LEED

Green building is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, but there is no single, comprehensive federal green building program. LEED has become the default standard for green building, but there are other groups, like the Green Building Initiative and the aggressive Architecture 2030 initiative, that have their own green building practices. The federal government has offered tax breaks to those who comply with green building improvements, like a $300 credit for replacing an old water heater or air conditioner, and credit for 10 percent of the cost of insulation materials.

Individual states are also increasingly involved in developing green programs, but the programs vary. California leads much of the green building movement, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signing an executive order that says all new and renovated state facilities must have a silver LEED certification or higher.

As of October 2007, 22 states and 75 towns and cities have adopted policies to require or encourage LEED's green building practices. New York City kicked off its green building movement with the reconstruction of the World Trade Center. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Division for Sustainable Development focuses on cooperation among its members to encourage green building techniques in developing countries.

Asian buildings have traditionally been designed and constructed with the land in mind. One of the best examples is the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan. Eighty percent of the structure, designed by Chinese architect I.M. Pei, is underground to preserve the natural landscape.

Green building is popular in Europe, too, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, and the European Union has a jump start on the United States in terms of regulations. In the mid-1990s, it adopted requirements for energy usage in any new construction on the continent. The European Commission instituted a voluntary green building program in 2005.

­The United States is just now catching up with Europe and Japan, which have used innovations like tankless water heaters for years. But with current energy costs and the dip in the housing market, homeowners looking to save - or make - money on their homes are quickly catching on to going green.

Future Of Wireless VoIP

WiFi phones have a lot of potential, but right now they're not for everyone. Someone who has a cell phone and needs a phone line to support their DSL connection doesn't necessarily need yet another phone. Anyone who lives in an area with little WiFi availability might not find many places to use a WiFi phone. People who don't have a network of friends using the same VoIP service may find it cheaper to use a land line or cell phone.

But as more cities develop city-wide WiFi networks, WiFi phones will become more practical and useful. What currently seems like a novelty or a toy could become a replacement for a land line, a cell phone or both. It could happen pretty quickly the WiFi phone market increased by 76 percent in 2005, and researchers believe it will double in 2006.

WiFi phones are already useful on a smaller scale in businesses and schools. Many businesses have company-wide WiFi networks and VoIP phone service, making WiFi phones a potential replacement for desk phones. Students who live on college campuses that have extensive WiFi networks can also use WiFi phones to make calls for little to no money.

In spite of all its promise, the technology is still new, and WiFi networks aren't yet prevalent enough to make the phones practical for everyone. Users have also reported some quirks in newly-released phones that make using them a little tricky. For example, some phones reset every time the user moves to a new wireless network or every time an administrator makes a change to an existing network. Some WiFi hotspots require a Web browser to sign in. Phones without a built-in browser are useless in these locations.

Even though VoIP doesn't use a lot of bandwidth, other uses for public and corporate WiFi networks do. Sharing bandwidth with a lot of other traffic can result in poor voice quality or lost signals. Fortunately, quality-of-service requirements can be built in to new WiFi networks. With the right hardware and software, a hotspot can separate and prioritize the voice traffic, treating it as a separate signal and providing better voice quality.

Uncrowned King Of Television Segment

TV viewer is a lucky individual with so many options at his disposal. All the manufacturers are trying hard to win his confidence and this can be easily evident from the fact that he is offered innovative products and services at affordable prices with each passing day.

In the present day television industry, several significant changes have taken place. The bulky television sets of the past are now effectively replaced by high-quality, space-conscious and cheap LCD TVs. These LCD TVs offer ultimate experience when it comes to flexibility and portability. The LCD technology has revolutionised the world of television viewing experience like never-before. In the current day market scenario, no television manufacturer can afford to survive in the cut-throat competition by offering obsolete television sets to its customers. Almost all of the modern day TV manufacturers try their hands and rely on innovations to win the hearts of their customers with an aim to maximise their sales.

Let us have a brief look at the advantages of LCD TVs over the traditional television sets to have a complete insight on the reasons of their unparalleled popularity. The present day high quality yet cheap LCD TVs offer exceptional contrast ratio, unparalleled viewing experience and viewing angle. The popularity has also been influenced positively by several other factors such as emergence of new market players, growing competition, favourable market trends, changing customer preferences and positive government policies.

Some of the highly renowned names in the world of LCD TV technology are Samsung and Sony. The exceptional digital amplifier audio system of this Samsung LCD TV is an ultimate delight for the viewers. It has an extraordinary response time of 8 ms and comes with smart features such as sleep timer, auto channel search and auto volume leveller to name a few.

Do not wait for the technology to innovate a perfect product for you, try your hands on the existing advanced technology and you will always feel the urge to stay ahead of the lot.

Access DTV

The excitement around digital television (DTV) has been growing steadily for several years. If you have been to any of the major electronics stores recently, you have probably noticed shelves filled with digital television sets.

At the same time, television stations have been quietly launching their digital transmitters. The stations and the networks have been outfitting their studios and trucks with the equipment they need to shoot, record and edit with purely digital signals. Almost all prime-time shows and sporting events are now digital.

In most major cities, you can receive digital broadcasts. For example, in San Jose, CA, you can receive about a dozen DTV broadcasts. Even in a relatively small city like Raleigh, NC, you can receive four stations. More than 100 million Americans are able to receive at least one digital broadcast, but far fewer than a million currently do. The main barrier has been the price and complexity of home DTV equipment.

Hi Performance On Suzuki Motorcycles

The roar of the high performance motorcycle you detect the sound of someone screaming. You wonder if they are alright. When they come into sight, you see that the person riding that bike is not screaming but laughing with a huge smile on their face. They are riding a Suzuki Hayabusa. They are straddling a rocket between their legs and are hanging on for dear life. Suzuki has set the standard for exhilarating motorcycle performance. Suzuki motorcycles are solid built, well planned, and designed for performance, dependability and ease. They are also eye candy, very cool and oh so eye candy.

Riding a Suzuki is an adventure every time you turn on the key and throw your leg over the machine. The hang on to your britches engine presentation with flawless handling offers a relaxed riding understanding. Just sitting on a Suzuki will remind you of all the reasons you enjoy riding a motorcycle. Whether you are young or old, a Suzuki will bring to you the adrenaline rush.

What sits the Suzuki motorcycles apart from the offering of the other motorcycle manufacturers? Suzuki has been around a long time. Their reputation for building superb motorcycles is second to none. The engineers at Suzuki do not sit on past successes. They are always striving for the next level in motorcycle design. Whether you are looking for a dirt bike and an open road touring cycle, Suzuki has one that will meet your need.

Motorcycle auctions are fun. You have the thrill of bidding on the bike of your choice. Imagine being able to decide what you want to pay and through an auction get a chance to do just that. They are great place to buy or sell a motorcycle. You can own a Suzuki motorcycle through a motorcycle auction. How does purchasing or selling in the comfort of your home sound to you? It is really easy to sign up for eBay and start bidding on the Suzuki bike of your dream. An auction provides a immediate way to submit an offer on a Suzuki motorcycle and to shell out what you want to pay.

If you want to sit down on a Suzuki and do the touchy feely thing before you buy, stopover to your local dealer. A word of caution: Sitting on a Suzuki is addictive enough especially if you decide to start its engine. Do you feel that power between your legs? Do you imagine women falling at your feet when you ride up on the bike? What are you thinking about? Some auctions (not all) make available an easy way to finance the machine of your dreams.

DSL Provider Versus Cable Provider

Gone are the days where dialling up is the only way of getting online, as these are the days of high speed internet. This gives people not only the speed they need but also the ability to have their internet and their phone ready for use at any time.

This is making more and more people interested in what a DSL provider and a cable internet provider have to offer, and many people are confused about the differences between the two of them. Constant advertisements boasting one company's superiority over the other are not helping matters either as it just furthers the confusion between the two.

For those in the market for a high speed internet provider, deciding whether or not a DSL provider has anything over a cable internet provider can be difficult, as the difference between them is not always clear. To clear up any confusion, know that there are some minor differences between cable and DSL internet services that may make a difference as to which one is best for your needs.

To help clear up any misconceptions on whether you should go with a DSL provider or a cable internet provider, here are the main specs on the two and a little bit on which type of service may work best for your family.
Cable Internet

For cable internet service you will need:

A cable ready internet modem, usually included with activation of cable internet service
A cable company that is offering cable internet service
An ethernet ready computer or a way to adapt your computer to Ethernet readiness

Most cable internet costs range in price every month and it is said to be up to five times faster than DSL, hence the higher price tag. For those who can't possibly need internet that fast, DSL internet should do. The signal comes from the same coaxial cable cord that gives your television cable service, and it is run through a modem and into your computer.

It doesn't matter how far away your home is from the actual cable company hub and cable is available on a lot more of a widespread basis. This makes it a popular and common favourite and even though cable lines can be shared between multiple users speed is normally not affected.

For DSL service you need:

An active phone line
A DSL-ready internet modem, which is normally included with and activated with the internet service
An ethernet ready computer or the ability to adapt your computer to be ethernet ready
A DSL internet provider

DSL stands for digital subscriber line, and it is the word that everybody uses to lump so-called high speed internet together. As a matter of fact, DSL internet is very rare because the signal gets weaker the further away from a central office or hub the actual subscriber is.

This means that unless you are close to an area that is giving off a DSL connection, the chances of you getting a good, fast internet signal is slim to none. There is not nearly as many DSL subscribers out there as there are to other types of internet, but it is pretty well priced. It is not quite as fast as cable internet but again, you get what you pay for.

Connected With A Wireless Router

If you hate having to turn on a modem every time you use another computer on your wireless network, get ready to be happy. There is a way to resolve this problem, and it is called a wireless router.

A wireless router is a small, low-power computer that does nothing but provide Internet access to your wireless network. When you use a wireless router, any computer on your network can be connected to the Internet at any time, regardless of whatever other computers are turned on. This is possible because a wireless router does only one thing, but it does it very well. The router does not even need to be configured before its initial operation in most cases.

When you go looking for a wireless router, there are several things to consider. As with any other wireless equipment, you must think about the routers range, speed, and standards. Speed is the top issue for a router, since it may have to provide Internet access to more than one computer at a time. This means that it has to be fast enough to handle this. As far as standards and range go, it is probably silly to buy capabilities beyond what your current wireless set-up has. You will not get any improvements by obtaining a more sophisticated router.

We should note that the Linksys WRT54G router is the most popular router currently available. It is also the easiest router to use. It is more expensive than some other routers, however, so you should always shop around to find the best deal. Also, you should make it a point to read reviews about any product you are considering.

Installing your wireless router is easy, since most work right out of the box. You should just have to plug it in to the power supply and connect your modem. In most cases, that is all you need to do to begin accessing the Internet wirelessly. In some cases, you might have to perform a few other tasks. The most common issue involves an ISP that uses special software to authenticate your identity before you can get on the Internet. This Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet, or PPPoE, basically allows you to have broadband access while still requiring that you to input a username and password first. Most wireless routers support PPPoE, but you will have to get into the manual and perform some adjustments. You may also need to download an update for the firmware, or on-board software, from the router manufacturers website.

Some of the problems that may arise when using a wireless router involve programs that require a direct connection to the Internet to perform some functions. These programs can be used with wireless routers, but configuring them to do so can be a painful process. Wireless routers may also have built-in firewalls that permit data to come through certain ports only, while keeping other ports closed. Programs that require this opening of ports have become relatively rare, but you may have to make this adjustment at some point. The routers manual will tell you how to handle this if the need arises.

Craft Services For The Film Industry

Have you ever been on the set of a television, film, or video production, then one thing that you are sure to have noticed is that these are very busy places. Any type of large or even medium sized production is sure to have dozens or hundreds of different people working on different areas of the film, and they are not all – or even mostly – areas where you are likely to see someone come up and get an Oscar on a Sunday night (although they do earn Oscars, it’s just not part of the public perception).

Most of the "hidden" areas of film production fall under what are termed as crafts; those parts of film development that the average person is not likely to read about in the credits. These jobs are usually filled by trained and skilled professionals – those in charge of art direction, makeup, props, camera, electricians, and so on. It is important to recognize the distinction of these areas termed crafts from others as they are represented by separate unions and have different needs than other areas of the film industry such as design, directing, writing, acting, and so on.

In fact, the film industry is so huge that there is a whole separate industry that serves the crafts, known appropriately as crafts services (and referred to colloquially as Crafty). These services are responsible for providing drinks and snacks in a buffet style for the personnel who fulfill various crafts positions. The craft services department is also responsible for providing various types of security on set, as well as for set protection; setting out layout boards, covering up after completion of filming for the day, and so on.

Although food is a part of the crafts services department’s job description, they should not be confused with catering. Catering refers to the provision of the actual meals on the set of a production; these meals are sit down and take place every six hours for either an hour or half an hour. An outside company provides catering, whereas crafts services are usually filled by the crewmembers working on a film. Many catering companies have the ability and the employees needed to fill this need in the film industry if called upon, plus they also have food service equipment, plus table and chairs available for rental should the need arise.

Characters Of Iron Man The Movie

Tony Stark (Iron Man) is one of the biggest reasons to see this film. Stark is one of the most dynamic characters in comic book history, and he shows no signs of stopping.

Stark is a genius of child prodigy level, but also quite a hedonist as an adult. He's set his father's burgeoning weapons manufacturer Stark Enterprises to pretty much function on his own – something that works a little too well, as Stark sees his weapons used by insurgents in Afghanistan during the time of his capture. Upon his return, Stark decides to reinvent Stark Enterprise's direction away from armaments.

Tony is an alcoholic. This is only lightly touched upon in the movie, but might provide the bulk of Tony's inner demons in later films.

Tony's secretary is Pepper Potts, and as the movie illustrates, she's more than that. Confident and right-hand woman, Pepper has the task of keeping billionaire playboy Stark in line in the beginning, and forms the logical counter-argument to Tony's epiphany-driven quest for redemption. A key difference from the comics. Pepper learns about Tony's alter ego early on, further intensifying their relationship.

Jim Rhodes is Tony's eventual rescuer from the war zone, and though he plays a similar role in the film, there Rhodes and Stark are depicted as long-time friends. Rhodes is seen as Tony's liaison to the military, and takes all of his responsibilities extremely seriously, making him a visible foil to Tony's carefree playboy ways. As hinted in the movie, however, Rhodes later one of Tony's prototype armors as War Machine. Actor Terrance Howard has stated interest in this direction, but his role in the first film is largely on the sidelines.

Another key character is Iron Man mythos is Obadiah Stane, Tony's mentor, business partner, and ultimately, adversary. The last of the movie Iron Man's notable assistants is undoubtedly Jarvis – in the comics he's a English butler, but the movie Iron Man depicts him as a super-intelligent computer voiced by Paul Bettany. Lastly, there is also a heavily-hyped appearance by Colonel Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD whose appearances heralds Marvel Studio's effort to interconnect its characters.

Opportunity Time Online

Floor time or opportunity time is being describe as a way for agents to get leads, usually generated from an incoming telephone call. Some brokers are migrating to "Call Centers" and still looking for that phone to ring so they can capture the lead. Now there is a new way to capture leads, called the INTERNET.

Most real estate related websites have, one way or another, some kind of property display, why not make it interactive and start offering customer service online? Maybe you should make your Website the mirror image of your office. When someone visits your office, what happens?

As soon as you walk in, someone greets you and asks how he or she can help you. You can add that capability to your Website with an approach called Web-based customer interaction. In particular, this approach means that you attempt to discover what your customers are looking for, answer their questions, and make it easier for them to find their way around your "listings."

Now, many companies offer products that let you add real-time service via voice or text-based chat to your site. Typically this is done by adding an icon to your Web pages with something like "click here for help". When the customer clicks on the icon a window pops up prompting him or her to type in a question. Meanwhile, the agent or customer service representative will be monitoring the site.

The software on your site will notify the agent of the customer's request and let the agent chat directly and immediately with the customer. Part of what the agent sees is the page the customer is on, which further lets the agent tailor his or her response to the customer.

One of the best company's offering this service is Human Click. With their software, you can direct (push) customers around your site, providing a true virtual tour, while remaining online with them in a chat session.

The agent can attempt to suggest which property fits their needs, answer questions, make an appointment, and most important give the customer a truly personal experience.

Inexpensive Mini Laptops

Incredibly powerful and ultra-portable mini notebooks and mini laptops are half the size of traditional machines. They are exploding in popularity in four markets. Rural areas around the globe that are cut off from new sources of information such as updated textbooks and up-to-the-minute news turn to these devices to solve these problems. Many poor areas have both the above problem and also the problem of families not being able to afford a full fledged computer. Consumers in the U.S., Japan, and elsewhere often have computing needs that are much less than what a large and expensive computer delivers. Groups such as children, stay at home parents, and senior citizens may want something easy, cheap portable, and light. Many families in wealthier countries are finding that they need almost one computer to every family member. However, to save space and money, and for maximum convenience, they buy one or two large models and the rest are mini-laptops or mini-notebooks.

What has happened over the past few years to truly make mini-laptops and mini-notebooks so popular is that manufacturers no longer have to strip down a lot of the functionality of a larger model to get to a price and size that attracts the consumer. In fact, most of the current minis have the functionality of the fully powerful notebooks and laptops of just a few years ago. They have a screen much larger than a mobile phone or PDA, though slightly smaller than a full sized laptop.

The target price for 2010 many manufacturers have for mini-laptops and mini-notebooks is below $100. They also hope to bring their weight below a pound (they are currently only about a pound and a half). Whether a consumer wants to access e-mail, watch video, listen to MP3s, browse the internet, take pictures and video, or learn from a virtual textbook, these products are already revolutionary even before they take these exciting future steps.

For the more technologically minded, here is a brief synopsis of the features of the technology involved with mini notebooks and mini-laptops:

- Built-in Devices: Wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna - Dimensions (average): Width 6-7 in, Depth 5- 6 in, Height 1-1.4 in, Weight 1.5-1.75 lbs

- Processor: Intel A110 / 800 MHz

- Operating Systems: Varied, but include Windows products such as Vista

- Software: Many possibilities including standard Office products, photo and video editing, financial, etc.

- Cache Memory: Installed Size usually around 512 KB

- RAM: Installed Size .5-1 GB - Hard Drive: 20-60 GB

Mini-laptops and mini-notebooks will continue to evolve, but don't wait. Very powerful, ultra-portable, and inexpensive models are already available from major manufacturers.

Using The Internet For Free Publicity

The Internet is one of the cheapest ways to market your business and obtain free publicity, as long as you're willing to spend the time it takes to spread your name far and wide. Your task is easier if you have your own website. But even if you can't afford that just yet, you still have many options:

1. Become an active member of forums or discussion boards. Blatant commercialism is discouraged, but hang around some of these forums long enough, offer free advice and before long people will be asking what else you know–and possibly what kind of product or service you sell. Start blogging. Anyone can create a blog for free, and blog postings get better search engine rankings than articles at a website, like this one.

2. Check out the website of the media outlet where you want to be mentioned. It might have contests, special offers, guest books or other features designed to find out more about you.

3. Many newspapers and magazines feature "hot websites." Ask them to visit yours.

4. Write articles for electronic newsletters and magazines. In exchange for your article, most editors will let you write a generous tagline telling readers what you do and how to contact you. If you don't have the time to write articles, subscribe to other people's free newsletters. Give the editor free advice, tips and nuggets of helpful information for their newsletter, in exchange for using your name and e-mail address.