Monthly Archives: December 2020

Cars: The Greatest Freedom Tool Ever Invented

by

Pexels – CC0 License

When you think about human freedom, you usually think about ancient Greek philosophy, the invention of democracy, and libertarianism. But being free is actually a lot more practical than many people in their ivory towers imagine. 

Cars, for instance, are arguably the greatest tool for freedom ever invented. For the first time in history, people can hop into a vehicle and travel wherever they want on the public roads, without having to pay a fortune for the privilege. Practically everyone in work can afford these objects. 

How We View Our Cars

It wasn’t always this way, of course. The 1960s, for instance, was an era before universal car ownership. The vast majority of working people couldn’t afford to run a private motor vehicle, so they had to rely on walking, trains, or bicycles instead. 

When cars began coming down in price to the point where the average person could afford them, they were hailed as freedom-giving objects. All of a sudden, a family living in the middle of a big city could pack their bags and go to the beach whenever they liked, without having to hop on the train first. Plus, they could travel back whenever they liked, instead of having to keep an eye on the clock. 

Young people experienced a similar level of freedom for the first time too. They were able to go out late, drive where they liked, and meet up with their friends, so long as they had access to a car. It was seen as the greatest tool for freedom in the history of mankind, giving anyone who owned one unprecedented level of independence. 

The view of cars, however, began to change. And by the turn of the millennium, very few people saw them as a tool for freedom. In fact, most began viewing them as objects that polluted and damaged the natural world – a far cry from fifty years beforehand. 

The rise of the car wreck lawyer also began to change things. For the first time, we saw that cars were also extremely dangerous and that safety was a real concern on the roads. 

Because of these major narratives, we’ve forgotten about the freedom that cars offer us. But it’s still there, and we should celebrate it. 

Reclaiming The Car Freedom Narrative

Pexels – CC0 License

Major social forces are changing the way that we view our motor vehicles. The global elite actually wants to put an end to private vehicle consumption because of the impact that they believe it is having on the climate. 

But with the advent of electric motor vehicles, that could all be about to change. In the future, the problem won’t be the cars themselves at all – it’ll be the coal and gas power plants providing them with energy. 

Cars will once again become a kind of guilt-free pleasure that anyone can enjoy. And it’s going to happen sooner than many think. Already EVs are economically compelling. And by the time we get to the middle of the next decade, the price of making them will have fallen below regular ICE vehicles, ushering in a new era.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

How The Way You Drive Changes As You Get Older

by

Driving is possibly the closest thing that we have to a rite of passage in the west. Once somebody can full command of a dangerous two-ton motor vehicle, they suddenly enter a world of genuine life and death responsibility. It’s a critical part of the “adulting” process for many people. 

Pexels – CC0 License

Remember, society tends to coddle children as they grow up. We don’t accept any form of danger. And that means that young people never really get a taste of what it means to have genuine responsibility. Many of the attempts to build “rounded” people involve an element of fakery or make-believe. 

Driving, however, is just about as real as it gets in the modern world. Health and safety haven’t yet conquered the private motor vehicle, which means that many young people still have the opportunity to take the power of life itself into their hands. 


Of course, very few people describe what’s going on in these terms. We don’t have a narrative about what it means to become a driver. It’s just something people do. But the fundamentals are all there. Driving is a kind of gateway to adulthood – and one of the only ones we have left. 

You would think, therefore, that young drivers would be the most cautious. After all, they don’t have experience on the road. And they’re only just learning to get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, that’s not usually how it works out in practice. Instead, young drivers are much more likely to take risks than any other age group. 

It’s all to do with the maturing brain. Experts think that it takes until at least age 25 for people to develop the ability to adequately judge risk. So because so many people start driving in their late teens, they don’t have the psychological machinery in place to know what styles of driving are dangerous and which aren’t. It’s just not in their makeup. 

Pexels – CC0 License

Getting into a crash, however, can have all sorts of long-term financial ramifications. Financial recovery after an accident, for instance, often takes a long time and help from professional legal experts. Rehabilitation from injuries is also sometimes a multi-year project. 

As people get older, therefore, they begin to see the realities of these risks. It’s not just a matter of protecting themselves, but also their families and other people on the road. Getting into a crash can have all sorts of long-term adverse effects, both materially, and psychologically. 

Older drivers, therefore, tend to leave behind their “boy racer” days. Their primary concern becomes comfort instead of thrill-seeking. And that’s reflected in the way that they drive. 

They also naturally create a kind of unconscious intelligence that helps them become better drivers. Over the years, they learn about the kinds of situations that are dangerous and take precautionary action to prevent an accident. The interesting thing is that many people do this automatically, without even realizing it, which is why your chances of being in an accident plummet in your forties and fifties before rising again in old age.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

Making The Perfect Driving Playlist

by

If you are in the middle of planning for all of the places you are going to see as soon as possible, then you might be considering a few long drives. 

Read a great post on planning a road trip here: Planning The Best Summer Road Trip Ever.

What is something that makes a road trip something you never forget? The right weather, great company, and an epic playlist. 

We all have different tastes in music. Some of us like heavy metal, and others love classical. Yet, there are some essential planning tips that can make your playlist something to rival even the master playlist curators from your most-used streaming service. 

Photo by Francisco Gonzalez on Unsplash

Device

You are most likely going to use your mobile phone to Bluetooth your music to your car stereo. Or plug something into your AUX. One of the critical things to remember is that you might hit areas where you don’t have a signal or use up your data. Downloading your entire playlist when you are at home will help avoid most issues. Spotify has the option to download the playlist. 

Before you head out, you must make sure your speakers are up to the task. There is nothing worse than speakers that hum or buzz as you are driving. Check out this informative buyers guide to make sure you have the 

Two Lists

If you have two genres that you enjoy, use that to create two separate lists. The first step is to put in 20 of your favorite songs in each genre. But don’t try and rush it; take your time. It’s a great idea to have a notebook around, and when a song pops into your head or write it down, this will help you create your base list. 

You can then find songs that go with this to give you an excellent and easy to listen to playlist.

Ideally, you want between five and seven hours of music on each playlist. This can amount to hundreds of songs when you consider that many songs are around 3 to 4 minutes long.

It also decreases the likelihood of having to skip too many songs or a song that keeps repeating.

Creating two lists can also give you two different driving experiences—one for cities and one for the countryside or early mornings and late evenings. 

Classics

There are some classics that everyone can enjoy and sing along to. 

  • Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way / Rhiannon
  • Eagles – Take It Easy
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
  • Kansas – Carry on Wayward Son
  • Boston – More Than a Feeling

You can also check out the playlists for driving curates by some streaming services for some inspiration:

  • Apple Music Driving Playlist
  • YouTube Music Driving Playlist
  • Spotify Driving Playlist

TimeOut magazine published a great list of 50 of the best road trip songs of all time, which are worth checking out!

The songs that you choose to accompany you on your long drives can make the surrounding environment even more interesting and enticing—listening to 70s and 80s classics on a long stretch of clear open road, with the warm summer sun? – There is nothing like it.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

5 Work From Home Essentials

by

Image Credit

Chances are you already have your home office set up by now, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. You might have a haphazard set up that needs reorganising, or a new idea to make your work from home situation easier and more productive. In this post we look at some of the ways you can do this and how to get started. 

WiFi and Connectivity 

This is a big consideration when setting up your home office. You need a strong Internet connection that won’t let you down during important meetings and conversations. The type of router you choose and Internet deal you buy will determine how reliable it is. 

If you’re working from a studio room or multiple occupancy apartment a single router should be enough to cover the room with a solid connection. If you need to cover more rooms of the house or you have more people using it you may need more bandwidth. 

An Adequate Desk

Although working from home is usually more comfortable and convenient than a stuffy office, you’re not on holiday. It’s good to remind yourself of this by arranging a desk that’s functional and that makes you feel as if you’re at work.

These days there are several options for you to choose from. If you only need a desk for sitting a computer on then a standard one is fine; other jobs, however, might require you to stand or move around. Consider a standing desk or a lap desk for your convenience and productivity, check your computer is in good order with homuten computer repair.

Power Sources 

Working from home means more time in the house with your computer and devices on. Moreover you probably have other family members working from home too, and their devices also need to be charged. This is an issue that needs solved from the start to avoid arguments and lost clients.  

Invest in a powerstrip for your home or home office. This is a unit that has many power outlets and USB ports. It can sit in the front room or hall and act as a hub extension for all your family’s power needs. 

Tea and Coffee

It’s important to stay motivated throughout your working day and there’s no better way to do this than a tea or coffee break. Whether you like to have a hot mug of coffee at your desk or a break in a separate room it’s worth investing in a quality mug and kettle. 

You want a mug that’s large enough to satisfy your tea or coffee capacity, you don’t want to continually leave your job to boil the kettle – it’s wasteful and inefficient. Try to get a mug that also stores heat well. For a kettle it’s best to get one that’s fast boiling and eco friendly. 

Light Levels

One aspect of the home office people tend to overlook is the light levels. The lighting in your home office can affect your mood and productivity, especially in the winter. You may not want a main light on all the time, it can give you a headache over long periods of time, but if you use a lamp you need to make sure it gives you enough essential light to work with.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

Tips You Need For Choosing Your New Building Lot

by

When you are in the position of choosing to build a home or buy an existing property, it’s an exciting place to be! You get to weigh up the pros and cons for both, and if you decide to build a home over buying one, you’re going to get to choose a building lot for your house to sit on. The fun thing about this is that you now have some things to consider. Your house needs to be a home and that starts with the type of building in which you want to live. You also have to think about the size of the lot you want to buy, whether it’s close to things that matter to you and whether your land is coveted by others.

There are some cases in which you will need to think about whether you will ever need the help of cell tower lease experts, but you need to know this in advance before you buy. The best thing that you can do is take the tips below for choosing the plot of land that you need the most. So, with this in mind, let’s run through them all one by one.

Tilt-shift Photography of Houses

Image Source: Pexels

  • The Area. It’s so important that you consider the area in which you want to live. Is the plot of land you’re looking to buy close to the nearest stores, services, churches and public transport? Before you choose anywhere to buy, you need to walk the area and do a drive-through so that you know how long it takes to get to each amenity. Don’t just do this once, either. You need to go to the area you’re looking to buy in at night time, on a busy weekend, during the early morning, different weather types – an area can look different depending on the time of day. You’ll find that some real estate agents will schedule their viewings and open houses on the best times of day rather than in the evening, and this is a tactic to ensure that you don’t see any unsavory activity! Due diligence is a must, so make sure that you get to know the area properly. You want to know how far you are from cell towers, electronic wires and more.
  • The Growth. When you buy a property, you want to know whether there is room for you to grow the property and improve it. Sometimes, it takes looking at the masterplan of the builders for the area, so this will tell you whether there are any planned buildings in the future, large developments to be built or cell towers that are looking to be built, too. This will give you some insight as to whether you need to consider looking elsewhere to build your property. You need to know that there isn’t going to be a highway built through your neighborhood a year after your purchase: it’ll kill the value of your newly built home!
  • Your Preferences. When you choose a town to build a house in, you need to consider the personal preferences that you have when it comes to the area. Each town has a range of areas and you need to think about what you want from yours before you go ahead and build or buy.
  • Distance. When you build a home on a lot, you usually find that it’s surrounded by other lots and you need to know whether your new home is going to be plagued by traffic noise or locals walking up and down. You want your home to be a peaceful one and it can only be peaceful if you know how to find it.
  • The Children. If you have children, consider the crime rates and the safety of the roads in the area around your new build. The safest streets are going to be popular and likely expensive, but that doesn’t mean that you should discount them. Choose a lot with a large backyard if you have children, and try to find somewhere with a parking space, too.
  • The Footprint. What’s the shape of the lot you’re buying? You want to be able to envision your new home fitting into that space, and whether you like the look of it. Finding the footprint of the house will help you to better plan it, and you can think about what the building will look like when it’s finished.

When you build a new home, you need to consider all of these points. There is a lot to think about, and now you can get through each of these before you make any decisions.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

3 Pointers on How to Manage a Remote Team Like a Pro

by
christina-wocintechchat-com-TR0GG3U81i0-unsplash

Before the coronavirus wreaked havoc, many corporate leaders viewed remote work as a temporary arrangement. Even though work-from-home has become more popular thanks to the ever-growing number of freelancers, many still thought that it cannot work for corporate offices, especially for those with more than fifty or a hundred employees.

The assumption is that employees will be less productive at home, but it has been proven wrong this year by employers themselves.

Remote Workers Are Just as Productive as Office Workers

A recent study by HR consulting firm, Mercer revealed that productivity has been mostly unchanged by remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company surveyed 800 employers who said that after solving issues like employees lacking appropriate equipment at home, operations have been the same as usual. Some even noted increases in employee productivity. Finally, 83% of the respondents said they will continue to offer flexible work arrangements even when the pandemic is over.

No doubt many factors contributed to the responding companies’ success in keeping business running. We can safely assume, however, that credit must go to the managers and supervisors for ensuring that their teams stay productive while in quarantine.

How did these managers do it? Here are a few pointers from corporate leaders that managers can adopt as part of their people and project management practices.

  1. Allow employees to work flexible hours.
woman-having-coffee-while-using-laptop-4050388

Many employers assume that their employees are living the life while working from home. They are wrong. Remote workers may no longer have to contend with traffic, long commutes, or workplace distractions, but now they have to work around pets, children, house chores, and slow home Internet service.

Under these circumstances, it would be very difficult for employees to stay seated before their laptops or desktop computers and work straight from nine to five. It would be better to give them the flexibility to work when they can be most productive within the day.

Employers in the Mercer report gave similar advice. Giving employees flexible work hours helped them work around the distractions at home. It kept not only productivity rates high but also employee satisfaction.

When employees see that their employers support them during difficult times, their respect and loyalty for the company will increase. They will also be encouraged to keep giving their 100% at work and help their teams reach their targets.

  1. Encourage work-life integration.

Digital media expert and president of Goodway Group, Jay Friedman recommended that instead of work-life balance, which promotes separation of work and leisure time, managers should encourage their teams to practice work-life integration. This aligns with the previous section on work flexibility and letting employees work at different times of the day instead of the fixed, regular work hours.

Some employees will try to keep their work-from-home routine as similar to their office schedule as possible, and they should be allowed to. If, however, they find this difficult to do, managers can help employees establish new work routines that also take into account their daily responsibilities at home. These schedules should also allot “personal time” so that employees can still achieve a balance between work and time for family.

  1. Discourage non-paid overtime work.

Work-from-home employees are working an average of three more hours per day, according to the findings of NordVPN. This suggests that employees need to work longer hours to meet their daily deliverables. This can eventually be a problem because working unnecessarily long hours can cause burnout.

Managers, therefore, should encourage team members to finish their work within their allotted time. If they can’t convert the extra hours they worked for OT pay, that’s a sign that they should not bother with it anymore.  

These are just some of the ways that managers can keep their team members involved, engaged, and productive while in quarantine. It’s not easy, but it is achievable. You can start with the three tips in this article.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

Need Windows 10 But Can’t Afford It?

by

There is no shame in money being tight, but when you need your laptop to work from home and your Windows has crashed out on you, there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a budget. You need to work from home right now more than ever and having a slow operating system is just not ideal. You want to be able to upgrade your windows, but what are you supposed to do?

Most laptops and desktops come with Windows built right in, and the price for that operating system is likely factored into what you paid for the laptop in the first place. So, if you pay for a cheap laptop, you’re going to get a slower, cheaper operating system. Right now, you need to be able to upgrade to Windows 10 so that you can get work done and stop being frustrated by the slowness of your current system. So, let’s take a look at how you can get Windows 10 without breaking into your overdraft!

Man Sitting While Using Laptop

Image Source: Pexels

  • Run It, But Don’t Activate It! Okay, so it’s not the most honest way to do it, but did you know that you can run Windows and not activate it? It won’t shut off after a month like the notifications promise you that it will, either. The system will keep nagging you about activation, and you can’t personalize your screen the same way. However, it feels worth it to be able to use the system temporarily until you can afford to activate it properly.
  • Go Back In Time. If you can, go back in time to upgrade your system from an older Windows version. When you run Windows as an update on your computer, you can upgrade it for free. So, pop back onto that old laptop and it should stop talking to you about your expired promotion. You can run Windows update on your older laptop, and then use the Update Assistant to run the update properly.
  • Go Back To School. If you’re already a student, great. If you have an alumni account, you could log in and use that. Windows 10 Education is not much different from Windows 10 Enterprise. If you’re a student, you can access it for free and all you need to do is prove it!
  • A Cheaper Key. This one isn’t free, but it’s much cheaper than buying a whole new Windows 10 disc box. You can buy OEM keys for Windows 10 at a lot of places, and companies like ComputerGarage can help you to find the right way about it. Upgrading your system is easier than ever, and you don’t have to be out of pocket to do it.

Try out these methods today, and you’ll be able to get your upgrade you need. Budget should not be a factor if you’re trying to work from home. If you can’t use any of the methods above, contact your IT team at work. They should be able to provide you with a workplace laptop for a while until you can upgrade properly.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

Is Your Business Facing Any Of These IT issues?

by

The advantages of using modern business technology are well known.  In reality, it is safe to say that the vast number of organizations can benefit from the introduction of new technology. However, notwithstanding all the positive elements, it is important to be aware of the possible issues that technology can cause. These days, these risks are greater than ever before. 

It is important to keep security and usability at the top of your approach when using cloud computing, the Internet of Things and automation technologies. Here, we will looking at some of the possible IT challenges you might face and how you can prevent them.

Image via Unsplash CC0

Outdated technology

Technology is developing at an unprecedented pace. Even if you think your infrastructure is up to date, before you know it something new will come along and be better and more effective. If you start falling behind technology, you run the risk of falling behind your rivals, and that is not good news for any business, whatever the industry.

Make sure that whenever new update scomes along, you don’t miss it and stay up to date with any new developments.Attending networking events and conferences is an ideal way to not only to network with other people, but also to find out what is going on in the world of technology.  You can also get advice from an expert in IT such as Haval Dosky.

Network and data breaches

It is thought that a breach of data occurs every forty seconds and that almost half of the attacks are on small businesses with less than thousand workers. This is because, broadly speaking, smaller enterprises have fewer strategies in place to deal with these problems and are thus more vulnerable. You must have systems and processes in place to prevent this from happening as a breach of data can destroy your company.

As with everything, prevention is the best form of defence. Make sure your systems are upated as soon as updates are released, make sure that you have the best in anti-virus and anti-malware software. It is also crucial that your staff are all aware of the importance of being careful with data.

Deceleration of productivity

Technology is typically intended to help increase productivity and performance and streamline the business processes. However it does not always operate like that for many businesses. Due to inadequate maintenance or improper use of the technology, it may do the reverse and contribute to a deceleration of productivity. This does not even take into account any disruptions caused by system crashes and failures – and this is always a possibility with technology.

Making sure that your workforce is up to date with current training and understand how to use technology is important if you want to keep your business running. Not only that, you want to make sure that there is continuity across the business as well. Some staff may fear that making the most of technology will put their jobs at risk because they will no longer be needed, but if you can show them the contrary, they are more likely to accept it and use it efficiently.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

College Is Expensive: Here’s How To Talk To Your Teenager About It

by

Every single teenager with aspirations to do great things have college in their plan. Most of the time, conversations about college don’t happen until the end of the junior year, but when it comes to college, teenagers need to know about the cost involved. Your teenager has to be well versed in what it costs to go to college before they start filling out those applications, so that they can apply for the appropriate schools in your budget.

There is a lot that goes into going to college. Parents and teenagers need to have open conversations about college prep high school online, the costs of the applications, how many schools are on the radar and more. Open conversation will encourage good communication about costs, what you can afford and whether they want to get a job to pay for their own expenses. If your teenager knows the kind of education you can afford for them, you’re going to have a much better time of it when it comes to their college prep. They will be able to apply for colleges that they are aware that you can afford, and you’ll be able to breathe easy knowing that they are happy with what you can manage.

Two Men Studying Together

Image source: Pexels

If you have an ambitious and excited teenager talking to you about college, then you need to think about broaching the conversation of college funds as early as possible. If they want Ivy League or international schools, you need to be able to talk them through their current college fund and what assistance can be open to them to make up the funds. IF you cannot afford a high-fee school, don’t over promise them what they can do. 

You can broach the subject of savings goals even before high school, as you can get it into their minds as early as possible what their options could be. Encourage your teenager to take a summer job to add to their expenses fund. Talking about costs and savings will show them that you want to work with them to save and prepare for their fees and their general living costs. It’s a commitment to work together on their education!

Savings, spending and debt should be a regular and ongoing conversation. There doesn’t need to eb a face to face meeting and it doesnt need to be formal every single time. This should be a discussion not a dictator and you should think about colleges together. If your teenager has some preferences, work on how you can achieve those preferences.

You can open plenty of different college fund accounts to get your child to college. You can look at potential scholarships, but don’t rely on them if you can help it! Every dollar you save together is less than you have to borrow to pay your way through education. Save in your name not your teenager, as that can be taxed at a high rate.

It can cause stress to save up for college, especially if your teenager has high hopes. However, the more you work together, the better you’ll be at getting there!

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂

How To Use Curb Appeal For Your Business

by

The look of your business premises can make a lot of difference, whether you’re building them from scratch or renting existing premises. Curb appeal is something that your business should make use of to draw in potential customers. When someone drives or walks past your business, an outside that looks cared for will make a good impression before they head inside. 

Image – free for commercial use

  1. Keep the pavement clean. Hire a pressure washer to thoroughly clean the pavement or your car park. Keeping the outside clean makes your business look a lot more inviting. 
  2. Make use of plants. Pots of greenery are an easy way to add some colour to the front of your premises. Choose a few planters or hanging baskets, and dress your front entrance with them, to keep the place looking welcoming and shows that someone cares about the premises.
  3. Refresh your signage. If the signs outside your business have seen better days, this suggests that your business might have seen better days too. If any signage needs to be repaired, get this done, and repaint anything that looks faded. Show off your branding with bright, well-looked-after signage.  
  4. Tidy up outside every day. The outside of your premises can soon start to look untidy if you let litter, cigarette ends, and dead leaves pile up. Send someone outside to sweep every day and clear the frontage. Provide bins outside to discourage litter and cigarette ends from being dropped. 
  5. Change your window displays frequently. If your business has a window at the front, make the most of this space for window displays. Show off what you stock. Change these displays on a regular basis. By doing this, people who walk past the store frequently will see that there is something different to look at, and might be encouraged to come in and explore what you have to offer.
  6. Make it obvious what your business actually does. Anyone who is passing by your premises should be able to tell with only a quick glance what your business does. Make sure that your signage makes this very clear and shows off your branding. 
  7. Look after your parking area. If your premises have parking spaces, make sure that this area is well lit and well sign-posted. Parking spaces should be clearly marked so people can find them easily. As part of this signage, clearly flag any parking restrictions. Customers will be put off if they can’t find where to park, or park and end up with a ticket. Maintain your asphalt paving and add plenty of lighting. If people come to your business in the evening, lighting will make the outside of your premises feel much safer. If your staff leave at night in the dark, they’ll also appreciate a properly lit car park to keep them safe. 

Curb appeal should be considered as part of the branding of your business. A business that isn’t looked after won’t draw anyone in, but a well-cared-for exterior can help to encourage potential businesses to come inside.

Contributed Post.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading!  🙂