Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States. There are more than 3 million cases of childhood obesity in the US each year, and it can cause serious health problems. Childhood obesity can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Overweight children are often bullied and shamed for being fat, which leads to low self-esteem and depression.

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, and the sad part of this story is that it is very treatable without the intervention of a doctor. Children just need their parents to take an active interest in their lives and decide that it is time for a change.

The main causes of obesity are genetics, metabolism, nutrition and exercise habits. There is nothing you can do to change your genetic makeup, but you can certainly change your eating and exercise habits. The easiest thing to do is to monitor your children’s eating habits and hold them accountable. I know from personal experience that kids spend way too much time on devices. I think it’s important to limit the amount of screen time and get them to go out and play and burn off some energy. It’s easy to limit screen time by using some mobile app technology and a little effort on the part of parents.

So how can childhood obesity be treated without a doctor? Using a simple structured healthy nutrition plan. Children will follow their parents’ example of what to eat, so it is important that parents set good examples of what to eat on a daily basis.

Try using free mobile apps to track your calories and log your exercise to make sure you stay within your daily goal. Real change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does require parents to set the right expectations with their children. Children learn by example, so if you, as a parent, lead a healthy lifestyle, your children are more likely to do the same.

Many parents complain that feeding their children healthy foods is too expensive. These are typically the same parents who shop for fast food using drive-thru on a routine basis. Healthy eating shouldn’t be a time-consuming or expensive activity. Yes, it’s a lifestyle change, but it’s for the longevity of HIS LIFE.

Eating a healthy, well-balanced meal shouldn’t cost more than ten ($10) dollars per day if you do it right. Keep in mind that a healthy weight is achieved with 95% diet and 5% exercise.

Pilots are a rare breed, maybe even weird, and they have an affection for their planes that even a girlfriend or wife could envy. Many pilots live next to a private airstrip and have a hangar behind their house where they can taxi and take off.

Inside these hangars is not only the main aircraft, but also some aircraft projects that are underway. Upon entering the hangar, one of the things you’ll almost always find is a portable air compressor. And, with a little thought, you can understand why.

Portable air compressors provide compressed air to power pneumatic tools and inflate tires, both necessary functions for any serious aircraft owner. Tire pressure will vary by season and can be adjusted based on the type of airport the pilot intends to fly from. Large soft tires work best on grass runways, smaller tires work best on hard surface runways.

Most modern aircraft are covered in aluminum attached to the ribs and spars with rivets that are driven into place with a pneumatic tool. In the typical aircraft owner’s hangar, you’ll find various tools for forming, cutting, and installing aluminum on the aircraft, with the best tools powered by portable air compressors.

Many different types of pneumatic tools used by pilots and aircraft mechanics are necessary for the proper care and maintenance of aircraft, including impact wrenches, riveters, inflation nozzles, cutting tools, air drills, and rotary sanders, to name a few.

When deciding on the right portable air compressor for the hangar, pilots will consider the type and number of air tools they will be using on their projects. Once the compression needs of these tools have been determined, a portable air compressor with 1.25 to 1.5 times the expected maximum airflow in pounds per square inch (PSI) or cubic feet per minute is generally chosen. (CFM).

For example, a pneumatic drill may require only 4 CFM to function properly, while a grinder may require more than 8 CFM to function properly.

Pilots find many uses for pneumatic tools, such as using a pneumatic sandblasting tool to clean spark plugs, an impact wrench to change aircraft wheels, and a spray painter to touch up or paint the plane.

Among the benefits of air tools powered by a portable air compressor is the fact that the tools will last longer, have variable speed and torque control settings, run cooler, present no fire hazard and emit no harmful emissions to the environment. atmosphere.

Another benefit is that pneumatic tools are more powerful and, at the same time, do not require such great effort from the operator as to cause fatigue.

That’s why you’ll almost always find a portable air compressor in a pilot’s aircraft hangar.

Laid Back Vintage Luxury, a stunning waterfront home designed with open spaces to make everyone feel accessible and connected. Large cusped windows accented with ancient Indian arches showcase the spectacular ocean views. Relaxed, understated and informal interiors, perfect for entertaining or just spending a lazy afternoon reading your favorite book to the music of nature.

A feeling of cozy living combined with old woods and architectural pieces that tell stories of their former owners. The doors and arches of the Old Haveli have soft weathered textures and patinas that lend a warm elegance to the décor.

An open living room and kitchen area with extra wide sliding carved barn doors leading to the patio. The barn doors are created from carved Indian panels of Buddha, Krishna, Ganesha in subtle colors, when closed they are beautiful works of art. When opened, the doors nearly double the living space. Slower paced, relaxed calming energies fill the room.

Casual waterfront entertaining with close friends is the main thought of relaxed vintage interiors. The living room features a long three-arched gallery showcasing ocean views, an iron-studded coffee table, and a custom antique door where the family plays cards and watches movies. The old sun-bleached reclaimed doors in the wall act as masterpieces of architectural art giving an old world vibe.

The upper floor features two master suites, each with balconies and incredible ocean views. Each of the five rooms is inspired by various cultures, so each guest feels like they have their own personal retreat.

Textured old woods bursting with color and carving, from the sideboard under the TV in the living room to the “manjoosh” in the kitchen. An ancient and beautiful Haveli door whitewashed with natural texture by the sand wind is the head of the king that catches your eye as you pass through the arched doorway. The gentle breeze flutters the sari drapes bringing the romance of a bohemian rhapsody.

When styling the laundry space, Indian-inspired whitewashed laundry cabinets complete the vintage look. Old reclaimed wood is used everywhere from the study table to the bookshelves in the library. Made from old door frames, they even have the house number inscribed on them.

A huge antique door frame wall mirror in the bathroom makes a big statement. A lush carved rustic sideboard has been converted into a double vanity with copper sinks. Enjoy the warm woods and soft earthy sensations of old reclaimed woods. Grounding and nourishing woods give beautiful energies to the living space and the house becomes a home.

Today I have the great pleasure of posting Part I of a conversation I had with an incredibly accomplished person and a wonderful human being. engineer, entrepreneur and investor, Bill Warner., Founder of Avid Technology.

An MIT graduate, Bill founded Avid Technology in 1987. With a small team of hardware and software engineers, Mr. Warner created the tool that radically changed the way movies, television, and all dynamic media are created, Avid Media Composer.

Avid had already started to revolutionize the world of publishing when I first put Bill in 1992. Media Composer was rapidly evolving and making strong inroads into the world of high-end commercial post production. After seeing a demo, I became obsessed with the idea of ​​”editing on a computer” and not long after found myself assisting my friend and fellow film editor Steve Cohen, working on one of the first long-form Hollywood productions to be produced. digitally cut. at the Avid. The project meant a lot to the still young company, and Bill and several other key players from the original team flew in from the East Coast to provide support, get feedback, and generally observe how we were designing a new digital publishing workflow.

The rest, as they say, is history. The following year the conversion to digital mail began. In 1993, Bill and And Avid received an Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the development of Avid Media Composer. In 1999, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Avid the Oscar® for its success in transforming the editing process in filmmaking. Bill accepted the award on the world broadcast.

But for Bill Warner this was just the beginning.

In 1992 he founded Wildfire Communications and designed the first voice-based electronic secretary, which he sold to Orange, PLC. in 2000. Since then, he has divided his time between working with nonprofit organizations and a focus on helping entrepreneurs. Additionally, he has acted as an angel investor for thirteen startups and three non-profit organizations. Startups are in areas as diverse as 3D animation, email-based blogging, event networking, ad insertion for online video, visual environments for nightclubs, shared calendars, and more. compensation design and management. Non-profit organizations participate in the historical/current mapping of Boston for planning purposes; a film school and an open source mechanical design approach to new vehicles for people with disabilities. Recent angel investments include sparkcloud, marginize, posterous, and zelfy.

He is also working on a book about entrepreneurship called “Intent and Invention”. He explores how to optimize the connection between what drives an entrepreneur and how they make inventions out of that drive.

Mr. Warner has been a long-time trustee of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and has taught classes for entrepreneurs through that organization. In 2008, Warner created and co-chaired the MassTLC Innovation 2008 unConference. Now in its third year, the Innovation 2010 unConference will be held in Boston and has become the annual focal point of the Boston-area innovation community. In 2009, MassTLC presented Warner with the Innovation Catalyst Award for his work with startups and the innovation community.

A true Renaissance man, over the years Bill Warner has founded these companies:

1975 – Bionic Control Corporation – Designed environmental control systems for people with disabilities. Turn lights on/off, change TV channels using your own whistling ability. 1980 – New England Handcycles – Manual pedal bicycles manufactured between 1980 and 1990. 1987 – Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) – Manufactures video, audio and film editing systems. Public company. 1992 – Wildfire Communications, Inc. – Designed the first voice-based electronic secretary – Sold to Orange in 2000 1999 – FutureBoston, Inc. – Not-for-profit – designs high-resolution mapping systems that combine past, present, and future maps as layers. The city of Boston uses technology. 2002 – Warner Research, LLC – Angel investment and software development company. He ran the Collaboration Space at Warner Research, a shared space for entrepreneurs until 2008. 2006: Move With Freedom, Inc. – Non-profit organization focused on open source designs of mobility tools for people with disabilities. Move With Freedom soon to put the Morphing Handcycle into production. Anything Goes Investing: personal angel investment fund focused on new entrepreneurs, new technologies and new markets 2010 – Anything Goes Lab: an accelerator laboratory focused on helping new entrepreneurs and new teams to help each other and design products and companies that align intentions of the founders with the needs of the market.

Larry Jordan: So where did you get the idea for Avid?

Bill Warner: Well, I loved photography and I always loved photography. From the age of six I had a Brownie camera and then the Instamatic camera. And I remember that moment when I bought a Nikon FTn. It was like graduating from college and I was 15 years old or something. And it was just a great thing.

And then when video cameras became small enough to buy and carry around, something that would be huge today but for $2,000, which would go on the side and the separate camera. I bought one of these things. And I started shooting videos.

And then I realized, “You need to edit this.” And the question then was, how do you edit?

And me; we always had family vacations at my parents’ house in Palm Springs. They were retired and lived in Palm Springs. The whole family came there. And I came with my video camera. I started taking videos of my nieces and nephews.

And one time I decided that I would do this video called “Take the money and run”. And we wrote it and did parts for all the kids and I directed and filmed it. And it was a great production: the whole family.

And then I went into post-production, in front of the faux fireplace in my parents’ Palm Springs house. And I sat there with the camera recorder hooked up to their home recorder, which means they weren’t able to watch TV for all this time. And it took hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and of course I couldn’t dial in the right places and I couldn’t make it all go right.

Larry Jordan: Clean edits?

Bill Warner: Oh no. Forget this. And just being anywhere in the stadium was a good thing, and you move on.

Larry Jordan: Pure frustration.

Bill Warner: Absolutely.

So I made this video called “Take the money and run.” And I have to tell you, we just saw it a moment ago and it still warms my heart to see that. And he did it with our whole family.

And it was that experience, which was so difficult to edit, that made me feel like something has to be better than what I have.

Larry Jordan: And how did you proceed from there? How did you go from that idea to, say, a prototype?

Bill Warner: OK, well, there was a big gap between “Take the Money and Run” and Avid. So, I was doing these family videos, and that was wonderful but incredibly difficult to do.

And then at the company I worked for, Apollo Computer, they had a little editing system. So I thought, “Ah. So now this is going to be good.” So I went and started using their little editing system; Panasonic Knob Editor. And it was more accurate, but it was still the same pain of line editing. I was starting to realize what this linear editing thing meant. What it really meant was you change your mind, you lose it. I mean, it was really painful. Basically, you had to keep building and building, and if you ever wanted to go back, forget it.

Friendship is a type of relationship that affects you as a person since it will become a valuable part of your being. But, some kind of friendships are better than others like those low-maintenance ones that won’t wear you down with so much drama.

A low-maintenance friendship doesn’t mean settling into a shitty relationship. Instead, this type of relationship allows you to grow as an individual because the quality of the relationship comes off easily. They are the friends who do not demand constant communication or hanging out. But, you know they will always be there for you.

I have been friends with four amazing women for ten years, and we are nothing but low maintenance. And these are the things I’ve learned from a decade of valuable friendship.

one no drama

You are so busy with important things in your life that you don’t waste your time together with unwanted and unnecessary drama. You prefer to spend the limited days together having fun as you deserve to enjoy these rare moments.

With this type of friendship, you have a broad understanding of each other and are willing to give up any little misunderstandings you have. There is not much to fight about because their friendship is based on the simple foundation of reality.

two Fun in doing the simplest things.

While watching the infamous television series Gossip Girl, I realized why my low-maintenance friendships last. We don’t need intrigues, backstabbing and complicated actions to have fun. We’re perfectly fine with hanging out and talking about takeout at home. All we need to be happy is each other’s presence, nothing fancy at all.

3 they are real

They are as real as they come. There’s no need to be someone you’re not because your friends don’t really care what others say about them. They always believe in the principle “what you see is what you get”. But of course there are a lot of exciting things about you and your friends, you just have to be real and honest about it. The thing is, they don’t have to act or do anything uncomfortable because they’re okay with who they are.

4 They only have genuine support for you.

You couldn’t find envy and pretense in a low-maintenance friendship. As real as they are, they will be genuinely happy about your success and supportive of your dreams. You may not have the same dreams, but you definitely dream with the same magnitude. So you are never afraid because despite not talking every day, you know that they will always be there for you and vice versa.

5 Friendship and love come to perfection.

They generously give each other the love and friendship that each one needs. The love you share is true and does so unconditionally. A frenemy has never been in your vocabulary because really why invest in hate when it can be so draining?

I know you have friends in mind as you read. So, treasure and value this type of friendship because they are rare jewels in the world full of hate and falsehood.

Creating a complete online store is not that difficult when there are a large number of platforms available, including Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce or Zencart. However, considering the fierce competition in the eCommerce segment, starting an online business is more about building credibility and getting things right to drive conversions. For online retailers, success is a sure thing only if they know how to consistently get new customers and fill all the gaps on the website. At every step, they must be careful not to make the costly mistakes most retailers make and ruin their profit margin.

Whether retailers want to launch an eCommerce store or streamline their existing store, here are the most obvious mistakes to watch out for in order to deliver an exciting user experience to your visitors.

#1 Not having a proper plan for orientation

For an eCommerce site, one does not need a formal strategic plan, but rather a simple plan on how to proceed and target the specific segments. You don’t need a business plan as a roadmap for success, just be aware of who your customers are, what they like, what you can sell them, and how much customers are willing to pay for the products you offer.

#2 Not having a defined value proposition

Research has shown that most shoppers linger for a fraction of a second on any online site before deciding whether to buy or move on to another shopping destination. The only thing that can affirm your decision to stay is a unique value proposition of your store. Your value proposition will set you apart from other vendors and showcase what you have on offer for them. More precisely, the value proposition is a promising perspective from the point of view of retailers to provide specific benefits to customers and tell them why they are the best.

#3 Hide details and product information

Most online retailers make the mistake of hiding many details, such as add-on items added to the product, markdowns or discounts, certain less important features, or surcharges required for delivery. They think customers will love surprises and might get excited after ordering. But, the truth is that customers feel cheated in cases where they have to pay more and they didn’t know it. So even if you have the best of intentions to hide some information, don’t do it, as people like it to be direct, especially regarding shipping and pricing.

#4 Ignore customer after-sales treatment

You just can’t forget about customers who have purchased something from your store because they might be the ones coming back for their next purchases. Therefore, make sure that you offer them a good experience even after the sale of the product. For this, retailers need to promote some prominent form of interaction with customers afterwards, such as email, messages, push notifications, live chat, etc.

#5 Do not emphasize SEO strategy with market understanding

SEO for e-commerce or any website involves efficiently studying the competitors in the market and what are the keywords or key phrases they are targeting. You should not be foolish and consider only keywords relevant to your business, but rather consider those quality keywords that can raise your search engine rankings above your competitors.

It is always better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own. These illustrations above are to make you and all aspiring retailers aware of the widespread mistakes that can occur in e-commerce development. This will probably have your mind racing with different ideas on how to avoid these mistakes and improve your store’s revenue reach.

Introduction

Yes, you read the title right. I don’t want to imply that any other male vocalists are talented, many of them are. I feel that Mr. Garfunkel is the best of my life. Why do I say that? That is precisely what this blog will deal with. There is no right or wrong answer, it’s strictly my opinion. So sit back, relax and read this blog and I’ll explain my reasons.

His Music is for Multiple Generations

No matter what generation you come from, chances are you’ve heard of Art Garfunkel. Whether it’s his work in a duet with the equally legendary Paul Simon, or as a solo artist, the man has been in the music business for decades. If you are a fan of theirs, you probably have something in common with relatives or associates from other generations. Music like that tends to bring people together.

Art can perform any genre of music

People seem to like to classify artists into a style of music, mainly to describe it to someone else. That is very difficult to do with Mr. Garfunkel’s work. He can perform songs from any genre with the same skill and mastery. This is another facet of his music that allows fans to have a common interest with other people. It is certainly a topic of conversation.

Other examples of its versatility

Art Garfunkel has collaborated with dozens of other artists besides Paul Simon. Occasionally at the same time as with Mr. Simon, like in a threesome a while ago with James Taylor. There are also other great examples, look it up on the internet and you will be able to find them.

Unparalleled passion in his voice

This is my biggest personal reason for my feelings. Mr. Garfunkel puts unparalleled passion into every song he sings. His music can touch even the hardest of hearts and make you feel like every note is sung just for you. That is a rare quality among artists in any of the performing arts.

What am I trying to accomplish with this post?

When I feel good about something, I enjoy sharing it with other people. Maybe it can inspire people to listen for themselves. I love turning others into things I like. This is especially true of the younger generation. There is nothing wrong with young people being inspired to listen to older artists. It could be just what they need to brighten up a bad day or to share with their peers. Not everyone will feel the same way I do about Art Garfunkel, but you can certainly add it to your favorites list.

Where to find the music you want to listen to

Whether you want to try listening to Art for yourself or find another artist you love, go online and do a search. If you’re blank about a particular musician, try searching for a genre. There are many entertainment websites for the public to tune into. You can certainly think of one or two from the start. If not, a general internet search will also help you locate it. Have fun discovering your new favorite artists!!!

Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS):

SDAR is a direct broadcast satellite service in which
digitally encoded audio entertainment material is transmitted to
Terrestrial receivers, either directly from an orbiting satellite, or from the satellite to
the receiver through a repeater station (This is a special case where the receiver is in a
protected location). SDARS is a radio communication service through which audio
programming is transmitted digitally by one or more space stations directly to
fixed, mobile and/or portable stations, and which may involve complementary services
ground repeater transmitters, telemetry, tracking and control facilities.
Through SDARS, CD-quality audio is available due to digital transmission.
is employed.

History of satellite radio:

Satellite radio is an idea of ​​more than a decade. In 1992, the US
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated spectrum in the
“S” band (2.3 GHz) for national satellite broadcasting
Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). Only four companies applied for a
license to broadcast on that band. The FCC licensed
to two of these companies in 1997. CD Radio (now Sirius Satellite Radio) and
American Mobile Radio (now XM Satellite Radio) paid more than $80 million each
to use the space in the S band for digital satellite transmission. The first satellite radio launched by XM on September 25, 2001, followed by Sirius on July 1, 2002.

At this time, there are three space-based radio stations:

Syrian Satellite Radio

XM Satellite Radio

WorldSpace Satellite Radio

Importance and significance of satellite radio:

We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset in our car.
radios, switching from one to another as we drive to and from work, wander
and around the city. But when you get too far from the home station, the
the signal breaks up and fades into static. Most radio signals can only travel about 30
or 40 miles from its source. On long trips that find you passing through
different cities, you may have to change radio stations every hour or so as the signals fade
and out. Now, imagine a radio station that can transmit its signal from over 35,000 km (22,000 miles) away and then broadcast it on your car radio with total clarity. one could drive
almost hundreds of kilometers without having to change the radio station! Do not
only you would never hear the static interfering with your favorite songs, but also the
the music would be interrupted by few or no commercials.

Satellite radio companies are comparing
the importance of its service to the impact that cable television had on
television 30 years ago. Listeners will not be able to pick up local stations using
satellite radio services, but they will have access to hundreds of stations that offer a
variety of musical genres. Each company has a different plan for its issuance
but the systems share similarities.

XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite
Radio and WorldSpace satellite provides digital audio individually
radio services (SDARS), with commercial-free programming, digital audio quality and
nationwide coverage. Each company offers close to 100 digital music channels and
radio programs (many of them without commercials or with a reduced number of commercials)
that can be received from coast to coast without interruption of service. Every
By offering various music channels, these services clearly offer programming options.
not available through traditional radio.

One of the main features of SDARS is that SDARS provides free almost commercial programs (or commercial ones are restricted). And it also provides news, weather and sports in addition to
entertainment programs The main application of this service is the constant coverage of car radio from coast to coast. We have all experienced the problem of trying to listen to the radio on a long trip. Both AM and FM stations fade in and out as we move in and out of their coverage
area. Full portable satellite radio service available today for
car, home stereo, and personal radio environments. Automakers have been installing satellite radio receivers in some models for several years, and
Various models of portable satellite radio receivers are available in a variety of
electronics companies.

Signal reception is generally poor and variable in the cases of AM or FM. With SDARS systems, radio coverage in the lower 48 states is strong and continuous. Unlike
for AM and FM channels, SDARS signals are available in a single format

Subscription radio service:

Because the technology requires access to a commercial satellite to
signal propagation; Satellite radio services are commercial businesses
entities (not individuals), which offer a package of channels as part of their service
–Require a subscription from end users to access your channels. satelite
The radio service can be subscribed at a monthly fee of $12.95 US and up to which
It is well worth it for the service it provides.

Future of satellite radio:

SDARS seems to have a good growth in the market due to the following factors. Growing
XM and Sirius’ partnerships with auto OEMs and outlets made the
most popular SDARS. Smaller and more convenient hardware introduction
portable radios for both car and home stereo,
computing and office and personal environment made possible in the
Same time.

Home and personal use Industry promotional advertising and
awareness campaigns given the most popular SDARS. Sirius and XM now
they also offer subscribers the option to listen to their programming
online. Apart from all of this,
drop in the price of hardware making it more affordable to purchase on the secondary market.

The author can be contacted via [email protected] for more
SDARS information.

Communicators have become lazy and cheap. When they get a new message, or when the last message didn’t reach the desired reach, unfortunately, the modern communicator can be heard muttering under their breath “we’ll just put it on Facebook.” There is much more to truly communicating with your customers or members than just posting another social media post.

the trap

When electronic communications became reliable a few decades ago, the market quickly realized that it had found the holy grail. After all, this new medium was free and only required the time to compose a message and maybe add some graphics. As long as we had our own list of email addresses, the cost would be zero or close to zero, considering the investment in application tools to help. Social media didn’t change this seemingly profound business tactic, but it did exasperate it. The problem is, and was, that it is a flop, achieving a much smaller goal than we care to admit.

I, for example, generally don’t use Facebook, except for my work; So, if I am a member of that Chamber or Association, am I receiving the communication when it is published there? If I am a VIP customer of that organization, am I getting the message? Obviously not. Replace Facebook in the above with ’email’, ‘Twitter’, ‘YouTube’, ‘Parler’, ‘Rumble’ or any other means of electronic communication and there is the same problem: not all members use that electronic means. Or, maybe they do, but not often. We’ve been doing it wrong!

do it his way

Leaders, members, customers, staff… all people, in fact, have preferences. They do things the way they we want to do them, not the way we want them to do things. This is especially true in communications. We need to go where they are, not try to force them to be where we want them to be. Do any VIPs in particular prefer email? Text? A phone call at 11 p.m. after the family goes to bed? We have to meet them where they want to be.

With mass communication to clients or members, we need to be more fluid and complete. We need to cover the media, not just pick one and say it’s done. So whatever your favorite is, we’re there. The problem is that, going from the macro to the micro, more specifically to the individual, we don’t know which one is their favorite. And, time and funds are not unlimited. Most of us can’t afford to hire a complement of full-time employees just to post to all the relevant social networks while communicating through traditional media.

the secret sauce

So if we need to be where our members and customers are, but we don’t know where they are, how do we select the right media mix? The answer lies, as with most recipes, in selecting the best ingredients for the desired reaction and determining your mix. In our case, we must mix electronic media with physical media.

Electronic means include email, email newsletters (which we often mislead ourselves into saying are different from email), our website, and social media. The best mix for small, nimble staff is to use a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly email newsletter with few and few additional separate emails reserved for only the most important annual communications. This should be strongly supported with three to five social media platforms where we can copy and paste the same message and then make minor platform customization tweaks. Social experts would argue that each platform is different, with a unique language, tempo, and vernacular; therefore, such an approach is sloppy and unsophisticated. Although I agree when I discuss the finer details of comparing and contrasting platforms, this is simply not realistic for the small organization. Stick to cutting and pasting to get the most impact in the least amount of time.

If we stop communication at the electronic gate, we will lose more than 30% of our members and customers. Some will never see it as it will be buried in their e-waste heaps. Others will drop out. Still others will change jobs, which will change their email or social address, without letting us know. And yet others will compromise us with junk, spam, or electronic archiving 13. So the tried and true print media must also be part of our plan. Postcards, magazines, fold-out brochures, letters in letterhead envelopes, flyers, and tri-fold brochures are all options. So are text messages, voice calls, and even robocalls, if done right. The art of communication is in the mix, the portions and the touches with each medium. Of course, most of the physical media are exorbitantly priced compared to the electronic ones, which is why most of the cameras, companies and associations have abandoned these media altogether. But that’s also why physical media is so much more effective than it was to our fathers and grandfathers: it’s just not used much anymore, so when used correctly, it makes a splash.

Communication is about style, substance, writing the perfect copy, the best timing, and having something worth saying. More importantly, though, it’s about being where the recipient is so they can receive that magnificence that is their hard work. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If a message is sent in a medium that your customer is not monitoring, do you make the sale? Keep customer or member? Survive as an entity? The mix of media, doing it your way, might even be more important than style, copy, substance, or timing. At least you make your way.

If you found this article helpful and insightful, you may also appreciate the other three articles in this four-part series on communications: Break the noise with your communication, The Goldilocks Zone of CommunicationY Anatomy of a communication message.

The Sony VAIO VPCF1290X is Sony’s second most customizable laptop. It was released after many online publications began to notice that Sony was very rigid when it came to customizing their electronics. That’s why users can customize the Sony VAIO VPCF1290X and build the multimedia and gaming laptop of their dreams. The price range is $999.99-2,934.97. Let’s see what options we have and how much each one costs.

Let’s start with the processor, the main part. The cheaper version of the Sony VAIO VPCF1290X comes with an Intel Core i7 740QM processor running at a very good speed of 1.73 GHz (Turbo Boost technology can push it up to 2.93 GHz). However, it may have the Intel Core i7 820QM central processing unit (running at 1.73 GHz). With Turbo Boost technology enabled, you can get it to run at 3.06 GHz. This upgrade costs just an extra $200. You get a genuine copy of Windows 7 Home operating system on 64-bit architecture for free. However, you need to pay $150 for the Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) operating system. The standard hard drive is a 320 GB drive (spinning at 5400 revolutions per minute), quite basic and small. On the other hand, a 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive) will set you back $525 and a 500GB HDD that spins at 7200 rotations per minute, $105.

The cheaper Sony VAIO VPCF1290X comes with 4 GB (two 2 GB bars) of DDR 3 RAM running at a frequency of 1333 MHz, but you can get 8 GB (two 4 GB bars) of DDR 3 RAM on a front side bus. 1333MHz for $300. Considering the price, we bought the 4 GB version. You can also upgrade the standard CD/DVD player/recorder with a Bluray Disc player + recorder for an additional $160. When it comes to the graphics card, things get a bit more complicated. The standard edition comes with an Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics processing unit card (with 512 MB of video RAM). However, if you choose this, you will only be able to have the 16.4″ VAIO display (maximum resolution 1600 x 900 pixels). So if you want Full HD capabilities and want the 16.4″ VAIO Full-HD display (going up to a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels), you need to get the Nvidia GeForce 330 M video card (which benefits from 1 GB of video RAM) for $50 more. Don’t forget to add another $100 for the HD screen.

The software can be quite expensive. So expensive? Have a look. If you take the basic configuration, you are forced to buy the Adobe package ($448). And if you want to switch from Microsoft Office 2010 Starter edition to Microsoft Office 2010 Professional edition, you have to add another $350. Everyone needs antivirus software, so they included Norton Internet Security 2010 (with only a 30-day trial) for free. And yes, after 30 days, it’s gone! If you want the Backstage VIP Protection suite, you have to take another $100 out of pocket.