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Using Body Energy to find Clarity of Singing Tone

Using body energy is really helpful to get a clear speaking or singing sound, especially for belting. Body energy,means that surge of energy in your body that helps you make the sound, such as when you’re about to lift something heavy or when you yell. When you apply this same kind of movement or energy to singing, you can take advantage of that purposeful flow of air to create clear tones on a specific pitch.

You find that your speaking voice can make plenty of noise just because of the breath and energy surging in your body. The surge of energy must come from the center of your body.

As you sing part of your favorite song, rock back and forth from one foot to the other or swing your hips from side to side to feel the surge or connection of energy for your whole body.

You can also bounce in place just to get your legs in motion or engage an imaginary fencing partner.

Using a plié from your ballet class is another way to engage your upper and lower body. Plié means “to bend.” In this case, you bend your knees as you gradually move toward the floor and then back up.

You can also just hold on to something heavy as you sing. Don’t go lifting the pool table, but lift a heavy book as you sing. Notice that, as you lift the book, the tone of your voice responds to the energy moving, which probably makes the tone clear. Keep your breath moving as you experiment with lifting objects.

You want your breath to keep moving. It’s possible to really squeeze and make clear tones, but you know what tension feels like by now and you know that it won’t help you in the long run.

To pump up the volume and make a louder tone, use a faster flow of air and add more energy. To gradually get louder (crescendo) as you speak or sing, speed up the flow of air and exert more energy.

Practice speaking through some dialogue from a song or a monologue; start the tone softly and then gradually get louder to practice this idea of a consistent energy flow. Belting requires a lot of effort; you want your body — not your throat — to make the effort.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-body-energy-to-find-clarity-of-singing-tone.html

Droid Bionic: Common Text-Message Abbreviations

Texting with your Droid Bionic isn’t about proper English. However, many of the abbreviations and shortcuts used in texting are slowly becoming part of the English language, such as LOL and BRB.

The weird news is that these acronyms weren’t invented by teenagers. Sure, the kids use them, but the acronyms find their roots in the Internet chat rooms of yesteryear. Regardless of a shortcut’s source, you might find it handy for typing messages quickly. Or, maybe you can use this reference for deciphering an acronym’s meaning. You can type acronyms in either upper- or lowercase.

Text	Translation
2	To, also
411	Information
BRB	Be right back
BTW	By the way
CYA	See you
FWIW	For what it’s worth
FYI	For your information
GB	Goodbye
GJ	Good job
GR8	Great
GTG	Got to go
HOAS	Hold on a second
IC	I see
IDK	I don’t know
IMO	In my opinion
JK	Just kidding
K	Okay
L8R	Later
LMAO	Laughing my [rear] off
LMK	Let me know
LOL	Laugh out loud
NC	No comment
NP	No problem
OMG	Oh my goodness!
PIR	People in room (watching)
POS	Person over shoulder (watching)
QT	Cutie
ROFL	Rolling on the floor, laughing
SOS	Someone over shoulder (watching)
TC	Take care
THX	Thanks
TIA	Thanks in advance
TMI	Too much information
TTFN	Ta-ta for now (goodbye)
TTYL	Talk to you later
TY	Thank you
U2	You, too
UR	Your, you are
VM	Voice mail
W8	Wait
XOXO	Hugs and kisses
Y	Why?
YW	You’re welcome
ZZZ	Sleeping

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/droid-bionic-common-textmessage-abbreviations.html

How to Reveal Your Sexual Orientation as a Teen

5 of 9 in Series:
The Essentials of Same-Sex Relationships

When you're a teen or young adult, coming out of the closet as a homosexual can be overwhelming. In some ways, coming out takes three steps — coming out to yourself, to your peers, and to your family. Any single one of those comes with difficulties. As such, it’s important to understand what you may face when you make the decision to live as an openly gay person. Getting through hurdles of coming out will bring you a step closer to being able to celebrate (rather than simply defend) who you are.

The adolescent years are never easy for anyone, but they’re certainly a lot more difficult for gay young people. Not only do gay teens have to confront their own emerging sexuality, which is different from that of most of their peers, but they must then face the rebuke that their sexuality often brings from their immediate families. Revealing one’s homosexuality is never easy — for young or old — but the process can be particularly difficult for teens, who are dependent on their families and have not yet established their own private lives with their own place to live and a job to provide financial support.

The rates of suicide for young homosexuals are much higher than for heterosexuals of the same age, in great part because many can’t cope when faced with rejection from their families. If you are a parent faced with a teenager who is coming out of the closet, remember that your support can be crucial for your child.

No two families react the same way when a son or a daughter comes out of the closet.

Some parents may have suspected their child’s homosexual orientation for a while and learned to accept it, so they have a general sense of relief that the subject is out in the open.

Other parents react very negatively, upset that many of their expectations for their child — the traditional heterosexual marriage followed by grandchildren — have suddenly disappeared. They may also react negatively, in part because they feel that their child’s homosexuality reflects badly on them (and the way they raised that child) in the eyes of the rest of the family as well as friends and neighbors.

In some families, the reaction is split, with one parent accepting the son or daughter’s announcement and the other going so far as to cut off all contact.

Teens should understand that being a parent isn’t easy, and because the expectations of most parents are turned topsy-turvy by the announcement that their child is gay, it’s normal for them to have some mixed emotions in the beginning. Getting past those feelings and working with your parents, and perhaps a counselor, to rebuild family unity is the key, and preparation is key. If you’re forewarned about how your family may react, and have been told ways to handle these reactions, you’re much more likely to end up being accepted by your family.

One new way of discussing the topic that is helping many teens come out are Internet chat rooms. Using this method of communication, teens can find out about the gay lifestyle without having to reveal their own identity to their “real life” family and friends until they’re ready to do so.

If you are gay and who haven’t revealed your sexual identity to your family, find a counselor who has worked with other gay people facing this problem to give you guidance. The counselor’s experience in this area can be invaluable to you in obtaining the best possible results from your circumstances.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-reveal-your-sexual-orientation-as-a-teen.html

Wireless Network Administration: Mobile Device Security Basics

As a network administrator, one of your main responsibilities regarding mobile devices is to keep them secure. Unfortunately, that’s a significant challenge. Here are some of the reasons why:

Mobile devices connect to your network via other networks that are out of your control. You can go to great lengths to set up firewalls, encryption, and a host of other security features. But mobile devices connect via public networks whose administrators may not be as conscientious as you.

Mobile devices are easy to lose. A user might leave his or her smartphone at a restaurant or hotel, or it might fall out of his pocket on the subway.

Mobile devices run operating systems that aren’t as security-conscious as Windows.

Users who wouldn’t dare install renegade software on their desktop computers will think nothing of downloading free games or other applications to their handhelds. Who knows what kinds of viruses or Trojans these downloads carry?

Inevitably, someone will buy his own handheld device and connect it to your network without your knowledge or permission.

Here are some recommendations for beefing up security for your mobile devices:

Establish clear and consistent policies for mobile devices and enforce them.

Make sure employees understand that they are not allowed to bring their own devices into your network. Allow only company-owned devices to connect.

Train your users in the security risks associated with using mobile devices.

Implement antivirus protection for your mobile devices.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/wireless-network-administration-mobile-device-secu.html

Great Sources of Soluble Fibre

Soluble fibre helps soak up cholesterol and eliminate it from the body. Here are the ten sources that experts most commonly recommend, listed in alphabetical order. Make sure that you buy and eat these foods regularly:

Asparagus

Barley

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Green beans

Green peas

Kidney beans

Butter beans

Oats and oatmeal

Sweet potatoes

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/great-sources-of-soluble-fibre.html

The Role of Resonance in Singing

How do all those singers project so much sound without microphones? They take advantage of resonance, the vibrations that create tone. Resonance is the glorious magic that allows a singer to fill a large hall with sound without electronic amplification.

Resonance is vibrations that create tone through and within your mouth, throat, and nasal passages. Large, full resonant tones are desirable in some styles of music but inappropriate in other styles. So what’s customary in your favorite style of music?

Choral music: If you’re a choral singer, you need resonance so you can be heard when you sing a solo. Use less resonance when you’re asked to blend with other singers.

Classical music: Very full resonant tone is desirable in classical music, especially operas. Classical singers try to generate as much resonance as possible to fill the large concert halls when they sing opera. To generate these large resonant tones, you need to really open the space in your throat and the back of your mouth to create a space for the sound to resonate in.

Good breath coordination and precise shapes and sounds of vowels further enhance the resonance. For early classical music, you want resonant tone that’s slightly less than what’s required for the later operas of Puccini, Verdi, or Strauss.

Country music: Country music is currently very similar to pop music. Country singers are great storytellers and they often write songs that are very close to speech. They use resonance as they would in speaking — forward and chatty. Early country singers used a lot of twang — forward nasal resonance similar to their speaking voice.

Jazz: Jazz singers almost always use a microphone and sing with instruments. When you use a microphone, you don’t have to work so hard to generate resonance to carry your voice to the back of the club. You need to know how to create clear tone and create enough resonance that the microphone picks up your voice.

Musical theater: For this style of singing, you want to create resonance, but not as much as for classical singing. Musical theater singers often wear microphones onstage in productions, so the sound engineer is largely responsible for getting your voice to carry to the back of the hall. If you generate too much resonance, you sound like a classical singer trying to sing musical theater.

Some musical theater roles require a full resonant tone, but classical music requires the most resonance. For musical theater, you want to know how to open the space to generate a lot of resonance when you sing the more legit material (The Light in the Piazza, Maury Yeston’s Phantom, or Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals such as South Pacific or The King and I), and then adjust the space and resonance when you sing contemporary musical theater material that is more conversational (such as In The Heights, Memphis, or Spring Awakening).

Pop-rock and R&B: These styles of singing require mostly forward nasal resonance. You need to keep from squeezing the space in the throat and mouth, but you also don’t need to be as fully open as classical singers do. The space may not be as wide open but it should be free of tension. Pop-rock and R&B singers also use a microphone.

If your tone doesn’t have resonance, the microphone will have trouble picking up your sound and projecting it over the instruments. You want enough resonance to sing the style of music, but not as much as classical singers need.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-role-of-resonance-in-singing.html

Day Trading Makes a Bad Hobby

Because of the excitement of day trading and the supposed ease of doing it, you may think that day trading makes a great hobby. On a boring Saturday afternoon, you could just spend a few hours day trading in the forex market (foreign exchange) to make more money than if you spent those few hours playing video games! Right?

Uh, no.

Trading without a plan and without committing the time and energy to do it right is a route to losses. Professional traders are betting that plenty of suckers are out there, trading in just such a random way because that creates the losers that allow them to take profits in a zero-sum market.

The biggest mistake amateur traders make? The biggest mistake is making a lot of money the first time trading and then assuming that all such successes will come as easy. That first success was almost definitely due to luck, and that luck can turn against a trader on a dime.

If you make money your first time out, take a step back and see whether you can figure out why. Then test your strategy to see whether your strategy is a good one that you can use often.

Successful day traders commit to their business. Even then, most day traders fail in their first year. Brokerage firms, training services, and other traders have a vested interest in making trading seem like an easy activity that you can work into your life. But it’s a job — a job that some people love, but a job nonetheless.

If you really love the excitement of the markets, you can find ways to invest on a hobbyist’s schedule: You can spend your time doing fundamental research to find long-term investments, you can look into alternative investments to help diversify your portfolio; and you can trade with play money, either in demo accounts or in trading contests, to try trading without committing real money.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/day-trading-makes-a-bad-hobby.html

Herbs for Brewing Tea

If you’re growing herbs, it’s only proper that your cup of tea be herbal, either herbs alone or tea brewed with herbs. Here are the first ten herbs to put in your tea garden:

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) has a minty/anise flavor.

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) makes a citrusy flavored tea.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) creates a relaxing tea that soothes cold symptoms.

Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile and Matricaria recutita) makes a calming tea with a hint of apple aroma.

Scented geranium (Pelargonium spp.) can make a tea evocative of coconut, lemon, nutmeg or rose, depending upon the variety.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) makes a lemony brew.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) has a strong lemon flavor.

Mint (Mentha x piperita) makes a minty fresh tea that aids digestion.

*Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) makes a citrusy, somewhat sour brew with a beautiful rosy red hue.

Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) has a licorice flavor and aroma.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/herbs-for-brewing-tea.html

Physical Commodity Identification and Development is Time and Capital Intensive

Commodity investing requires the recognition that commodities take a long time to bring to market and that commodities often move in different cycles than the business market. A good example of this capital- and time-intensive aspect is the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline.

The BTC pipeline links a large Azerbaijan offshore oil field located in the Caspian Sea (the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshi oil field) to the Turkish port city of Ceyhan in the Mediterranean Sea. Talks about building a pipeline to deliver Azerbaijan’s 32 billion barrels of oil to consumer markets started in 1996.

Many Western countries and energy companies supported the project because the pipeline would tap into a vast new source of oil (thereby lowering dependence on the volatile Persian Gulf region) and would pass through Azerbaijan, recently independent Georgia, and democratic Turkey (thereby bypassing the Russians and the Iranians).

The project faced immediate opposition because of strategic geopolitical maneuvering; in other words, the Russians weren’t happy that a pipeline would be built in what they considered their backyard. Environmentalists also quickly expressed their discontent, fearing the pipeline would disturb precious environmental and ecological zones.

Talks among the various interested parties stretched from 1996 until 1999, when a mutually agreeable solution was reached and the project got the green light. Planning for the construction of the pipeline then began, but actual construction didn’t start until late 2002. The pipeline construction finished in 2006, and oil started flowing from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea on May 28, 2006.

In all, it took about ten years to create, design, and execute this project, which has cost $4 billion and employed thousands of workers.

The BTC pipeline is a good example of how long it can take to bring new sources of energy and other precious commodities to consumer markets. And that’s not even counting the decades it took to prospect and explore the Caspian Sea to discover the oil in the first place!

The point is that the world is in serious need of oil and other raw materials to fuel global economic growth. However, the projects that are now being developed will need many years before they’re able to deliver products. Make sure you consider these factors before you invest in commodities.

So what does this all mean to you as an investor? When you’re investing in commodities, you have to think long term! If you’re used to investing in tech stocks or if you’re an entrepreneur involved in e-commerce, you need to radically change the way you think about investing when you approach commodities.

If you’re able to recognize the long-term nature of commodities, you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful commodities investor.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/physical-commodity-identification-and-development-.html

Using Low-Shelf/High-Shelf EQ in Home Recording Mixing

Low-shelf/high-shelf EQ (equalization) is good for enhancing or reducing high or low frequencies in your recording's mix, such as adding a sense of presence to cymbals (add a few dBs at 10 kHz). In the context of EQ, shelf means that the EQ effects are on the frequencies above (high shelf) or below (low shelf) your setting (called the corner frequency).

To use low-shelf/high-shelf EQ, click the Low Shelf and High Shelf buttons in the EQ plug-in window. These buttons look like sideways tuning forks located second from the left and second from the right above the EQ graph. When you use low-shelf/high-shelf EQ, you have three parameters to adjust in both Pro Tools and Logic:

Gain: This is the amount of boost or cut that you apply to the signal. In Pro Tools, you can either type in the amount in the text box next to the shelf button or use the knob to the right.

In Logic, to set the boost (gain), you can either point your mouse over the parameter and click and drag up or down, or click in the EQ graph above the parameter controls and drag up or down.

Freq: This is the starting frequency for the shelf. In Pro Tools, you can either type the frequency in the text box or use the knob to make your adjustment.

In Logic, to set your desired frequency, you can either point your mouse over the parameter and click and drag up or down, or click in the EQ graph above the parameter controls and drag left or right.

Q: This is the steepness of the shelf of your EQ. The higher the number, the steeper the shelf that’s applied — meaning that the range of frequencies affected to get the gain change of the shelf is narrower. To adjust this parameter in Logic, you can point your mouse over the parameter and click and drag up or down to get the Q value you want.

Your settings can be anywhere from .10 to 2. In Pro Tools, you adjust this setting either by moving the knob or by clicking in the box and typing a value between .1 and 2.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-lowshelfhighshelf-eq-in-home-recording-mixin.html

How to Respond to Online Community Criticism with Dignity

As online community manager, you will not need to respond to every instance of criticism. When you decide that a response is necessary, keep these pointers in mind:

Don’t fire back in anger. You’re probably so vested in your community that you take criticism personally. Remember it isn’t personal. It’s community business. The worst thing you can do is go on the defensive and act as if the negative commentary holds no weight. If you’re angry or hurt, let it go for a while. Do something else and come back to it with a clear head.

Be fair. Though you may be angry or hurt by the negativity, you also have to consider the argument. You can’t always be right, and sometimes others see things in a situation you don’t. Listen to the other person’s argument and consider whether or not it holds water. If you’re wrong, admit it with grace.

Say thank you. Even if you don’t agree with the criticism, be appreciative of the person who took the time to bring it to your attention. It’s off putting, it’s embarrassing, and it makes you feel very self conscious, but it’s better to deal with it early and head on than to be ignorant of a situation.

Don’t go tit for tat. No matter how much you feel you have to respond to every single comment, the worst thing you can do is go back and forth on the comments. Arguments, fights, one-upmanship, and having the last word only shed more negativity on to your brand and your community.

Say what you have to say and leave it. If you made a point once, you don’t need to rehash it over and over again.

Be transparent. Be honest and admit when you’re wrong or things are out of your hand. If you lie, you’ll eventually get caught, and the backlash over that will be even worse than the original negativity.

Say, “Yes. That happened, and here are the steps we’re taking to correct it.” If you’re not at liberty to discuss an issue or circumstance, say, “I’m sorry. I’m not at liberty to discuss that at this time. However, I can tell you we’re handling the situation internally and hope to make an announcement or take action soon

You can use the preceding tips for many different types of situations and not only a negative blog posts. The important thing to keep in mind is not to lose your cool, be transparent, be gracious, and don’t worry about publically responding if a public response isn’t necessary.

Understand that people are criticizing your community because they care. Most people criticize because they want something to work and are disappointed it didn’t. There’s a difference between negativity from people who want to see the community succeed and negativity from people who only want to cause drama.

Be grateful for the people who want to be productive members of your community but are having problems doing so because of difficult circumstances. Know that you must be doing something right if they care enough to talk about the community and how it needs fixing.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-respond-to-online-community-criticism-with-.html

Dealing with Your Puppy's Separation Anxiety

Puppies hate separation. If they had their way, they’d follow you to the ends of the Earth. Puppies suffering from separation anxiety may chew destructively, claw at the door, soil the house, bark excessively, or act out other destructive behaviors.

These behaviors can also indicate a restless puppy who needs more exercise or is poorly socialized to household etiquette — so how do you know the difference, and what can you do to help? To get started, recognize that your puppy is not behaving badly out of spite. Puppies just can’t think that way. Your puppy doesn’t like being left alone, and what you’re seeing is anxiety, canine style.

Separation anxiety can be exhibited by puppies with either of the following reactivity types:

Passive puppy: This puppy is sweet but undirected and needy. No matter the amount of affection you offer her, it never seems to be enough. What she needs to feel more secure in her world is more direction, not more attention, but because she’s not getting it, she feels the need to direct herself. Without direction, this type of puppy is prone to a virtual panic attack when left alone in the house.

Assertive puppy: Left to their own devices, confident and bossy puppies like to organize the household activity, so they need to learn the manners and be trained to listen to their people. Headstrong and willful, they’re often unimpressed with you — until that is, you leave the den (your home). A panic-like level of frustration sets in when your puppy is left alone.

Some ground rules to follow

Separation anxiety demands a multi-approach solution that involves training and often medication when the anxiety is so severe that a puppy is destructive in her surroundings. If you need help, get it. In the meantime, follow these ground rules:

Never correct your puppy after the fact. Never. Corrections aren’t connected to the destruction; they’re connected to your arrival, which makes your puppy more anxious the next time you leave.

Avoid theatrical hellos and goodbyes. Lavishing your puppy with kisses, biscuits, and drawn-out declarations of devotion don’t reassure her, they stress her out.

Leave a radio playing classical music to cover unfamiliar sounds.

Place your puppy in a dimly lit area to encourage sleep.

Leave a favorite chew toy. Rub it between your palms so that it smells like you.

If you’re leaving for more than six hours, try to find someone to walk your puppy. If necessary, proof the house from destruction or buy an indoor pen. Indoor pens, which fold nicely for storage when you’re home, can be expanded before you leave to give your puppy space when you’re gone for extended periods.

When you’re home, temporarily decrease the attention you give your puppy by 50 percent for two weeks while practicing the other exercises listed here. Don’t give in to “pet me” solicitations. Petting her just makes being alone all day even more difficult for her. Going from lots of attention to no attention is too sharp a contrast for a pup.

Setting up practice departures

Also try setting up practice departures by following these steps:

Station your puppy in a familiar spot.

Instruct “Wait” and leave the room for 15 seconds.

Return and ignore her until she’s calm and then praise her lovingly.

Continue these short separations until she shows no anxiety. Then double the separation time and repeat the procedure. Continue doubling the departure time until you’re able to leave the room for 20 minutes (do this exercise after you’ve fed, exercised, and taken your puppy out to potty).

After your puppy’s comfortable being alone for 20 minutes, go back to short separations, but this time leave the house. Gradually work your way up to being outside for 30 minutes. Start over once more, but this time get into and start your car. With patience, you’ll be able to build your puppy’s confidence and leave her for longer and longer periods of time.

If your puppy’s prone to destruction when you leave, make her a party bag: Put a selection of treats, toys, and chewies in a brown paper lunch bag, crumple it closed, and place it in the middle of the floor just as you walk out the door. The party bag will give her something to focus on for the first few minutes after your departure, which is when most of the tension happens.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/dealing-with-your-puppys-separation-anxiety.html

Build Redundancy into Day Trading Equipment and Connections

When you day trade, you are intentionally looking at volatile markets and fast-moving securities because that’s where you have the most opportunity to make money in a short time. You may very well be leveraged, either through the use of borrowed money or by trading securities with built-in leverage, such as futures. If you’re in a position that moves against you and you can’t get out, you’re sunk.

Not being able to get out because the markets are melting down due to some kind of global catastrophe is bad enough. But suppose you can’t get out because the batteries in your wireless mouse have died and you can’t find new ones? What if you spill pop and short out your keyboard — or your PC? What if the developer next door accidentally knocks out your DSL service?

All these little workaday calamities have happened. They are downright annoying even if you aren’t trading. If you are trading, they can be ruinous. If you are serious about making money as a day trader, build in redundant systems as much as possible:

Have high-speed data service on your smart phone or pad computer in case your primary Internet access goes out.

Consider having two computers that are duplicates of each other so that you can swap them if one goes down.

Keep extra supplies on hand: extra batteries, extra keyboard, and extra mouse. You want to be able to react quickly when things go wrong. (These are all cheap to keep in inventory, too, because the computer makers give keyboards and mice away with every new PC.)

Invest in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) backup for your PC so that, if the power goes down, your computer stays up. You don’t need a backup generator, though — unless you think that you’d still want to trade after your town was devastated by an earthquake or a hurricane. (Hey, crisis creates opportunities!)

Finally, back up your computer regularly. You don't want to lose your tax records! You can back up online through Mozy or Carbonite or you can use an external hard drive connected to your PC. Most backup systems can be set up to work automatically — but don’t back up during trading hours! It’ll slow you down.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/build-redundancy-into-day-trading-equipment-and-co.html

Getting the Multitrack Sound You Want through Effects

The question of whether to record effects — reverb, delay, chorus, and so on — along with an instrument is a long-debated topic. Professional recording engineers caution you against recording your instruments wet (with effects) because this limits your options when you mix the song.

On the other hand, by recording an instrument with an effect, you can use that effect processor on another instrument during the mixing process. Ultimately, you have to decide whether adding an effect to an instrument on the front end (before recording) is the way to go.

If you record using a computer-based system, adding an effect during tracking may stress your computer’s processor to the point that it affects your recording. This can cause audio dropouts, pops, clicks, or other unwanted interruptions or corruptions to your audio data.

If you have a slower computer or if you record a lot of tracks at once, you may find that you can’t record with effects. In this case, your headphone mix while you track has no effect added to the sound, but you can still add effects during the mixing process.

If you’re sure about the sound you want, you can add the effect on the front end. If you’re not sure, you’re probably better off waiting until later. You can always print (record) the effect during a bounce procedure, a neat trick where you rerecord one or more tracks to another track.

Bouncing is a common procedure if you don’t have enough tracks in your system to record each of your instruments to its own track.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-the-multitrack-sound-you-want-through-effe.html

How to React to Member Online Community Feedback

As online community manager, you have to find a balance in how you react to feedback in your community. If you have an issue that affects everyone in a negative way, you want to avoid taking too long to act. There’s the potential here to make one of two mistakes; either rushing into a situation without giving it enough thought, or taking too long to mull things over.

When you do react to member feedback:

Avoid being all things to everyone. Don’t fall into the trap of changing the way things are done every time someone complains or remarks. This makes you look a little wishy-washy and as if you really don’t know what direction to take.

Just because someone complained on a blog doesn’t mean you have to tear things down and start all over again. Also, not every complaint is valid. Sometimes people complain just to complain or nitpick because they’re disgruntled. Carefully weigh the merit of each remark.

Know that you can’t please everyone. The sad truth is that everyone won’t be happy with you or what you’re trying to do, and it’s not always your fault. Do consider constructive criticism but also know that certain things aren’t doable or in the budget.

It’s also important to remember that some people complain no matter what direction you take. You can’t make everyone happy, but you can make most people happy.

Don’t dismiss small issues: It’s a funny thing about nitpicks. They seem really small and not worrisome, but then you discover that they bother a lot more people than you think. Don’t wave something off as being minor. Every comment at least deserves the benefit of consideration.

More than one person escalates a concern into an issue. If one person complains or offers a suggestion, it’s noteworthy and worthy of investigation. When more than one person complains about the same thing, it’s an issue having to be dealt with in one form or another.

Avoid the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. There’s a reason people upgrade technology on a regular basis. It may not be broke, but it can always be better.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-react-to-member-online-community-feedback.navId-323004.html

How to Assess the Values of Real Estate Investment Trusts

Because Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) aren’t your average, everyday dividend stocks, using the criteria from other investments to evaluate them makes little sense. Determining the value of real estate assets requires a unique set of criteria. When shopping for REITs, examine the following factors:

Geography: A property’s value and rent-generating potential are both closely linked to the property’s location. Look for REITs that invest in areas with growing populations and thriving economies. Typically, areas located in the Sun Belt rather than the Rust Belt tend to be better bets, but keep in mind that every area of the country and even an area within a town or city has hot and cold spots. For example, after the popping of the housing bubble, many areas of the Sun Belt are no longer good investments. Carefully research an area before buying a REIT that invests heavily in that area.

Property type: Office and industrial properties charge higher rents, but tend to suffer more in a recession as occupancy rates decline when companies go out of business. Residential and retail buildings tend to charge lower rents, but are more resistant to tough economic times.

Diversification: Is the trust well diversified? Many REITs focus on just one sector of the market — commercial, industrial, or residential — or just one local market. Because not all real estate markets move together, diversification is a good thing.

Occupancy trends: An increasing occupancy rate is a good sign. In real estate, high vacancy rates can wipe out profits. Find out the vacancy rate for the properties the REIT holds and determine the direction the vacancy rate is moving — up or down. Although a vacancy rate of more than 10 percent may affect a REITs ability to pay dividends, the trend is more important than the actual figure. Beware if vacancies are on the rise.

Tenant concentration: Determine whether the bulk of the REIT’s income comes from just one type of tenant or industry or a wider range. If the REIT invests only in gas stations or only in strip malls, its profits may be tied too closely with the health of a particular industry or location. Research not only the REIT and type of real estate it owns but also the tenant’s industry. If that industry is stable and growing, investing in a REIT that serves this particular industry may be a good thing. If the industry or geographical area is suffering, the REIT may be a dud.

Management: The reputation, strength, and skill of the company’s managers are just as important, if not more so, than the type of building. Check for managers that have an excellent track record for picking properties with high potential for capital appreciation, purchasing them at bargain prices, and then managing the properties for maximum profitability.

Credit rating: Because most property is bought with borrowed money, make sure the REIT has an excellent credit rating, so it can borrow money at competitive interest rates.

Lease duration: Ask management about the average lease duration of its holdings. Single-year leases give landlords the ability to raise rents regularly, but they also provide tenants with an easy out. Multiyear leases lock in tenants and provide a predictable revenue stream on which you can base expectations of steady dividend payments.

Funds from operations: Perhaps the most important factor to consider is the REIT’s funds from operations (FFO), which provides an indication of how much money the REIT has available to fund dividend payments.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-assess-the-values-of-real-estate-investment.html

iCloud: Apple’s Free and Easy Wireless Service

Apple’s iCloud service is more than just a wireless hard drive in the sky. Rather, iCloud is a complete wireless storage and data synchronization solution. In a nutshell, iCloud is designed to store and manage your digital “stuff” — your music, photos, contacts, events, and more — keeping everything updated on all your computers and i-devices automatically with no physical (wired) connection or action on your part.

Like so many things Apple makes, iCloud just works.

iCloud “pushes” information such as e-mail, calendars, contacts, and bookmarks to and from your computer and to and from your iPad and other i-devices, and then keeps those items updated on all devices wirelessly and without human intervention. It also includes nonsynchronizing options, such as photo streams, e-mail, and 5GB of online storage.

Your free iCloud account includes 5GB of free storage, which is all many (if not most) users will need. If you find yourself needing more storage, 10, 20, and 50 gigabyte upgrades are available for $20, $40, and $100 a year, respectively.

A nice touch is that music, apps, books, periodicals, movies, and TV shows purchased from the iTunes Store, as well as your Photo Stream, don’t count against your 5GB of free storage. The things that do count, such as mail, documents, photos taken with your iPad 2 camera, account information, settings, and other app data, don’t use much space, so that 5GB should last you a long time.

If you want to have your e-mail, calendars, contacts, and bookmarks synchronized automatically and wirelessly (a wise choice), here’s how to enable iCloud syncing on your iPad.

Tap Settings on your Home screen.

Tap iCloud in the list of settings on the left.

Tap Account and provide your Apple ID and password.

Tap Done.

Now you can tap any of the individual On/Off switches to enable or disable iCloud sync for:

Mail

Contacts

Calendars

Reminders

Bookmarks

Notes

Photo Stream

Documents & Data

Find My iPad

Note that while iCloud lets you stream or download movies, TV shows, songs, podcasts, or other media files from the iTunes Store, if you don’t have a pretty good Internet connection, you may not be able to enjoy them.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/icloud-apples-free-and-easy-wireless-service.html

Home Recording Basics: General MIDI

If you compose music for other people to play on their MIDI instruments or if you want to use music from another composer, General MIDI is invaluable to you. General MIDI (GM) is a protocol that enables a MIDI instrument to provide a series of sounds and messages that are consistent with other MIDI instruments.

With General MIDI, you can take a Standard MIDI File (SMF) of a song that was created on one sequencer program, transfer the file to another program, and use that other program to play the exact performance — sounds, timing, program changes, and everything else.

GM instruments contain numerous sound patches that the MIDI community has standardized. Although the quality of these sounds isn’t subject to a uniform standard, their sound type and location (Acoustic Grand Piano on Patch #1, for instance) are the same on all GM-compatible machines.

Not all MIDI-capable instruments follow the GM standards. If this feature is important to you, be sure to find out whether the instrument that interests you is GM-compatible before you buy.

GM standards dictate not only the particular sounds of a synthesizer but also which drum sounds are located on which keys, how many notes of polyphony the instrument has, and how many different channels the instrument can receive and send instructions on. Here are the two levels of GM compatibility:

GM Level 1 compatibility: Level 1 protocols were developed in 1991 and consist of a minimum of 128 instrument patches, 24 notes of polyphony, receiving and sending capability for all 16 MIDI channels, 16-part multitimbrality, and a host of controller and performance messages.

GM Level 2 compatibility: Level 2 was implemented in 1999 and includes more sounds, polyphony, and features. A GM-compatible device has 32 notes of polyphony, 16-channel support, up to 16 simultaneous instrument sound patches, and a host of additional sounds (384, to be exact), including 2 channels of simultaneous percussion sounds. Also added to the GM2 standard are reverb and chorus effects.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/home-recording-basics-general-midi.html

How to Use FTP from Terminal to Transfer Mac Files

You can use FTP to transfer files from your Mac OS X Snow Leopard computer with an FTP server by using the command-line interface (CLI); to use the CLI, open a Terminal, or shell, session. To use a Terminal session, double-click the Terminal icon in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder. When you open a Terminal session, you’re presented with a window that accepts text commands. You’ll see a prompt that consists of your computer’s name and the folder that you’re currently in, followed by your user ID. It’s at this prompt where you type various FTP commands.

After you’re in the Terminal session, you’ll use a series of commands to connect to another computer, move in and out of folders, and transfer files. Following is a list of the basic commands that you need to use FTP as well as a brief description of what each command does.

ftp: This command starts the FTP command line interface session. You can tell that you’re in the FTP client application when you see ftp> as your command prompt. This is where you type all other FTP commands to do things.

open: This command is used to start your connection to another computer. Type this command followed by the IP address of the FTP server that you want to connect to.

ls: Use this command to see a listing of all files and folders in the current folder on the FTP server.

cd: This command allows you to change the folder that you’re in. Type cd <folder> (where folder is a specific folder name) to move into a subfolder on the FTP server. Type cd .. (that’s c, d, space, and two periods) to go back out a folder level.

lcd: This command acts exactly like cd except that it changes the folder that you’re currently in on your local system, not the FTP server. Use this command to put yourself in the folder on the local drive that you want to transfer files to and from.

bin: Type this command to get in binary mode to transfer files that aren’t plain-text files. (Always use binary mode unless you’re specifically transferring plain-text files.)

ascii: This command puts you in ASCII mode for transferring text files.

get or mget: To retrieve a single file, use the get command followed by the filename of the file that you want to retrieve. If you want to get multiple files at one time, use the mget command followed by a filename, possibly containing * and/or ? as wildcards.

put or mput: To send a single file, use the put command followed by the filename to send a file to the FTP server. To send multiple files, use the mput command followed by a filename, possibly containing * and/or ? as wildcards.

quit: Use the quit command to end your FTP session.

To end a Terminal session and exit Terminal at any time, press Command+Q. Terminal prompts you for confirmation if necessary.

Using these commands will enable you to exchange files with an FTP server. Here’s an example of how to use these commands within the Terminal window:

Type ftp to get into FTP mode.

Type open <ip address> (where ip address is the server’s network IP address) to open your connection to the FTP server.

At this point, you’re asked for a username and password.

For many FTP servers, using the username anonymous and your e-mail address as the password is enough to get you logged in. Some sites even allow you to log in without any username or password at all. On secure sites, however, you must use an assigned username and password provided by the administrator of that particular server.

Type lcd <folder> (where folder is a specific folder name) to change into the folder on your local drive that you want files to come to or from.

Type the ls and cd commands to place yourself into the desired folder on the FTP server.

Type the ascii or bin command to set your file transfer mode to ASCII or binary, respectively.

This is important because choosing the wrong type will likely cause the transfer to fail. Unless it’s a plain-text file, always use binary mode.

Type the get, mget, put, and mput commands to send or receive the desired files.

Type the quit command to close the connection and exit the FTP session.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-ftp-from-terminal-to-transfer-mac-files.html

What Is an Income Statement for a Business?

4 of 10 in Series:
The Essentials of Business Financial Statements

Did your business make any money? You can find the answer in your income statement, the financial report that summarizes all the sales activities, costs of producing or buying the products or services sold, and expenses incurred in order to run the business.

Income statements summarize the financial activities of a business during a particular accounting period (which can be a month, quarter, year, or some other period of time that makes sense for a business’s needs).

Normal practice is to include three accounting periods on an income statement: the current period plus two prior periods. So a monthly statement shows the current month plus the two previous months; a quarterly statement shows the current quarter plus the two previous quarters; and an annual statement shows the current year plus the two previous years. Providing this much information gives income statement readers a view of the business’s earning trends.

The five key lines that make up an income statement are:

Sales or Revenue: The total amount of money taken in from selling the business’s products or services. You calculate this amount by totaling all the sales or revenue accounts. The top line of the income statement will be either sales or revenues; either is okay.

Cost of Goods Sold: How much was spent in order to buy or make the goods or services that were sold during the accounting period in review.

Gross Profit: How much a business made before taking into account operations expenses; calculated by subtracting the Cost of Goods Sold from the Sales or Revenue.

Operating Expenses: How much was spent on operating the business; qualifying expenses include administrative fees, salaries, advertising, utilities, and other operations expenses. You add all your expenses accounts on your income statement to get this total.

Net Income or Loss: Whether or not the business made a profit or loss during the accounting period in review; calculated by subtracting total expenses from Gross Profit.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-is-an-income-statement-for-a-business.html

Nutrition-Related Measurements

Struggling to make sense of your pounds and ounces? Use this handy table when working with measurements to make sure you understand their quantities and abbreviations.

Abbreviation	Measurement	Equivalent
g	gram	1,000 milligrams
		1,000,000 micrograms
mg	milligram	1/1,000 gram
mcg (µg)	microgram	1/1,000,000 gram
kg	kilogram	1,000 grams
		2.2 pounds
lb	pound	0.45 kilograms or 16 ounces
st	stone	6.35 kilograms or 14 pounds
oz	ounce	28 grams
l	litre	1,000 millilitres or 1.76 pints
pt	pint	568 millilitres
ml	millilitre	1/1,000 litre

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/nutritionrelated-measurements.html

How to Sell Your Business or Product over the Phone

If you want potential customers to call your business, make your phone number large and bold, and give them a reason to dial it by helping them understand what you offer in your ads. And then be ready to treat every call as a very valuable business opportunity — which it is.

Here are some ways to make sure that your business phone calls don’t get fumbled:

Answer calls promptly. Pick up after the first or second ring whenever possible. Even if you have a receptionist, train others to serve as back-ups, answering if calls reach a third ring.

Transfer calls as quickly as you answer them. Be prompt about getting the caller to the appropriate person in your business. If that person isn’t available, say so immediately. Offer to take a message, put the caller through to voicemail, or find someone else to help.

Get everyone in your company to answer the phone in a consistent and professional manner — always starting with the business name. In this age of personal lines on every desk, people too often answer all calls as if they were personal calls. “Hello, this is John” is not an appropriate business greeting unless you’re a one-person business that receives calls only from people who know they want to talk with John.

Keep voicemail messages brief and friendly. Use wording that conveys your business purpose and personality. Avoid long, overly programmed greetings.

Ask your phone company to monitor and report on your hang-up rate. Multiple rings, lengthy hold times, and voicemail responses can prompt callers to abandon their efforts to reach your business.

Consider placing mirrors near the phones if your business relies heavily on telephone contact. A smile can make a voice more attractive — and more natural, friendly, and enthusiastic. You’ll be able to hear the difference — and so will the person on the other end of the line.

If a phone conversation with a potential customer doesn’t naturally uncover how the person obtained your business's phone number, take a few seconds (but only a few seconds) to ask something like, “I’m glad you called us. We’re always working to improve our communications and I’d love to note how you got our phone number.”

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-sell-your-business-or-product-over-the-phon.html

Is the Labrador Retriever the Right Breed for You?

Is the Labrador Retriever the right breed for you? This relatively simple question is vitally important. Too many people get a Labrador Retriever on a whim — without any thought as to how that breed will fit into their lifestyle or home. This is one of the primary reasons why there are so many dogs in animal shelters.

Maybe you've always pictured life with the perfect lab. Maybe you imagine the two of you jogging in the park, your dog in a perfect heel, watching out for your safety and enjoying your company. But when it comes to living with a breed, you have to take more than just the fantasy into consideration. You need to think about the pros and cons of Labrador Retrievers and whether they are a good fit for your family.

Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed of dogs in the world. They were cute and lovable and wonderful companions. Aside from their sweet nature, Labs are excellent retrievers for hunting purposes and great all around working dogs. If you keep him out of trouble, teach him the basics of what you want him to do, and make his good behavior rewarding for him, he will compensate you with years of devoted friendship.

Before deciding on a Lab take the following into consideration:

Do you have the time?

You may feel ready to take on the responsibility of a dog, but you may not realize how much time a Lab requires. Your Lab will need daily training sessions, lots of purposeful socialization as a puppy, and time to simply hang around with you.

If you aren't home very often or have too much on your plate when you are home, enjoy a friend's Labrador Retriever now and then, but don't take on your own.

Do you have the energy?

Labs require as much energy as time. Your Lab will need to be walked at least once a day, taken for occasional swims, and given the opportunity to do lots of retrieving, the thing they love best.

If you're a certified couch potato, your Lab might be able to adjust, but he won't be as healthy, and Labs that aren't provided outlets for their energy may become destructive. If you aren't up to the physical challenge, consider a less active or smaller dog — or perhaps, a cat.

Overweight Labs are unhealthy. Try using halved baby carrots or small broccoli florets as treats rather than dog biscuits, which are often too caloric to be used daily.

Do you have the space?

The ideal situation for a Lab is a single-family, detached house with a fenced yard or a country home with lots of fenced land. Other situations can work, too, if you walk your Lab religiously and train her well.

If you don't have the living space for a large dog, don't bring home a Labrador Retriever. Likewise, if you live in a tiny apartment with no yard and can't walk your dog every day, or if you like your home immaculate, please consider another type of dog.

Do you have the money?

Purchasing a Labrador Retriever through a breeder can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 (more if you want a competition-quality dog), although adopting a Lab is less expensive. That being said, the cost of buying a dog doesn't compare to the cost of keeping a dog healthy and well-behaved throughout its life.

If you can barely afford groceries or medical bills for yourself and your own family, don't bring any dog, Lab or otherwise, into your home until you're on a firmer financial footing.

Some people dream of getting a dog for all the wrong reasons. Every dog and every Lab is different. Before considering a Lab, it is important to remember that Labs need training, attention, exercise, veterinary care, and a regular routine. They are active, boisterous, large, and sometimes overly affectionate animals.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/is-the-labrador-retriever-the-right-breed-for-you.html

Network Basics: Windows 2003 Server Operating System

Microsoft released several versions of its Windows-based server operating system. Each new release builds and adds to the prior version. Windows Server 2003 operating system, still in wide use, included the following features:

A new-and-improved version of Active Directory with tighter security, an easier-to-use interface, and better performance.

A better and easier-to-use system management interface, called the Manage My Server window. On the flip side, for those who prefer brute-force commands, Windows Server 2003 includes a more comprehensive set of command line management tools than is offered by Windows 2000 Server. Of course, the familiar Microsoft Management Console tools from Windows 2000 Server are still there.

A major change in the application-programming interface for Windows programs, known as the .NET Framework.

Support for ever-larger clusters of computers. A cluster is a set of computers that work together as if they were a single server. Windows 2000 Server Datacenter Edition and previous versions supported clusters of four servers; Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Datacenter Editions support clusters of eight servers. (Obviously, this is a benefit only for very large networks.)

An enhanced distributed file system that lets you combine drives on several servers to create one shared volume.

Support for storage area networks.

A built-in Internet firewall to secure your Internet connection.

A new version of Microsoft’s web server, Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0.

Windows Server 2003 comes in several versions. Four, to be specific:

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition: This is the basic version of Windows 2003. If you’re using Windows Server 2003 as a file server or to provide other basic network services, this is the version you’ll use. Standard Edition can support servers with up to four processors and 4GB of RAM.

Windows Server 2003, Web Edition: A version of Windows 2003 optimized for use as a web server.

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition: Designed for larger networks, this version can support servers with up to eight processors, 32GB of RAM, server clusters, and advanced features designed for high performance and reliability.

Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition: The most powerful version of Windows 2003, with support for servers with 64 processors, 64GB of RAM, and server clusters, as well as advanced fault-tolerance features designed to keep the server running for mission-critical applications.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/network-basics-windows-2003-server-operating-syste.html

Business Marketing Plan Overview

Your business plan sells your company — to investors, lenders, partners, key employees, and associates — whereas your marketing plan tells how you plan to sell your products. Because selling your products is fundamental to your company’s success, it’s essential that your business plan include an outline of the marketing plan you’ll follow to achieve sales success.

A marketing plan includes the following components:

Description of your market situation, including your customer profile and descriptions of changes affecting your customers, competitors, and business climate

Your marketing goals and objectives

Your company’s positioning and brand statements

Your marketing strategies, including plans for your product, distribution, pricing, and promotions, along with plans for retaining customers, gaining repeat business, and building loyalty

Your marketing budget

Your tactical and action plans

Your long-range plans

Detail all these essential topics in your marketing plan. In your business plan — in the part where you discuss your company strategy — include a summarized version that provides the highlights.

Your business plan is mainly for external audiences — financial backers, business advisors, and key partners — so edit out details that people outside your business don’t really need to know and that you may want to hold close to your vest. These include your tactical and action plans and details of how you plan to allocate your marketing budget.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/business-marketing-plan-overview.html

Electronics Projects: How to Use FOR Loops in PBASIC Code

The PBASIC FOR loop will make the BASIC Stamp in your electronics project execute a loop a certain number of times. It is also a great programming tool for performing an action on multiple I/O pins. Thus, a FOR loop is the ideal way to implement an LED Flasher program.

The basic structure of a FOR loop looks like this:

FOR counter = start-value TO end-value
 Statements...
NEXT

Here’s an example that flashes the LED on pin 0 ten times:

X VAR BYTE
FOR X = 1 TO 10
 HIGH 0
 PAUSE 500
 LOW 0
 PAUSE 500
NEXT

In this example, the loop is executed ten times. The value of the variable X is increased by 1 each time through the loop.

In the preceding example, the program didn’t actually use the counter variable. That’s common in FOR loops; sometimes the only purpose for the counter variable is to control how many times the loop is executed. But you can use the counter variable within the loop. For example, here’s a loop that makes every I/O pin on the Stamp HIGH for one-tenth of a second:

IO_Pin VAR BYTE
FOR IO_Pin = 0 TO 15
 HIGH IO_Pin
 PAUSE 100
 LOW IO_Pin
NEXT

Normally, the counter variable is increased by one on each pass through the loop. You can use the STEP keyword to specify a different step value if you want. When you use the STEP keyword, the basic structure of the FOR statement looks like this:

FOR counter = start-value TO end-value STEP step-value
 Statements...
NEXT

For example, you could flash LEDs on just the even-numbered pins like this:

Led VAR Byte
FOR Led = 0 TO 10 STEP 2
 HIGH Led
 PAUSE 100
 LOW Led
NEXT

Another interesting feature of FOR loops is that they can count backward. All you have to do is specify a start value that’s larger than the end value, like this:

Led VAR Byte
FOR Led = 10 TO 0 STEP 2
 HIGH Led
 PAUSE 100
 LOW Led
NEXT

This version of the LED Flasher program uses a pair of FOR loops to flash the LEDs first in one direction, and then in the opposite direction. The first FOR loop flashes the LEDs on pins 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Then, the second FOR loop flashes the LEDs on pins 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2. Both FOR loops are contained within a DO loop that keeps the LEDs bouncing back and forth indefinitely.

' LED Flasher Program
' Doug Lowe
' July 10, 2011
'
' This program flashes LEDs connected to pins 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10
' back and forth, like Cylon eyes.
'
' This version of the program uses FOR loops.
' {$STAMP BS2}
' {$PBASIC 2.5}
Led VAR Byte
Main:
 FOR Led = 0 TO 8 STEP 2
  HIGH Led
  PAUSE 100
  LOW Led
 NEXT
 FOR Led = 10 TO 2 STEP 2
  HIGH Led
  PAUSE 100
  LOW Led
 NEXT
 GOTO Main

When FOR loops are nested, the innermost loop(s) complete their entire cycle each time through the outer loop. If a FOR loop that repeats ten times is placed within an outer loop that repeats ten times, the statements within the innermost loop will execute a total of 100 times — ten times for each of the ten repetitions of the outer loop.

This one uses an outer FOR loop that varies the delay time for the PAUSE statements. The result is that the LEDs sweep very fast at first, but slow by 10 ms on each repetition of the outer loop until the delay reaches one second per LED.

' LED Flasher Program
' Doug Lowe
' July 10, 2011
'
' This program flashes LEDs connected to pins 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10
' back and forth, like Cylon eyes.
'
' This version of the program uses nested FOR-NEXT loops to slow the
' sweeping motion of the LEDs.
' {$STAMP BS2}
' {$PBASIC 2.5}
Led VAR Byte
Speed VAR Word
FOR Speed = 10 TO 1000 STEP 10
 FOR Led = 0 TO 8 STEP 2
  HIGH Led
  PAUSE Speed
  LOW Led
 NEXT
 FOR Led = 10 TO 2 STEP 2
  HIGH Led
  PAUSE Speed
  LOW Led
 NEXT
NEXT

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/electronics-projects-how-to-use-for-loops-in-pbasi.html

How to Appraise a Decedent’s Real Estate Holdings

As the executor of an estate, you must value the estate’s real estate holdings at the time of the decedent’s death. You may be able to use the real estate assessment as the value at the date of death. If the assessed value doesn’t match the market value of the real estate, you can ask a real estate tax assessor to appraise the real estate.

Assigning value to real estate may be the trickiest value to obtain because no two pieces of real estate are identical, and real estate is valued by looking at comparable sales. To value real estate, keep the following in mind:

Sometimes, you can use the assessment as the value at the date of death. The assessed value is the value your local real estate tax assessor places on the property for real estate tax purposes. Compare the assessed value with similar properties sold around the date of death or for sale at that time in your locale to see whether the assessed value is in the ballpark.

If the values are comparable and the estate is small enough that it won’t have an estate tax, using the assessed value works, because it clearly reflects the market value of the property at the date of death.

If the assessed value in your area doesn’t reflect the market value of the real estate, have the real estate appraised. If you’re unsure based on your market comparison, ask the local real estate tax assessor.

If a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required, have the real estate appraised. As with all estate appraisals, hire a reputable appraiser who has experience in preparing estate appraisals.

The appraiser typically refers to several comparable properties (that is, properties that have sold recently and are as similar to your property and as close in location as possible), in addition to other factors, in determining a value as of the date of death.

The appraiser adds or subtracts value based upon the differences between your real estate and the comparable sales in arriving at a date-of-death value for your property. For instance, an additional bathroom in your property increases the value. If your lot is smaller than the comparables, your value decreases.

Oftentimes, you have a buyer for the real estate before you have a chance to obtain an appraisal. Provided you sell it in an arm’s length transaction (a transaction between the executor and someone who has no relationship to the executor or the estate) soon after death, you use the sale value as the date-of-death market value.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-appraise-a-decedents-real-estate-holdings.html

Mending Holes and Rips in Your Clothes

Even if you don't give your clothes a tough workout, you may find that you've worn holes into the knees, elbows, or elsewhere. Being able to mend your own clothes extends their life and saves you money (money to buy fabric for other sewing projects, of course!).

Patching holes with a sewing machine

The following technique just might be the very best way to patch holes in your clothes. You can use this method to patch over holes in elbows, knees, or anywhere that holes find their way into a piece of fabric.

Patches can be large or small and arranged artfully to cover other messes besides holes, such as stains or snags. For large problem areas, try arranging a collage of small pocket patches.

Just follow these steps:

Find a fabric similar to the garment you're patching.

If possible, steal fabric by stitching a pocket shut that doesn't get a lot of use, and cutting away the fabric from underneath. If you can't find a matching fabric, find one that's close.

If you make a habit of saving worn-out jeans, you'll soon have a plentiful supply of used denim for patching.

Cut out a patch 1/2 to 3/4 inch larger than the hole, all the way around. The patch can be any shape you like.

Before cutting the patch to size, inspect the fabric around the hole. You may decide that you need a bigger patch to cover any frays in the area.

Iron-on patches are also available for patching and can be used to patch a hole. However, be forewarned that after a little washing and wearing, the adhesive often quits, and you have a patch that's coming off. If you're using iron-on patches, reinforce them by stitching them on, as well.

Pin the patch in place, centering it over the hole so that the right side of the patch fabric is up.

Because the patch is larger than the hole it's covering, pin around the edges, pinning through the patch and the garment underneath.

Set your sewing machine like this:
- Stitch: Three-step zigzag
- Length: 0.5 to 0.8 mm/fine setting or 60 spi
- Width: 5 mm to the widest width
- Foot: Embroidery
- Needle: #90/14 HJ denim or jeans (for heavy fabrics); #80/12H Universal for everything else

Place the garment and patch under the foot, right side up.

The patch should be under the foot so that the edge is slightly to the right of the needle.

Start sewing so that when the needle travels to the right, the last stitch formed is on the outside edge of the patch.

Pull out the pins before sewing over them.

If the patch is a circle, sew all the way around it. If the patch is a rectangle or square, sew to the corner and pivot.

Sew to the corner, stopping with the needle in the far right side of the stitch. Doing so positions the patch so that it's double-stitched and reinforced in the corner. Lift the foot, pivot 90 degrees, lower the foot, and sew the second side of the patch, again stopping with the needle in the far right side of the stitch and pivoting. Continue like this until the patch is sewn on. Pull the threads to the back of the fabric and tie them off.

Patching with appliqués

Sometimes you can get creative by making or purchasing a ready-made appliqué and using it as a patch in low-stress areas. Before doing that, though, consider where the appliqué falls on the garment and decide whether it makes sense to have it there. Appliqués aren't strong enough for patching knees, elbows, and other high-wear areas.

Appliqués make short work of repairing holes. Just follow these steps to patch with an appliqué:

Pin the appliqué over the hole so that it stays in place as you sew.

If the appliqué is too thick to pin through, glue it into place by using your fabric glue stick.

Using thread that matches the appliqué, straight stitch at the appliqué inside the satin-stitched edge.

Pull the threads to the wrong side and tie them off.

Sometimes you can disguise your appliqués and make them look like decorations. After you have patched a hole with an appliqué, place another appliqué or two on the garment in other places so that the appliqués look like they were on the garment all along.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mending-holes-and-rips-in-your-clothes.html

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