Guest Blogger: 5 DIY Ways to Update Your Home Office

Guest Blogger #811, Entry #1922, December 10, 2012

Home offices are a dream come true for many of us. The commute couldn?t be any easier, the boss can?t look over your shoulder, the dress code depends only on your whim and you have the freedom to customize your space any way you want. Make your home office the best work environment it can be by following some of these great DIY tips for updating your space.

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How will you organize your home office?

Image via: Digs Digs

Buy New Furniture

For most home office workers, the majority of time spent in the office is spent sitting down and typing. This can mean aches, tightness, carpal tunnel, and dozens of other problems for many of us. Buying some new furniture for your home office can help you be as comfortable as possible while you work. If you find your neck and back becoming strained, or your hands and wrists aching, it?s most likely a problem with your desk and chair. Don?t skimp on furniture?update your home office with the best.

Upgrade Your Hardware

Technology grows faster than we can run, but you?re going to need to keep up if you want your business on the cutting edge. Upgrading to a new computer is one of the best ways to breathe new life into your home office. You?ll be able to work faster and more efficiently without the annoyance of outdated technology. Even a larger monitor and an ergonomic keyboard can be great investments to make work easier on the eyes and hands.

Get Onto the Cloud

The development of cloud computing is truly a boon for home office workers. Your office is your headquarters, but you may often need to take your work on the road. When this need arises, you?re probably stuck lugging around extra pounds of equipment in an effort to make your office portable. This is no longer necessary. Cloud computing allows you to run applications from remote servers, so you can not only get rid of cluttering hardware in your office, you can also access your essentials from any computer in the world.

home office idea bright

Redecorate your home office

Image via: Design Tricks

Opt for Internet Fax

If you don?t yet know?how to send an online fax, you?re really missing out. The need for bulky old-fashioned fax machines is finally starting to dissolve now that we have the power to send and receive faxes from our email accounts. Simply scan any documents you need to send, upload them to your online fax service of choice, and send them directly to any fax machine in the world. Your online fax service provider assigns you a fax number as well, so you can receive documents in your inbox any time as well.

Redecorate

Never underestimate the effect of your surroundings on your work. Redecorating your home office can boost productivity and really take you to the next level. Give your walls a fresh coat of paint, and don?t just go for boring white. Choose vibrant colors if you want to push yourself to new heights, or subdued cooler tones if you need to reduce stress. Hanging pictures on the walls is a great idea as well. This is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to update your home office, so get started today.

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Source: http://stagetecture.com/2012/12/guest-blogger-5-diy-ways-to-update-your-home-office/

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Holiday food fun for children and teens | Your Healthy Child

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Holidays generally mean special foods and more time with family members. Cooking and food preparation can be fun for children, especially when it involves seasonal foods or projects that are appreciated by others. Some can even be used as gifts. Even better, is that many of these foods can also contribute positively to health.

Fun food ideas mean finding ways to creatively season or prepare a more traditional food. Air-popped popcorn, nuts and seeds are all healthy snacks. To make them special, children/teens can add their own touch by tossing them with additions like herb mixes, curry powder, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, onion or garlic powder, cinnamon, cloves, etc. These can be made into snacks for the family or packaged as gifts in creative wrappings.

Holiday cookie cutters can transform whole grain bread into a fun shape for sandwiches, french toast, or just toast. They can also be used to cut out pancakes. How about cutting out the center of a piece of whole grain bread with a cutter, placing it in a pan that is lightly greased, putting in a whole egg or scrambled egg, and cooking till the egg is done.

Muffins or muffin tops (baked in a muffin top pan) allow for a wide range of healthy ingredients, such as ground oats or whole grain flour/cereal, dried or fresh fruit, applesauce, pureed vegetables (like canned pumpkin or squash, zucchini, etc.), ground nuts/seeds, yogurt, buttermilk, etc. Try cutting back on the sugar and instead, sweeten with fruit, sweet spices like cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg/allspice, vanilla or almond extract, lemon or orange zest. A seasonal flavor that can warrant a lot less added sugar, might be to add a little light eggnog as part of the wet ingredients.

Ever made soft pretzels? These are fun because you can shape them creatively ? like into a holiday candy cane or star. Try using some ground oats or whole grain flour in place of some of the white flour. You can also add some orange zest for flavor.

A fun breakfast idea would be an oatmeal buffet. The kids can choose and prepare what ?add-ins? are set out that family members can choose to add to their hot cereal. Oats are a really healthy, high-fiber food. When made with milk instead of water, oatmeal or oat bran contain protein and calcium as well. Possible healthy add-ins might be assorted dried fruit, applesauce, cut up fresh fruit, assorted nuts/seeds (may be some pomegranate seeds), assorted sweet spices (see above), orange zest, or any other healthy options.

Yogurt is another healthy food that can be turned into a season treat. A yogurt bar can contain add-ins similar to oatmeal. It can also be used to make smoothies that remind us of the holidays. Try making a smoothie with low-fat vanilla yogurt, cocoa, a little low-fat milk, and part of a peppermint stick. It tastes like a treat but contains a good amount of protein and calcium. How about an eggnog smoothie made by adding a little eggnog and nutmeg to the yogurt and milk?

If your children like pumpkin pie, have them make a smoothie with low-fat vanilla yogurt, a scoop of canned pumpkin, some low-fat milk, and assorted sweet spices (again, see above). Canned pumpkin can also be added to pancake batter. They can then top the cooking pancake with apple slices made into a creative design. Flipping the pancake then cooks the apples and can be inverted onto a plate, showing off their creative talents.

Other beverages that bring out the holiday theme, while still providing healthy nutrients, are warm cocoa with a peppermint stick or warm milk with a little eggnog and sprinkle of nutmeg. Homemade pudding is another way to incorporate nutrients into a treat, with similar flavorings as above used to make it. Warm cider is another cold-weather beverage. Kids can help by shaking in cinnamon, allspice, and cloves plus a squeeze of lemon and enjoy the delicious scent it makes throughout the house.

Pomegranates are a fascinating fruit. Their seeds provide a refreshing, crunchy burst of flavor. They can be added to yogurt, cooked whole grain cereals, salads, cooked grains (like brown rice, quinoa, barley), and many other foods. The fun part for kids is getting the seeds out of the fruit. An easy way to do this is to make about four slices in the skin top to bottom . Place the whole fruit in a bowl of cool water. With your hands under the water, peel back the skin and pluck the seeds out of the fruit, allowing them to sink to the bottom. The pulp will float to the top of the water and can easily be removed. By doing this process under water, hands do not become stained red.

Familiar with the story of ?Stone Soup?? Villagers each contribute an ingredient to a large pot until a tasty soup is created. Kids can help empty the refrigerator of leftovers or add other ingredients that can be thrown into the pot. They can then decide what seasoning to add (herbs, curry, cumin, others?;). The same process can be used to fill a slow cooker and after several hours, like magic, a delicious soup or stew is created.

Who does not like peanut butter ? even the birds. As your child is consuming a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, have them put some peanut butter on a pinecone or other natural object, and then roll it in some bird seed. Hang this natural ornament near a window so children can watch the birds enjoy their holiday treat.

So bring the joy of home cooking and the fun of creating special foods for family and friends to your children this holiday season. It will really add to the quality time your family spends together while providing them with some healthy nutrients.

Pam Stuppy, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, is a registered, licensed dietitian with nutrition counseling offices in York, Maine, and Portsmouth. She is also the nutritionist for Phillips Exeter Academy. Visit www.pamstuppynutrition.com for more nutrition information, some healthy cooking tips, and recipe ideas.

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Source: http://yourhealthychild.net/holiday-food-fun-for-children-and-teens/

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Can tiny apartments work in Cleveland's University Circle?

Can tiny apartments work in Cleveland's University Circle?
Saturday, December 08, 2012 9:44 AM

A rendering shows the proposed Intesa development at night. This view, looking northeast from Mayfield Road near Circle Drive, shows the office building in the foreground, flanked by apartments. The building would include two apartment towers -- one housing micro-apartments starting at 300 square feet, and the other holding larger apartments. (Bialosky + Partners Architects)


Source: http://photos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2012/12/intesa-project-university-circ.html

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How To Use Youtube For Video Marketing - Zurvita Zeal for Life ...

TIP! You can create some quality videos with time-lapse photography. Place a camera in a key location of your business and allow it to record footage.

You will be able to grow your online business greatly. However, it?s essential to know how to do it properly. In this article, we?ll give you some excellent tips for video marketing to help your business thrive.

TIP! You should ask your audience a question at the end of your video, instead of making a statement. If your viewers want to participate, they will come back and watch your videos again and again.

When devising a ?commercial? kind of video for marketing purposes, make use of humor. People do not want to watch commercials that are boring. Something funny will catch the viewer?s attention. Don?t be afraid to think creatively. For example, an amusing and memorable advertisement is much more likely to make the rounds online.

TIP! You should try distributing your videos as podcasts. This provides other marketing avenue and lets you charge a fee for the best interviews or demo videos.

There are many free sites available for your video marketing, but you can also pay certain sites to play your video. Avoid spammy tactics like pop up windows, and be sure your video is only added to relevant websites. Online questionnaires and polls are an excellent way to reach out with your target market and learn more about their preferences.

TIP! Don?t be afraid to stir things up a bit. Take a little extra time to give your video a little pizzazz.

Always take along a video camera with you. You may have an opportunity to talk to some people who are experts in your field, or you can just record your experiences. If you are asked to give a speech or lead a seminar, you should definitely arrange to have it recorded.

TIP! Try not to make videos that look like ads. If all of your videos are little more than sales pitches, audiences will lose interest fast.

Perfection is not your goal! You can start video marketing without high-quality equipment. Most of the time all you have to do is put some good software on your computer. Also, smartphones have built-in cameras, so if you own this type of phone, you can use its camera for your videos. Act in a professional way, offer solid information and viewers will be satisfied.

TIP! One of the greatest benefits of video marketing is the ability to interact directly with customers. Answer their questions in a video, for example.

Long or short? You should keep your videos short and sweet. If you can keep your viewers? interest while making your point, they are more likely to remember the message and share it.

TIP! Keep in mind that YouTube has editing tools available. Once you upload a video, you will be able to add some captions and annotations.

To do well in video marketing, being transparent and authentic is really essential. Do not just try to be sneaky. Don?t try to pass of videos attempting to market a specific product as anything else. Create relationships between yourself and your customer base by using comments. Spend time networking with others in your industry, and become a trusted authority in your field.

TIP! You can put your video on Youtube or on your company site. That way, visitors to your website can easily view the video, while also having easy access to your services and/or products.

Once you?ve grasped the basic concepts behind online marketing and advertising through the Internet, you might be interested in created a simple podcast on a typical weekly or monthly schedule. Using podcasts for your video marketing can help bring in viewers you might not have otherwise reached. Do not let this conduit pass you by. Viewers will love downloading your company?s podcasts and watching them in their free time.

TIP! Think of yourself as one of your customers. What would be your questions on your products and services? Your customers are likely to want the answers to these questions.

Avoid being a one-man show. It is not always easy to devise new and different ideas for a continuing video marketing campaign. Getting input from other people is a great way to come up with new and useful ideas. Perform these brain storming sessions regularly so that you are always full of fresh ideas.

TIP! Provide the best content possible in all your videos. Increase your customer base using a video marketing campaign.

You should always put something personal in your videos. Share some personal stories. Talk about your expertise and experiences. Allow a little more about yourself to be revealed with each new video. You shouldn?t overkill on personal flair. Instead, gradually express yourself through your videos.

TIP! With the rise of mobile video viewers, you will have an entirely new audience you need to keep in mind. On a small screen, text or smaller items can be hard to see.

A big mistake in video marketing is to get caught up in production value. Having a good looking video with no good information is worthless. Large corporations often use videos produced by their employees, rather than hiring actors and directors.

TIP! All your videos should have some sort of call-to-action. Let your viewers know where they can get your products.

Make sure you?re looking at what the competition is doing. Don?t do this to imitate them; rather, do it so you can set yourself apart from them. Model your videos after those that are successful, but make sure to make it your own. Watch a variety of videos and allow them to enhance your creative process with ideas.

TIP! Realize that making your marketing video is just the first part of your video marketing strategy. Promotion is just as important.

The best way to keep your viewers coming back is by keeping your videos interesting. Boring or uninteresting content will only drive people away from your site. Leave your viewers waiting and wanting to see what you come up with next. The better your videos are, the better chance you?ll have at attracting viewers.

TIP! A three minute video is useful for education or a how-to, but others should be under 30 seconds. Nowadays, people have very short attention spans.

Share your knowledge with others. While you may be creating a product or providing a service, no one can do it as well as you do. Convince folks you?re an expert in your industry by explaining your knowledge of the subject. They?ll continue to visit to learn more.

TIP! Using a team to produce your videos is a way to ensure success. You don?t have to just use people you work with.

As you can see by now, you can get your business noticed when you implement video marketing. The more you are willing to learn about this strategy, the better your results will be. Implement the advice mentioned in the article above, and you are sure to reap the benefits of video marketing.

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Source: http://raywateska.com/how-to-use-youtube-for-video-marketing.html

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7 Home Improvement Projects for $1,000 (or Less) | Southwest ...

Americans still think buying a home is one of the best decisions they?ve ever made. Here are some ways to increase your home?s value and comfort for less than $1,000.

We knew reports of the death of American home ownership were greatly exaggerated (nod to Mark Twain), and now we?ve got the numbers to prove it.
A just-released survey by the Meredith Corp., which publishes Better Homes and Gardens magazine, says the vast majority of people polled believe owning a home is a smart financial move and a source of pride.
Here are some results of the 2,500 people surveyed online:

  • 86% of home owners still feel owning a home is a good investment.
  • 85% feel ?owning a home is one of their proudest accomplishments.?
  • 69% of Americans who don?t currently own a home agree with the statement, ?No matter what happens in the U.S. housing market, owning a home is still an important goal in my life.?
  • 68% of Americans plan to spend money on their homes in the next six months, with roughly half (49%) expecting to pay up to $1,000.

A thousand bucks may not seem like a lot, but it goes long way toward improving the value and comfort of your home. Here are some projects we recommend:

1. Add a new entry door. Spruce up your curb appeal and save energy by upgrading your exterior door. Steel doors, which can mimic many types of wood, typically run for $400 at big-box stores and offer the strongest barrier against intruders.

2. Get organized. Decluttering and maximizing storage space are inexpensive ways to transform a home. Add space to kids? rooms by installing platform or bunk beds ($400-$600); neaten piles of shoes with shoe organizers ($20), which can do double duty as catch-all organizers in family room closets and kitchen pantries; extend bookshelves to the ceiling, creating storage in otherwise dead space.

3. Save with a programmable thermostat. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat (less than $500) can save you up to $180 a year in energy costs. The latest models offer remote programming via the Internet.

4. Replace cabinet hardware. If you?ve got traditional knobs and pulls, try contemporary; change from staid to whimsical. Big-box retailers often have huge selections for budget prices. (10-pack for $20).

5. Update bathroom flooring. Give bathrooms a quick facelift by replacing old tile with vinyl flooring or ceramic tile, which can cost as little as $3 per square foot for material and installation.

6. Create luxury with a shower panel. Turn you bathroom into a spa with a? programmable shower panel with adjustable spray jets, fog-free mirror, and multifunctional shower head. Most systems easily attach to existing plumbing. Panels typically sell for $360.

7. Turn a mudroom into a garden room. Bring nature inside by recasting your drab mudroom into a flower-filled garden room. (If you already have a utility sink, you?re halfway there. If not, it will cost you $200 to $350 to tap into existing, nearby plumbing, and $80 for a plastic tub.) Repurpose an old wood table into a potting bench. And hang your basket collection from J-hooks attached to a forged iron curtain rod ($100).

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon

Source: http://evansville.buyhomesnow.com/2012/12/07/7-home-improvement-projects-for-1000-or-less/

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Asia shares at 2012 high, markets await U.S. jobs data

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares touched fresh 16-month highs on Friday as investors awaited U.S. nonfarm payrolls data due later in the day, with sentiment underpinned by signs that China's economy is stabilizing.

European shares will likely gain modestly, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100 , Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX to open as much as 0.4 percent higher. A 0.1 percent rise in U.S. stock futures hinted at a steady Wall Street open.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5 percent, and was set for its third-straight weekly gain with a 1.3 percent advance. The index has gained about 17 percent year-to-date, compared to a loss of nearly 18 percent last year.

Hong Kong shares reached a 16-month peak and have climbed some 21 percent so far this year despite facing bouts of pressure from sputtering mainland Chinese markets. Shanghai shares jumped 1.2 percent.

"People were gloomier at this time last year, but now, judging from the flows, they seem to be very optimistic and positioning for policy changes next year in China," said Larry Jiang, chief investment strategist at Guotai Junan International Securities.

Australian shares rose 0.9 percent to a six-week closing high, with top miners supported by rebounding iron ore prices.

Investors will focus on a slew of Chinese data due over the weekend including industrial output, after recent manufacturing surveys pointed to a recovery from lows earlier this year.

"One of the reasons for the gains is better news we've seen from China and expectations the economy there has stabilized and growth has improved modestly," said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

Despite some positive signs in the world's second-largest economy, the Asian Development Bank slightly cut its 2012 and 2013 growth estimates for developing Asia on Friday as frail global demand continues to drag on the region.

Buoyed by strong domestic consumption and government spending, developing Asian economies have shown relatively more resilience compared with developed and more export-reliant economies such as Japan and south Korea.

South and Southeast Asian bourses have outperformed, with a 32 percent year-to-date surge in the Philippines , a 30 percent gain in Thailand , Indian shares rising 26 percent and Indonesia up 12 percent to date.

Japan's Nikkei stock average was barely changed, hovering near seven-month highs hit on Thursday.

The dollar traded at 82.47 yen, sticking close to a 7-1/2-month high of 82.84 hit on November 22.

U.S. HOPES

As superstorm Sandy disrupted U.S. economic activity, nonfarm payrolls in November are expected to have increased only 93,000, compared to October's 171,000 job gain, a Reuters survey of economists showed. The unemployment rate is seen holding steady at 7.9 percent.

"A soft number should reinforce the case for the Fed doves ahead of next week's FOMC meeting where QE is likely to be increased in order to at least offset the expiration of Operation Twist. Hence a soft report should hurt USD and vice versa," Sean Callow, senior currency strategist at Westpac bank in Sydney, said in a note.

At its December 11-12 meeting, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce a new round of Treasury bond purchases to reinforce quantitative easing, replacing the expiring programme called Operation Twist, under which it bought $45 billion of longer-dated bonds a month while selling its shorter-date holdings.

With little to show after a month of posturing, the White House and Republicans in Congress dropped hints on Thursday that they had resumed low-level private talks on breaking the stalemate over the "fiscal cliff.

Markets have been keeping up hope that Washington would eventually avert some $600 billion of tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to start in January. Economists have warned that if Congress failed to reach an agreement, the U.S. economy could slip back into recession, further weighing on the fragile global economy.

EURO ON DEFENSIVE

The euro steadied at around $1.2968. The euro slid nearly 1 percent to a one-week low of $1.2950 on Thursday in its biggest one-day loss in a month on prospects for interest rate cuts next year.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Thursday policymakers had held a wide discussion on interest rates, including negative deposit rates, which means effectively charging depositors rather than paying them interest, with an aim of forcing banks to put their money to work elsewhere.

The ECB also projected gross domestic product next year could range from a contraction of 0.9 percent to growth of 0.3 percent, suggesting contraction is far more likely than not.

"It is unusual that a negative growth projection for the next year is offered before the end of the current year, but with such a view, markets are naturally pricing in a interest rate cut," said Daisuke Karakama, market economist for Mizuho Corporate Bank in Tokyo.

He expected the euro to remain vulnerable with the risk of falling back to $1.2 at some point, but the single currency appeared to be supported currently by year-end repatriation flows.

U.S. crude futures inched up 0.4 percent to $86.58 a barrel and Brent rose 0.2 percent to $107.29.

A firm tone in broad assets soothed sentiment for Asian credit markets, narrowing the spreads on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade index by 2 basis points.

(Additional reporting by Clement Tan and Vikram Subhedar in Hong Kong and Maggie Lu Yueyang; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asia-shares-edge-higher-focus-u-jobs-032418489--finance.html

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Despite Patent Lawsuit, FormLabs 3D Printer Company Amps Up Beta Unit Production And Looks To Hire

fom1FormLabs, the same folks that are bringing the Form 1 3D printer to market, has had a roller coaster year. After launching on Kickstarter with a huge reception — backers pledged almost $3 million during the course of the campaign — the company ran into an obstacle when 3D Systems Corp. sued both FormLabs and Kickstarter for patent infringement. Today, however, the company has announced on its blog that things are still going well, with engineers "hard at work building ten beta Form 1 printers." The beta units will have design upgrades from the alpha units the team has been working with, and will allow for further prototype testing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/kgImVN3NlOY/

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