracing paper from your model.



    5. On a piece of sketch paper, redraw your fashion model freehand, but lengthen the torso, arms, and legs.


      The new figure is taller and narrower and has a smaller head in comparison to the rest of her body. Fashion figures almost always have long, slim torsos and long, slender limbs, which make the clothes look better.



    6. Use a black pen to draw over the areas of the body that you want to show. Erase the pencil lines.


      See the “b” figure.


      >

      Drawing a fashion model freehand with basic lines and shapes.>

      Drawing a fashion model freehand with basic lines and shapes.




    >
    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-draw-a-basic-fashion-figure.html

    Staples for Your Pantry, Refrigerator, and Freezer

    Family hungry and nothing to cook? Make sure that never happens again. If you always keep these staples in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, you’ll never again be stuck with no option but takeout. You can certainly add to these lists, but these essentials can always help you make a good meal. For items you use regularly (such as bread, eggs, and milk), plan to restock about once a week.


    Pantry



    • Baking powder



    • Baking soda



    • Bread



    • Brown sugar



    • Canned beans (pinto, white, or black)



    • Cereal (hot or cold)



    • Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth



    • Cider or white vinegar



    • Cocoa powder



    • Coffee and/or tea



    • Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, pickles, and pickle relish



    • Cornstarch



    • Dried herbs: Basil, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, and parsley



    • Flour



    • Granulated sugar



    • Ground spices: Black pepper, cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes), chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, and paprika



    • Jam, jelly, or preserves



    • Pancake syrup



    • Pasta



    • Peanut butter



    • Powdered sugar



    • Rice



    • Salt



    • Tomato sauce, paste, and canned tomatoes



    • Vanilla extract



    • Vegetable oil




    Refrigerator



    • Butter



    • Cheese (hard and soft)



    • Eggs



    • Fresh fruit



    • Fresh vegetables, including leafy greens



    • Meat, fish, poultry, or tofu to last three to five days



    • Milk



    • Yogurt and/or sour cream




    Freezer



    • Frozen fruit, for smoothies and sauces



    • Frozen vegetables you will actually eat



    • Ice cream or frozen yogurt



    • Meat, poultry, and/or fish to last about a week






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/staples-for-your-pantry-refrigerator-and-freezer.html

    Avoid Opportunities That Risk Your Blog's Reputation

    When you associate your mom blog and your personal brand with a company product or brand, it is inevitable that you will both rub off on each other. Like it or not, you can and do become associated with that brand.


    Not all companies seeking to give you free products are ones you want to work with. Some are just not a right fit. Others can be slightly deceptive or even downright manipulative.


    A good example of this is a campaign that occurred recently through a marketing firm that reached out to mom bloggers. The firm presented the opportunity to the moms as an outreach to help educate the public about high-fructose corn syrup. Ultimately, some of the participants didn’t realize that the campaign was being funded by the large lobbying group, the Corn Refiners Association.


    Some bloggers felt misled by the talking points they were given. Yet they had already published their posts, and now had to take responsibility for the fact that they had to own words they weren’t very happy about owning. Ultimately, this campaign probably won’t permanently harm anyone’s blogging business — however, it could have.


    It is truly up to you as the blogger to ensure that the sponsors and brands you choose to work with also represent the values you hold. Here are some questions you can ask as you evaluate whether a brand is the right fit for you and your blog:



    • Is this a company that makes products or services that my readers would likely be interested in reading about?



    • Does this brand stand for principles that I agree with?



    • Does this company have subsidiaries that would present a conflict of interest for me?



    • Is this company in an industry that is known for perpetuating scams or misleading information?



    • Am I 100-percent sure that this company is a legitimate business?



    • Does this company sell any products that I would never use in my home, or would never advocate to my readers?


      Some very large companies have diverse products they sell and brands they use. You may be thrilled to work with one brand, yet find that its sister company uses child labor in China.



    • Does this company produce products or services that I feel are immoral, unhealthy, or disagree with?






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/avoid-opportunities-that-risk-your-blogs-reputatio.html

    Investing in Natural Gas as a Commodity

    Natural gas makes for a good investment because it is an important source of energy both in the United States and around the world, accounting for approximately 25 percent of energy consumption.


    Although natural gas is sometimes used as a transportation fuel, the gasoline you buy at the gas station and natural gas have nothing to do with each other. The gasoline your car consumes is a product of crude oil, while natural gas is an entirely different member of the fossil fuel family used primarily for heating, cooling, and cooking purposes.


    Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is nothing but natural gas in a liquid state. LNG is easy to transport — an important characteristic as meeting increasing demand requires transporting natural gas across vast distances, like continents and oceans.


    The majority of natural gas in the United States is transported through pipelines in a gaseous state. LNG is usually transported in specially designed tankers to consumer markets. Some of the major operators of natural gas pipelines that transport both natural gas and LNG are entities known as master limited partnerships (MLPs). You can profit from moving natural gas across the United States by investing in MLPs.


    Because it is particularly clean-burning fossil fuels, natural gas has become increasingly popular as an energy source. In the United States alone, natural gas accounts for nearly a quarter of total energy consumption, second only to petroleum when it comes to generating energy. The primary consumers of this commodity are the industrial sector, residences, commercial interests, electricity generators, and the transportation sector.




    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/investing-in-natural-gas-as-a-commodity.html

    Revert Back to iTunes to Sync Spotify Music to Your iPod

    If you decide you want to revert to iTunes for syncing your iPod with your Spotify music, you can do so without a problem. Just follow these steps:



    1. Make sure you first quit Spotify by going to File→Exit in Windows or Spotify➪Quit Spotify on the Mac.



    2. Open iTunes and plug in your iPod.


      Your iPod appears in the iTunes sidebar below Devices.



    3. Click your iPod in the iTunes sidebar to view its details, and then click the Music tab.



    4. Select the Sync Music check box.



    5. In the dialog box that appears, click the Sync Music button.


      You can choose to sync all your music, or selected albums and playlists.



    6. Click Apply in the bottom-right corner of the iTunes window.


      iTunes knows that you’ve used a different library to copy content onto the device, so it warns you that it must erase everything on the iPod and start again.



    7. Click Erase and Sync to confirm.


      Tracks start syncing. The process may take a while, depending on how many tracks you have to sync.




    When using a laptop to sync, plug it into a power outlet because syncing can be a big drain on your battery. You don’t want the process to stall at the last minute because you have only a few minutes of power left!











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/revert-back-to-itunes-to-sync-spotify-music-to-you.html

    How to Plan for Taxes with Quicken 2010

    Quicken 2010 comes with a handy, powerful Tax Planner. The Tax Planner helps you make a precise estimate of the taxes that you’ll owe. To use the Tax Planner, take the following steps:



    1. Display the Tax Planner.


      Click the Planning tab. Click the Tax Tools button. Choose the Tax Planner command. Quicken displays the Tax Planner window. To move past the introductory information, click Let’s Get Started and then click Next. Quicken shows the second page.


      Quicken may display a dialog box that asks whether you want to learn how TurboTax can help with year-round tax planning. Click No if you see this message.



    2. Verify the tax year and filing status.


      In the upper-left corner of the Tax Planner window, notice that the tax year (labeled Year) and the filing status (labeled Status) appear. These are probably correct. Quicken can guess the year by looking at your computer’s clock. It determines your filing status based on information that you supply when you set up Quicken.


      If one of these bits of information is wrong, click the Year or Status hyperlink. The hyperlinks are those bits of text along the left edge of the Tax Planner window. Quicken displays the Tax Planner Options text boxes, which let you specify the Tax Year and the Filing Status and choose a Scenario.


      A Scenario is just a set of income tax inputs. You may have only one Scenario. Or you may have several Scenarios based on different guesses about your income and deductions.



    3. Enter the wages and salaries that you and your spouse expect.


      Click the Wages hyperlink. Then, when Quicken displays the Wages text boxes, type your wages and, if you’re married, those of your spouse. Quicken totals your wages and then makes a first rough calculation of the amount you’ll owe in taxes. Of course, Quicken needs to collect some more data before this number is accurate, so don’t freak out yet.


      You can move to the next set of input text boxes by clicking the Next hyperlink and to the previous window of input text boxes by clicking the Previous hyperlink. The Next and Previous hyperlinks appear near the bottom of the Tax Planner window. (You may have to scroll down to see them on your computer.)



    4. Enter the other income you’ll have from interest, dividends, capital gains, and so on.


      To record the other income that you’ll need to pay taxes on, click the Interest/Dividend Inc, Business Income, Capital Gains, and Other Income hyperlinks and provide the information that Quicken requests. Some of these numbers are pretty easy to guess. Some of them aren’t. You can also look at last year’s tax return or at the year-to-date information you’ve already collected by using Quicken.



    5. Identify any adjustments to your gross income.


      Click the Adjustments hyperlink and then, using the Adjustments to Income text boxes, identify or estimate any adjustments to gross income that you’ll have. Most people make only one adjustment — contributions to a deductible IRA.


      Self-employed individuals, however, also typically have several other adjustments, including half of their self-employment tax (which Quicken automatically calculates and enters), a portion of any health insurance paid, and Keogh and SEP pension contributions.



    6. Estimate your itemized deductions.


      Click the Deductions hyperlink and then use the Standard and Itemized Deductions text boxes to estimate your deductions for expenses, such as state and local taxes, mortgage interest, and charitable contributions. Alternatively, if you’ll probably or possibly use the standard deduction, carefully check any of the boxes that Quicken uses to determine which standard deduction you should use.



    7. Tell Quicken how many personal exemptions you’ll claim.


      Click the Exemptions hyperlink and then specify the number of dependents you’ll claim on your return. The basic rule is that you get one exemption for every person in your family (you, your spouse if you’re filing jointly, and your kids) as long as they live in your house.


      Things become tricky if you have shirt-tail relatives living at your house, if your kids live away from home or are married, or if some of the kids in the house have divorced parents. If you have questions because one of these situations sounds vaguely familiar, get the IRS preparation instructions and read the part about who is and is not a dependent.



    8. Indicate whether you owe any other taxes or have tax credits you can use to reduce your taxes.


      Click the Other Tax, Credits hyperlink and then use the Other Taxes & Credits text boxes to describe any of the federal taxes you’ll pay in addition to the usual federal income tax.


      The other taxes typically include just two taxes: self-employment tax (which is the tax that self-employed people pay in place of Social Security and Medicare tax) and, in special cases, the alternative minimum tax. A bunch of different tax credits exist. You can look at your prior years’ returns to see if they apply in your situation.



    9. Enter any estimated taxes you’ve paid or any federal income taxes your employer has withheld from your paycheck.


      Click the Withholding hyperlink and use the Withholding text boxes to record how much money you’ve paid through withholding. Then click the Tax Payments hyperlink and use the Estimated Tax Payments text boxes to record how much you’ve paid in estimated tax payments and to guess how much you’ll pay in the coming months.



    10. Return to the Tax Planner Summary and review the Quicken program’s calculations.


      Click the Tax Planner Summary hyperlink and review the calculations that Quicken makes. Quicken estimates the total tax you’ll pay (which is useful and interesting in itself), the estimated refund or payment you’ll have to make, and your marginal income tax rate.




    If you want to print a copy of the Tax Planner’s information and calculations, click Print (in the upper-right corner of the window).











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-plan-for-taxes-with-quicken-2010.html

    Six Tips to Calm Your Body through Breath

    Should you find yourself feeling stressed or emotionally disturbed you can quickly re-establish your inner sense of calm and control by following these six tips:



    1. Bring your attention into your body-mind.



    2. Notice tension and release it, softening your body.



    3. Open your shoulders and notice how you’re breathing.



    4. Expand your belly as you breathe in.



    5. Count each breath: four for the in-breath and six for the out-breath.



    6. Bring in calm and breathe out stress.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/six-tips-to-calm-your-body-through-breath.html

    How to Negotiate an M&A Deal in Good Faith

    Negotiating in good faith is a term that you may hear bandied about during the M&A process. Negotiating in good faith is a code of honor. It means you follow through on what you say you’ll do, and that after you agree on an issue, you don’t go back and try to renegotiate that point again.


    When someone fails to negotiate in good faith, that person is poisoning the well. Backtracking on a settled issue only serves to throw all the other settled issues into question. That’s akin to trying to reason with a child who agrees to one thing and then capriciously changes her mind if she senses she has a weak position somewhere else.


    Thwarting backtrackers is why you should bundle negotiating points and use conditional concessions. The conditional concession allows you to withdraw the concession if the other side refuses to accept their part of the bargain.


    Of course, sometimes events occur during a negotiation that require one side or the other to go back on part of the deal. For a Seller, these events are typically called material changes. Material changes include losing a major client, being sued, coming under a federal investigation, and other changes that materially affect the business.


    If Seller’s business takes a turn for the worse, especially if the change renders Buyer unable to close a deal, Buyer should let Seller know. In fact, both sides should immediately disclose any major bad news that may affect the closing of the deal.


    All negotiators should hold themselves to a higher standard. Barring adverse material changes, you shouldn’t ask for a change in a negotiated term after you’ve already agreed to it. Honor your commitments and don’t allow the other side to renegotiate previously settled terms.




    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-negotiate-an-ma-deal-in-good-faith.html

    Managing VoIP Bandwidth

    Dedicated transports are channelizable, meaning that their total bandwidth can be divided by channel and assigned to support specific applications (computer data, voice or telephony, and videoconferencing). Each dedicated transport is standardized to have a preset number of digital service bandwidth channels.



    Dedicating channels to applications


    As defined in the digital service carrier services infrastructure (DS CSI), each transport channel is called a DS0 and provides 64 Kbps of bandwidth. A DS0 is the smallest unit of bandwidth in the dedicated carrier services network. All dedicated transports are based on some multiple of DS0s.



    For any dedicated transport, the transport line can be programmed to deliver its total aggregate bandwidth capacity (all channels). Or, the channels can be divided and assigned to specific applications. For example, a T1 line has a total aggregate bandwidth capacity of 24 DS0 channels. In a small local area network (LAN) running VoIP that connects to a larger wide area network (WAN) running VoIP, the LAN might optimize its dedicated channels by assigning eight channels to support VoIP, eight channels to support the data network, and eight channels to support the videoconferencing system. Figure 1 shows an illustration of such a network.



    >



    Figure 1: Allocating channels to specific network purposes.

    Sometimes this type of configuration is referred to as a fixed-channel solution. The T1 transport enters the company's premises and is terminated on a multiplexer. From there, individual cables connect to their respective application's terminating equipment. But fixed-channel isn't the only option for channelizing dedicated bandwidth.



    Dynamic bandwidth allocation


    The dedicated transport can also connect to equipment such as an Internet protocol-private branch exchange (IP-PBX) that assigns bandwidth channels on demand, a process known as dynamic bandwidth allocation.



    Here is how it works: An IP-PBX supports an on-board T1 interface module. A dedicated T1 line is used to physically connect the location through this T1 module on the IP-PBX. At the carrier's facility, the same T1 line connects this location's IP-PBX to the customer's private, dedicated WAN running VoIP. (A multiway gateway, router, or level 3 switch could also be used in place of the IP-PBX.)



    Whenever anyone on the LAN side makes an on-net call, the IP-PBX assigns it a single DS0 channel from the channel pool. When the call ends, the system returns the DS0 channel to the pool. The VoIP system at this location is capable of bringing up and maintaining 24 simultaneous VoIP calls.



    Based on historical public switched telephone network (PSTN) standards, one plain old telephone service (POTS) line can fully support the calling pattern needs of six to eight people, on average. It's no different in the VoIP world. A VoIP channel can support six to eight people, on average. So a T1 transport used for VoIP can support 144 to 192 persons (6 x 24 to 8 x 24).



    VoIP enables dynamic bandwidth allocation and therefore optimizes bandwidth utilization. This isn't the case in traditional networks that run computer data and telephony on separate networks. In traditional networks that use dedicated transports, it's well established that about 60 to 70 percent of dedicated network bandwidth isn't even used.



    Dynamic bandwidth allocation ensures that your network gets the bandwidth it needs when it needs it, and it enables a company to manage its bandwidth to minimize cost and increase productivity. It's a major reason companies can add VoIP to their current networks using the dedicated transports already in place.


    >
    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/managing-voip-bandwidth.html

    Taking a Tour of the Fireworks MX 2004 Interface

    The Fireworks interface is set up to make accessing the tools quick and intuitive. When you start Fireworks, you'll notice that it doesn't create a new document automatically — instead, you see something new with Fireworks MX 2004: the Start Page. From the Start Page, you get one-click access to:



    • Open a Recent Item: Just click the filename, or click the Open folder and browse to a file to open the image in Fireworks.

    • Create New: Click the Fireworks File link to open a new, blank image.

    • Extend: Click the Fireworks Exchange link to browse to a part of the Macromedia Web site that includes lots of free, downloadable cool tools and graphical elements created by users like you.

    • Tutorials: Click the Take a Quick Tour of Fireworks link or the Take a Fireworks Tutorial link to go through a tutorial.

    If you don't want the Start Page to show up every time you launch Fireworks, click the Don't Show Again check box at the bottom-left corner of the page.



    To create a new Fireworks file (called a PNG file), just follow these steps:



    1. Choose File --> New, or click the Fireworks File link on the Start Page.


    The New Document dialog box appears.


    2. Choose the canvas size for your document.


    The default width and height are 500 pixels, and the default resolution is 72 pixels per inch. You can enter your own size in the fields provided and change the unit of measurement by selecting one from the drop-down list. You should leave the resolution at 72 pixels per inch unless you're designing for some medium other than the Web, like print.


    3. Select a color for the canvas.


    The default canvas color is white, but you can choose a custom color by selecting the Custom radio button and then using the eyedropper to choose a color from the color picker. You can also choose to have a transparent background by selecting the Transparent radio button.


    4. Click OK to create your new Fireworks document.


    The Tools panel: A bird's-eye view


    The panels lined along the left side of the screen are parts of the Tools panel, which provides access to all the tools you use to make and modify your graphics. The Tools panel divides tools into groups based on their function, as described in the following list:



    • Select: Contains tools used to select an object, as well as tools used to crop or otherwise manipulate the canvas.

    • Bitmap: Stores tools used to paint, draw, fill, and so on.

    • Vector: Contains tools used to create and manipulate vector graphics.

    • Web: Holds tools, such as the Slice tool, that are designed specifically for getting images ready for the Web.

    • Colors: Stows away tools that control the color(s) of objects.

    An arrow at the lower-right corner of a tool's icon indicates that the tool has one or more specialized variations. You can click the arrow to activate a pop-up menu that displays icons for the available variations.



    The Tools panel: A bug's-eye view


    An arrow at the bottom right of the tool icon indicates there are related tools available. Click the icon or the arrow to activate a pop-up menu so that you can choose from all the available tools. When a tool is selected, you can also cycle through the related tools by pressing certain keys on your keyboard (for example, select the Marquee tool and press M to toggle through the Marquee tools). The Tooltip for each tool includes the key you can press to cycle through the options on the tool.



    Here are the highlights for each of the three key categories of tools:



    • Select: The following four tools make up the Select section of the Tools panel:

    Pointer/Select Behind tool: Use the Pointer tool to select objects on the canvas by clicking on them or clicking and dragging an area that encompasses them. Use the new Select Behind tool when you want to click an object on the canvas that is covered by other objects.


    Subselection tool: Use the Subselection tool to select an individual object from a group.


    Crop/Export Area tool: Click the Crop tool and click-and-drag to select an area on the canvas to crop an image. When you crop an image, you discard everything outside the selected area from your image. After you have selected the area that you want to keep, double-click inside the area to crop. Use the Export Area tool to create a new image from the area you select. After you have selected the area you want to export, double-click inside the area to bring up the Export Preview window.


    Scale/Skew/Distort tool: This tool is inactive (as indicated by the dimmed icon) until you have selected an object on the canvas. Click this tool and click and drag the transform handles at the corners of the object to change its size and/or shape.


    • Bitmap: The following ten tools make up the Bitmap section of the Tools panel:

    Marquee/Oval Marquee tool: Click the Marquee tool and click and drag to select a rectangular area on the canvas. If you want to select a circle or oval area, use the Oval Marquee variation. When you select an area, you select all objects that fall completely within the area.


    Lasso/Polygon Lasso tool: Click the Lasso tool and click and drag on the canvas to select everything within an irregularly shaped area of the canvas. If the shape you want to select is made up of straight lines, use the Polygon Lasso.


    Brush tool: Click this tool to paint on the canvas.


    Eraser tool: Click the Eraser tool to erase a swath through any bitmap object on the canvas.


    Rubber Stamp/Replace Color/Red Eye Removal tool: Click this tool to copy a selected area of a bitmap to another spot on the canvas. Alt+click the area that you want to copy, and then click and paint where you want the copy to go. Use the new Replace Color tool to swap one color for another wherever you click and drag the Replace Color brush on the canvas. Simply click with the new Red Eye Removal tool to replace red with black wherever you click the canvas.


    Paint Bucket/Gradient tool: Click this tool and then click a shape on the canvas to fill the shape with a solid color (Paint Bucket) or gradient.


    Eyedropper tool: Click this handy tool to select a color from the swatches in the color picker or from any object on the canvas by clicking the desired color.


    Blur/Sharpen/Dodge/Burn/Smudge tool: Click this tool and click and drag on the canvas to soften the focus of (Blur) or bring into focus (Sharpen) an area of a bitmap image. Click the Dodge tool and click and drag on the canvas to lighten an area of a bitmap image. Click the Burn tool and click and drag to darken an area of a bitmap image. Click the Smudge tool and click and drag on the canvas to smear a part of an image into another part of the image, as if you were finger painting. You can set the parameters for these tools in the Property inspector.


    Pencil tool: Click the Pencil tool and click and drag to draw single-pixel-width lines. If you want control over the thickness and texture of the line you are creating, use the Brush tool.


    Magic Wand tool: Click the Magic Wand and click a bitmap to select contiguous areas of solid or similar colors in your image.


      Vector: The following six tools make up the Vector section of the Tools panel:

    Line tool: With the Line tool, you can draw a straight line every time. You can adjust the line's thickness, color, and other parameters in the Property inspector.


    Pen/Vector Path/Redraw Path tool: Click the Pen tool to create vector graphics by drawing vector paths. You can use the Pen tool to select points and let Fireworks connect the dots, or you can draw the shape yourself with the Vector Path tool. You can use the Redraw Path tool to change the shape of a vector graphic by clicking and dragging any of the points that define the shape.


    Text tool: Click this tool and click the canvas to place and edit text on the canvas.


    Knife tool: Click this tool and click and drag a line to cut vector paths in two.


    Freeform/Reshape Area/Path Scrubber (Additive)/Path Scrubber (Subtractive) tool: Use the Freeform tool to reshape a vector path by pushing or pulling the stroke instead of moving the individual points that define it. Use the Reshape Area tool to pull a vector path as if you had grabbed it with your hand. Use the Path Scrubber tool to change the color, thickness, and various other properties of the vector path. If you have a graphics tablet, you can set the properties to vary based on variations in the pressure or speed you use in drawing.


    Rectangle/Rounded Rectangle/Ellipse/Polygon tool: Create vector shapes by clicking these tools and clicking and dragging on the canvas.



    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/taking-a-tour-of-the-fireworks-mx-2004-interface.html

    Sharia-Compliant Banking and Emerging Markets

    Because many emerging markets have large Muslim populations (especially in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia), Islamic banking is a growing financial category that offers opportunities for shareholders and depositors. If you’re investing in banks in Muslim countries, you need to know how Islamic religious law, called sharia, affects how banks operate. In most of the world, banking is all about interest. Under sharia law, Muslims may not pay or receive interest, a practice known in Arabic as riba, so financial services operate a bit differently.


    Financial services and practices may be significantly different from country to country depending on government regulations and the predominant denomination of Islam practiced.


    Financing purchases


    For a financing arrangement to be compliant with Muslim law, the institution providing the financing has to have a stake in the asset. A car lease is appropriate, because the person providing the lease has a stake in the value of the car. Two typical types of financing arrangements offered to borrowers are the installment sale (murabaha) and the redeemable lease (ijara). In the installment sale, the bank buys the asset and then resells it to the person who’ll use it but at a higher price that reflects the fact that the buyer has to pay for it over several years. With ijara, the person uses the asset in exchange for a predetermined number of months or years. At the end, he or she can pay cash to own it.


    Larger transactions may be arranged as a joint venture (musharaka), where one partner puts up the money and the other puts up the expertise. This is a typical form of financing for real estate and equipment purchases in predominantly Muslim countries. The partner providing the financing is paid out of the transaction’s profits and doesn’t receive any money until the project generates cash.


    Deposit accounts


    On the savings side, Islamic banks offer accounts that share in the profits the bank makes from its financing activities. Instead of paying depositors money earned from interest on loans or bond holdings, an Islamic bank distributes its profits at a rate agreed to when the account is opened. If the bank doesn’t have profits, it doesn’t pay on these accounts; the depositor (that’s you, as an emerging-market investor) is expected to share in the risk of those receiving the financing. Although these accounts function much like interest-bearing savings accounts and certificates of deposit, the differences are critical to some customers, especially because not all customers qualify for deposit insurance.




    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/shariacompliant-banking-and-emerging-markets.html

    How to Set Up Your Web Page with CoffeeCup

    When you first create a Web page, you need to do a certain amount of setup. Luckily, CoffeeCup enters the necessary HTML tags for you (in contrast to having to type them out yourself in a text editor). CoffeeCup supplies the following necessary tags:



    • Begin and end HTML: Although your Web page will almost certainly work without them, you really should tell the Internet what protocol your page is made up of. You do this by framing the entire content of your Web page with the <html> and </html> tags at the beginning and end of the page.



    • Head and body: The Web page is made up of two blocks of information. Head information is processed before anything visible shows up on the Web page (with one exception, next). The head area is surrounded by the <head> and </head> tags. Body information is everything you see on the Web page, including text, links, and more. Right after the closing </head> tag is the opening <body> tag, and the body area is terminated by the </body> tag — the last thing in the HTML file except for the </html> tag.



    • Page title: The title of a Web page is meant to be descriptive information for different programs that crawl the Web, such as search engines. But some early Web browsers displayed the contents of the title at the top of a Web page, and now it’s noticed by Web users — to the extent that it’s important you get it right. The title is in the head area, and is surrounded by the <title> and </title> tags.



    • Meta tags: Meta tags are “meta-information”, that is, information about the Web page as a whole. For instance, CoffeeCup automatically inserts the standard information, <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"/>. Meta tags were once used heavily by search engines, but now are less used or even ignored. The best way to use meta tags is for the information of yourself or others who might look at the HTML code to tell what the page is about; and if the meta tags help a search engine along the way, great.



    • Comments: Comments are notes to yourself or future Web authors who might look at the HTML. CoffeeCup automatically inserts a few lines of comments, such as the following: <!-- Created with the CoffeeCup HTML Editor 2008 →. You may wish to add comments in the HTML; there’s no way to add them in the Visual Editor.






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-set-up-your-web-page-with-coffeecup.html

    Outsourcing BuddyPress Programming and Design

    Several talented consultants can help you get your WordPress MU and BuddyPress community up and running with some custom programming and design work. The following table lists these consultants and provides a handy URL to contact them.























    Consultant NameWeb Address (URL)
    E.Webscapes Designhttp://ewebscapes.com
    Ron and Andreahref="http://ronandandrea.com">http://ronandandrea.com
    Incsubhttp://incsub.com
    3onesevenhttp://3oneseven.com



    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/outsourcing-buddypress-programming-and-design.html

    Comparison of Excel Web App and Excel

    You will find that the Excel Web App is still Microsoft Office Excel but it does have some differences. For one thing, Excel runs on your computer, and Excel Web App runs out in the cloud and you access it by using your web browser.


    Microsoft Office Excel is one of the most popular data analysis tools on the planet. Using Excel, you can enter numbers into a spreadsheet and use functions to manipulate them and perform analysis. In addition to analyzing numbers, Excel is often used for tracking and managing other data, such as customers, for example. In many organizations Excel has turned into a database-type application where all types of information is stored.


    Excel is what is known as a thick client in that it runs from your local computer. You click Start→All Programs and you browse to your office applications and you click Excel to fire up the program. Excel then runs on your computer.


    A web-based application, on the other hand, runs on a computer in a data center that you access over the Internet. If you use Hotmail for e-mail or browse a web page, then you are using a web application. The way you access a web application is by using a web browser, which is a program installed on your computer.


    When you create a document on your local computer with Excel, that document is stored locally on your computer. When you click the Save button to save a document, you are prompted for the directory on your local computer in which to save the file. You may save the file to your Desktop or any other folder on your computer.


    In any case, your creation is a physical file located on your local computer. When working with the Excel Web App, however, you do not have a local physical file. When you create a document and save it, your document lives on a computer in one of Microsoft’s data centers.


    Because you don’t know exactly which computer in which Microsoft data center, you can just say that the document lives out in the cloud. In the case of Office 365, your document lives within a SharePoint Online document library.


    You don’t have to be a subscriber to Office 365 to work with Excel Web App. You can use it for personal use for free with a Windows Live account.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/comparison-of-excel-web-app-and-excel.html

    Type Tools in Photoshop Elements 10

    Photoshop Elements now has seven type tools. The horizontal and vertical type tools are identical in their attributes. The two tools for entering vertically oriented type are really designed for the Asian market, to enter Chinese and Japanese characters.


    The two horizontal type tools are called the Type and Type Mask tools:



    • Type. Use this tool to enter type. This type is created on its own type layer, except when used in Bitmap mode or Indexed Color mode, neither of which supports layers.



    • Type Mask. This tool doesn’t create actual type; instead, it creates a selection border in the shape of the type you want to enter. The selection border is added to the active layer. You can do anything with a type selection that you can do with any other selection.




    The remaining three type tools are new and all create type on a path in different ways:



    • Text On Selection. This new tool enables you to draw on your image to create a selection, similar to the Quick Selection tool. The selection converts into a path, upon which you can then enter text, which flows along that path.



    • Text On Shape. This new tool enables you to draw any chosen shape from your shapes menu, upon which you then enter and apply your text.



    • Text On Custom Path. The final new tool lets you draw any custom path that you desire on your image. Enter text on that custom path and it adheres to that path.


      The three path type tools all create a type layer.


      A path is comprised of three components — anchor points, straight segments, and curved segments. The path essentially hovers above the image in its own “space,” thereby not altering or marking the image in any way. The path in this context is merely a track upon which the text can flow. You can alter the path to your liking by using the Refine Path option.






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/type-tools-in-photoshop-elements-10.html

    Editing Text in Photoshop Elements 10

    You can apply type settings either before or after you enter your text in Photoshop Elements 10. To correct typos, add and delete type, or change any of the type options, simply follow these steps:



    1. Select the Type tool from the Tools panel.



    2. Select your desired type layer on the Layers panel or click within the text to automatically select the type layer.



    3. Do one of the following:



      • To change the font family, size, color, or other type option. If you want to change all the text, simply select that type layer on the Layers panel. To select only portions of the text, highlight the text by dragging across it with the I-beam of the Type tool.



      • To delete text. Highlight the text by dragging across it with the I-beam of the Type tool. Then press the Backspace key (Delete on the Macintosh).



      • To add text. Make an insertion point by clicking your I-beam within the line of text. Then, type your new text.




      Note that these editing steps apply to all of the types of text — point, paragraph, and path.



    4. When you’re done editing your text, click the Commit button.




    You may also occasionally need to transform your text. To do so, make sure that the type layer is selected on the Layers panel. Then, choose Image→Transform→Free Transform. Grab a handle on the bounding box and drag to rotate or scale. Press Ctrl (Command on the Macintosh) and drag a handle to distort. When you’re done, double-click inside the bounding box to commit the transformation.


    For path type, applying the transformation command will enable you to change the shape of your path, but not the actual type itself. When you double-click the bounding box, the type will then rewrap along the transformed path.




    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/editing-text-in-photoshop-elements-10.html

    How to Complete Schedule F for Estate Form 706

    Use Schedule F: Other Miscellaneous Property Not Reportable Under Any Other Schedule, when filing federal estate tax returns (Form 706), to report property that doesn’t belong on any other schedule. Be able to demonstrate the value of each item listed on this schedule. Have any unvalued or hard-to-value property appraised by a professional.


    Items that are reported on Schedule F include:



    • Personal and household articles, clothing, and jewelry: If the decedent owned any collectible items worth more than $3,000 or any collections whose combined value exceeds $10,000, attach an expert appraisal (and a statement of that appraiser’s qualifications) in the field as an exhibit to the return.



    • Automobiles and other motor vehicles: Book value or a letter from an auto dealer is usually sufficient. For collectible cars, get an expert appraisal.



    • Debts, judgments, claims, and refunds due the decedent: When the decedent and a surviving spouse receive a tax refund on a jointly filed return, the excess of the amount the decedent paid of the total tax paid over his or her actual tax liability is the amount you include on Form 706. Check local laws to verify that this is the case in your area.



    • Checks payable to the decedent, whether received before or after death.



    • Rights, royalties, and leaseholds: Obtain expert valuations for any rights, royalties, or leaseholds (extended right to lease property) and include them here.



    • Farm products, crops, livestock, and farm machinery (if applicable): Have these items valued by a farm appraiser.



    • Insurance on another person’s life: Obtain Form 712 (which gives the value of the policy at the decedent’s death) for each policy from the insurance company and attach it as an exhibit to the return.



    • Interests in partnerships, sole proprietorships, joint ventures, and other unincorporated businesses: Value these interests according to the Instructions to Form 706. Report any real estate held in a sole proprietorship here as part of that proprietorship, not on Schedule A.



    • Reversionary and remainder interests: A reversionary interest is future interest which can come back to the decedent who was the original transferor of the interest. If the decedent funded a trust for the benefit of his or her mother while she lived on the condition that the transferred property reverts back to the decedent upon the mother’s death, the decedent has retained a reversionary interest in that property.


      A remainder interest is future interest that can come to the decedent after a prior interest terminates where the decedent wasn’t the original transferor of the interest.



    • Qualified terminable interest property (QTIP): Your decedent may have received qualified terminable interest property from a predeceased spouse.


      If the surviving spouse (your decedent) still retained an interest in the property at his or her death, the full date-of-death value of the property shows up in the estate, though his or her interest terminates at death. If the QTIP property meets the other requirements for deduction at this time, it qualifies for that deduction because it’s treated as having passed from your decedent.



    • Safe-deposit box: Report the existence of a safe-deposit box on Schedule F, Question 3. If any property in the box isn’t includible in the decedent’s estate, explain why.




    If the decedent transferred ownership of an item to his or her revocable living trust during life as part of his or her estate plan, don’t include it on Schedule F. Report the item on Schedule G.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-complete-schedule-f-for-estate-form-706.html

    Water Safety for Labrador Retrievers

    Just because Labrador Retrievers love water doesn't mean you should disregard water safety. Water safety for Labrador Retrievers is a lot like water safety for kids.


    Introduce your Lab puppy to a small pond as soon as she seems interested in water. Use gentle, loving care (think about how you might teach a child to swim). A good time to introduce litters to the water (assuming the weather isn't too cold) is when they're about 6 or 7 weeks old, and they all wind up swimming at that age. Find a natural body of water where you can wade in and wade out. Let your puppy follow you at his own pace.


    If your Lab is reluctant, return another day and let your pup see how much fun you're having in the water, or bring along another dog who is a veteran swimmer. With a little patience, your pup will get his feet wet, so to speak.


    Once your Lab, gets the hang of things, you'll want to keep the following in mind.



    • Make sure the water in which your Lab will swim is clean enough for you to enter. Also avoid places with heavy currents, where your Lab could be swept out to sea or down a river. If you consider the water safe enough for you or your children, it should be safe enough for your Lab.



    • Don't let your Lab overexert himself or become chilled. Remember, Labs are like children and can't be trusted to use good judgment when doing fun activities. They can get carried away having a good time and trying to please you. It's up to you to say when enough is enough.



    • Always supervise your Lab when he's in a swimming pool, and be very sure he knows how to get back out. A bad swimming pool experience can traumatize a puppy and make him afraid of all water.


      If your puppy falls in the pool when you aren't watching and doesn't know how to get back out again, he could drown.






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/water-safety-for-labrador-retrievers.html

    Getting Incorrect Results with NaturallySpeaking?

    If NaturallySpeaking just doesn’t get it right when you dictate, you’re having what’s called recognition errors or accuracy problems. Now, don’t you feel better, having an official diagnosis of your problem?


    No? So many different things can affect accuracy. If looking them up one by one sounds too wearisome, try the following first-aid:



    • Make sure you actually speak each word fully and speak entire phrases. Don’t pause between words, and don’t skip them, clip them at the end, or slur them to other words.



    • Make sure your microphone is positioned to the side of your mouth, about one-half inch away.



    • Run the Audio Setup wizard again: Choose Audio→Check Microphone.



    • Choose Tools→Options, and in the Options dialog box that appears, click the Miscellaneous tab. Drag the Speed vs. Accuracy slider more to the right. Click the OK button.




    If your problem is that NaturallySpeaking repeatedly gets certain words wrong, make sure you use the Correction dialog box so that NaturallySpeaking learns about its errors. (Say, “Correct That” after NaturallySpeaking errs.) If you just select the erroneous text and dictate over it, NaturallySpeaking will never learn.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-incorrect-results-with-naturallyspeaking.html

    Designing Your Site for Mobile Users

    With the power of smartphones and their fully functional mobile browsers, mobile visitors expect to have a satisfying browsing experience. You'll want to fully consider the mobile user in your design and determine the level of support you want to provide for them:



    • Basic compatibility: The first level of support is simply making sure that your Web site is viewable and operable inside a mobile device. If your Web site is using standard CSS formatting and HTML structures or if it is built using popular online tools (WordPress, Posterous), your Web site is probably already set up to support smartphone browsers.



    • Mobile friendly: The second level of mobile enablement is to make sure your Web site is easy to navigate on a small screen. One of the most important ways to make your site mobile friendly is to structure the pages into columns. Columns help prevent users from being forced to read wide chunks of text that cause them to scroll left and right to read each line of a Web page.



    • Mobile styling: A third, richer, and deeper level of support that you can provide mobile users is to incorporate styling specifically targeted for mobile devices.



    • Companion site: There may be some specific cases in which you need to go beyond the page structure and styling. In this case, a final level of support is to design and structure a site from the ground up in a manner that is optimized for mobile devices.




    If you offer a mobile version, always allow users the freedom to choose between the mobile and normal versions of your Web site. While you may default to the mobile style sheet for your mobile users, provide the functionality on each page to view the site normally.




    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/designing-your-site-for-mobile-users.html

    Neuro-linguistic Programming For Dummies





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    Altering Your Mental State with Music


    Here are some different ways to think about using the music you play to alter your state of mind. Perhaps you’re stuck in a groove with your listening taste.



    • Vary the range of CDs you buy – Change up your selections, from baroque to folk, jazz and blues to reggae, and pop and rock to opera.



    • Change the rhythm – Compare predictable rhythms with varied and unfamiliar ones to encourage your creativity. World music works well for this purpose.



    • Instrumentation or lyrics? Words can distract; solo instruments tend to encourage relaxation.



    • Intuition Trust your own tastes. If you dislike a piece of music, don’t struggle with it. Turn it off – it’s unlikely to make you feel good.



    • Start the day differently When you feel good in the morning, you get off to a flying start. Try swapping the confrontational news channel on the radio for inspiring and uplifting music.







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    How to Change a Personal Belief


    Learning to change beliefs that no longer support you enables you to transform your life in all kinds of positive ways. You make the switch by working with the submodalities – the fine sensory qualities of how you see, hear, or feel your experience of the belief.



    1. Think of a limiting belief you currently hold, one that you’d like to change.


      Perhaps you believe that you have two left feet as regards dancing or that you’re not a good swimmer.



    2. Think of a belief that you used to hold but which, for you, is no longer true.


      This belief can be something such as believing in the tooth fairy. Note the submodalities of your old belief.



    3. Think of something that you believe to be certain.


      If you can’t think of anything, try the belief that ‘The sun is going to rise tomorrow.’


      Note the submodalities of this belief.



    4. Think of a belief that you’d rather have.


      This belief can be the opposite of your limiting belief in point 1, but restated in the positive: ‘I’m a good dancer.’ Perhaps you want to be better at parking – ‘I’m good at parking’ – or want to feel more confident when speaking professionally – ‘I’m a confident professional speaker.’


      Notice the submodalities of the belief you’d rather have.



    5. Change the submodalities of your limiting belief – Step 1 – to those of the belief that for you is no longer true – Step 2.



    6. Change the submodalities of the belief you’d rather have – Step 4 – to those of the belief of which you’re certain – Step 3.







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    Checking In with Yourself to Stay on Track


    In order to keep on track to where you want to get, on a daily basis or longer term, use the following checklist of questions to ask yourself:



    • What do I want?



    • What is that going to do for me?



    • What’s stopping me?



    • What’s important to me here?



    • What’s working well?



    • What can be better?



    • What resources are going to support me?







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    Comparing the Conscious and Unconscious Minds


    Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) recognises that your conscious mind and unconscious mind excel at different things. When you know what each part does best you can then concentrate your development where it will have most effect. Learning to meditate is one discipline that harnesses both conscious and unconscious processing.































    The Conscious Mind Excels atThe Unconscious Mind Is Better at
    Working linearlyWorking holistically
    Processing sequentiallyIntuition
    LogicCreativity
    Verbal languageRunning your body
    MathematicsTaking care of your emotions
    AnalysisStoring memories




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    Employing NLP Logical Levels


    Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) logical levels are a powerful way to think about change by breaking it down as a model into different categories of information. As you begin to think about some change you want to make, you can ask yourself some questions that relate to the different levels:



    • Environment refers to the factors that are external opportunities or constraints. Answers the questionswhere?’, ‘when?’, and ‘with whom?’



    • Behaviour is made up of specific actions or reactions within the environment. Answers the question ‘what?’



    • Capabilities are about the knowledge and skills, the ‘how-tos’ that guide and give direction to behaviour. Answer the question ‘how?’



    • Beliefs and values provide the reinforcement – motivation and permission – to support or deny your capabilities. Answer the question ‘why?’



    • Identity factors determine your sense of self. Answer the questionwho?’



    • Purpose goes beyond self-consciousness to relate to the bigger picture about mission, to ask ‘what for?’ or ‘for whom?’







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    Overcoming Fears with the NLP Fast Phobia Cure


    The NLP Fast Phobia Cure takes you through the experience of a traumatic situation in a way that distances you from feeling the normal phobic response. Only do this in an environment where you feel safe and with someone who can help you to stay grounded.



    1. Identify when you have a phobic response to a stimulus or a traumatic or unpleasant memory that you want to overcome.



    2. Remember that you were safe before and after the unpleasant experience.



    3. Imagine yourself sitting in the cinema, watching yourself on a small, black-and-white screen.



    4. Now imagine floating out of the you that’s sitting in the cinema seat, and into the projection booth.



    5. You can now see yourself in the projection booth, watching yourself in the seat, watching the film of you on the screen.



    6. Run the film in black-and-white, on the very tiny screen, starting before you experienced the memory you want to overcome and running it through until after the experience when you were safe.



    7. Now freeze the film or turn the screen completely white.



    8. Float out of the projection booth, out of the seat, and into the end of the film.



    9. Run the film backwards very quickly, in a matter of a second or two, in full-colour, as if you’re experiencing the film, right back to the beginning, when you were safe.



    10. You can repeat steps 8 and 9 until you’re comfortable with the experience.



    11. Now go into the future and test an imaginary time when you may have experienced the phobic response.







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    The Four Pillars of NLP


    Look no further for a summary of Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) in just four key points. Pay attention to these four chunks of the subject and you’ll be well on your way to integrating NLP into the way you go about your daily life.



    • Rapport: How you build a relationship with others and with yourself.



    • Sensory awareness: How the world is different when you use all your senses.



    • Outcome thinking: How to think about what you want.



    • Behavioural flexibility: How to do something different when what you’re currently doing isn’t working.







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    Sharpening Your Rapport in Seven Quick Ways


    Rapport is the foundation of valuable relationships and is key to your success in your interactions with others. Here are some ways to help you build rapport fast:



    • Take a genuine interest in getting to know what’s important to someone with whom you want to build rapport. Start to understand that person rather than expecting the person to understand you first.



    • Pick up on the key words, favourite phrases, and manner of speaking that someone uses, and then build these items subtly into your own conversation with that person.



    • Notice how someone likes to handle information. Does the person like lots of details or just the big picture? As you speak to the person, feed back information in this same portion size.



    • Breathe in unison with the other person.



    • Look out for someone’s intention – the underlying aim – instead of what the person does or says. People may not always get things right, but expect their heart to lie in the right place.



    • Adopt a similar stance to the other person in terms of your body language, gestures, voice tone, and speed of talking.



    • Respect someone’s time, energy, favourite people, and money. They’re important resources for that person.







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    Using the NLP Four-Point Formula for Success


    You can apply this neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) formula for success to both long-term and short-term goals. So, whether you simply want to hold a productive meeting or are planning the holiday of a lifetime, here’s the quick way to hit your target.



    1. Know your outcome.


      Specifying precisely what you want is vital. You can use the outcome frame to fine-tune the desired outcome and satisfy the well-formedness conditions.



    2. Take action.


      Unless you take that first step, and then the following ones, nothing happens to help you towards your outcomes, no matter how clearly they’re defined.



    3. Have sensory awareness.


      If you have the awareness to see, hear, and feel what isn’t working, you can modify your behaviour to steer you towards your desired outcome.



    4. Have behavioural flexibility.


      This point ties in beautifully with the NLP presupposition that ‘In interactions among people, the person with the most flexibility of behaviour can control the interaction.’ Or you can say, ‘If it ain’t working, do something different.’







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    >
    dummies


    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/neurolinguistic-programming-for-dummies-cheat-shee.html

    How to Use Themes in Word 2007

    Themes are sets of styles that were created by graphic designers to give your Word 2007 documents a unified and professional look. You can use themes to quickly and easily apply consistent colors, fonts, and graphical effects.



    • Colors: A set of colors is chosen to format the text foreground and background, any graphics or design elements in the theme, and hyperlinks.



    • Fonts: Two fonts are chosen as part of the theme — one for the heading styles and a second for the body text.



    • Graphical effects: These effects are applied to any graphics or design elements in your document. The effects can include 3D, shading, gradation, drop-shadows, and other design subtleties.




    Each of these elements is organized into a theme, given a name, and placed on the Themes menu for easy application in your document.


    When you work with themes, remember the following:



    • A theme doesn’t overrule styles chosen for a document. Instead, it accents those styles. The theme may add color information, choose different fonts, or present various graphical elements. Beyond that, it doesn't change any styles applied to the text.



    • Themes work only with Word 2007 documents. To apply a theme to an older Word document, you must convert the document's format.



    • The graphical effects of a theme are only applied to any graphics in your document; the theme doesn’t insert graphics into your text.



    • You can use the various Themes menu commands to search for even more themes.






    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-themes-in-word-2007.html

    How to Roll Over Your 401(k)

    If you leave your job, the most sensible thing to do with your 401(k) from a tax-management point of view is a 401(k) direct rollover (also known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer) of the money. With this type of rollover, the money goes directly from your 401(k) plan into another tax-deferred account — an individual retirement account (IRA) or your new employer’s plan.



    • Roll over into an IRA. You can roll money from your 401(k) into a traditional IRA. When rolling over into an IRA, you can do a partial rollover, rolling over only part of your 401(k) while leaving the rest in your 401(k) account or cashing it out.


      If you already have a traditional IRA, you can roll your 401(k) money into that account. However, you may want to open a separate IRA just for your rollover money to help keep track of the funds easier.


      You can’t roll your 401(k) directly into a Roth IRA because a Roth IRA is treated differently for tax purposes. But you may be able to convert your traditional IRA into a Roth after doing the rollover.



    • Roll over into another employer’s plan. You may be able to roll the money over into your new employer’s plan, which you may decide to do for a number of reasons:



      • Your new employer has a terrific plan with great funds and low expenses.



      • You want to consolidate all your retirement savings in one place for ease of management.



      • You think you may want to take a loan someday (you can’t take a loan from an IRA).




      Your new plan may require you to wait until you’re eligible to participate before accepting a rollover from your old 401(k). If, for example, your new employer has a waiting period of one year before you can contribute to the 401(k), you have to wait one year to roll the money into the 401(k). In that case, you can either leave your money in your former employer’s plan or move it to a conduit IRA, ready to be transferred into the new 401(k) when the time comes.













    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-roll-over-your-401k.html

    Mac OS X Finder Keyboard Shortcuts

    As you probably know, the Finder is the foundation that performs most of the important functions within Mac OS X Lion, including displaying windows, copying and moving files, and launching applications. What you may not know, though, is that lots of Finder keyboard shortcuts are available for you to use to get things done more efficiently (especially if you’re a Mac power user).











































































































































































































    KeyFunction
    Command+ASelects all items in the active window (icon view), all items
    in the column (column view), or all items in the list (cover flow
    view)
    Command+CCopies selected items
    Command+DDuplicates the selected item(s)
    Command+EEjects the selected volume
    Command+FDisplays the Find dialog
    Command+HHides All Finder windows
    Command+IShows info for selected item or items
    Command+JShows the view options for the active window
    Command+KDisplays the Connect to Server dialog
    Command+LCreates an alias for the selected item
    Command+MMinimizes the active window
    Command+NOpens a new Finder window
    Command+OOpens (or launches) the selected item
    Command+RShows the original for selected alias
    Command+TAdds the selected item to the Sidebar
    Command+VPastes items from the Clipboard
    Command+WCloses the active window
    Command+XCuts the selected items
    Command+ZUndoes the last action (if possible)
    Command+,Displays Finder Preferences
    Command+1Shows the active window in icon mode
    Command+2Shows the active window in list mode
    Command+3Shows the active window in column mode
    Command+4Shows the active window in cover flow mode
    Command+[Moves back to the previous Finder location
    Command+]Moves forward to the next Finder location
    Command+DelMoves selected items to the Trash
    Command+Up ArrowShow enclosing folder
    Command+`Cycles through windows
    Command+?Displays the Mac OS X Help Viewer
    Command+Shift+ATakes you to your Applications folder
    Command+Shift+CTakes you to the top-level Computer location
    Command+Shift+GTakes you to a folder that you specify
    Command+Shift+HTakes you to your Home folder
    Command+Shift+IConnects you to your iDisk
    Command+Shift+QLogs you out
    Command+Shift+NCreates a new untitled folder in the active window
    Command+Shift+UTakes you to your Utilities folder
    Command+Shift+DelDeletes the contents of the Trash
    Command+Option+HHides all windows except the Finder's window(s)
    Command+Option+NCreates a new Smart Folder
    Command+Option+THides the Finder window toolbar and sidebar
    Command+Option+SpaceOpens the Spotlight window
    Command+SpaceOpens the Spotlight menu
    Control+Up Arrow (or F3, depending on your keyboard model)Displays the Mission Control screen
    Control+Down Arrow (or Control+F3, depending on your keyboard
    model)
    Shows all open windows for the current application using
    Mission Control
    F11 (or Command+F3, depending on your keyboard model)Hides all windows to display the Desktop using Mission
    Control
    F12 (or F4, depending on your keyboard model)Displays your Dashboard widgets
    SpaceQuick Look



    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mac-os-x-finder-keyboard-shortcuts1.html

    Making Slipcovers Fit by Adding Darts

    Not all slipcovers give you the nice neat look you want. If you have a slipcover that slides off or pouches out and makes your furniture look tired and lumpy, you can improve the fit by adding darts. Darts are a way of tucking in excess fabric to get a cleaner, more streamlined look. They’re great to apply around curves to get the smooth, rounded effect you want. Think of a tailored shirt or a fitted dress: The contours that hug the body are created with darts. The same principle applies to sofa, loveseat, and armchair slipcovers.


    To tailor your slipcover with darts, follow these easy steps:



    1. Turn your slipcover inside out and place it back on the piece of furniture for which it was intended.



    2. Note which areas are a bit baggy, pinching the offending fabric up and away from the surface of the furniture.



    3. Pin it so that the two sections of fabric come together creating a smooth surface beneath it.


      To create a dart correctly, start pinning at one corner and work your way out to the other corner. Unless your darts are big and interfere with the way the slipcover smoothes out on the furniture, you don’t need to cut away the excess fabric.



    4. Sew your darts individually with the straight stitch setting on your sewing machine.




    If you have a bit of bagginess on one side of your slipcover, chances are you have it on the other side as well, so create your darts on each side in mirror images to ensure a great fit.











    dummies

    Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/making-slipcovers-fit-by-adding-darts.navId-323645.html