By Jolon Warren
In order to trade Forex, you need to first find a Forex broker. Forex is still a relatively unregulated market and as a result there are many Forex brokers available each with different levels of service and reliability. Perhaps the best thing a Forex trader can do is to make sure they pick the right Forex broker for them.
Honest & Reliable
Before picking any broker, make sure you examine their company and background as thoroughly as you possibly can. Some good signs of a reliable Forex broker are the length of the time they have been in operation and if they are a member of any financial regulating bodies found in various countries that currently try to regulate the Forex market. You need to find a broker that you are comfortable with and not need to worry about them closing up shop without warning.
Leverage
One of the attractions of trading Forex is that traders can use leverage. Leverage allows a trader to trade with more money than they may physically have in their trading account. This allows traders to gain enormous profits with just a small amount of capital. Just how much leverage brokers offer varies.
Leverage can range from 1:1, where there is no leverage, to 1:400, where you can trade with up to 400 times the amount of capital you may physically have. To make the most of your trading, be sure to pick a broker that offers the amount of leverage you require.
Spend some time researching brokers before you make the final decision to open a live account and begin trading Forex. Doing so may pay off in the long run.
Learn the secrets of swing trading and swing trading stock online today.
Article Source: Forex Broker - How to Pick the Best Forex Broker
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
If You Can't Get A Date, You Might Be In Need Of A Bad Breath Solution
By Tyler Whitman
If you are reasonably attractive with a decent personality and you are spending all of your weekends alone, then it might be time to consider that your nasty breath is keeping you out of the dating scene. It is a sad but true fact that most people are repulsed by bad breath, so unless you want to die alone you better figure out why your breath is so funky and find a bad breath solution fast.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself that you don't have bad breath, so this can't possibly be the reason that you can clear a room just by opening your mouth. Well, think again my friend, because contrary to popular belief, you can't actually smell your own breath.
That's right, the breath you believe to be harmless is actually so rank that no one can concentrate on what you are saying because all they can think about when your mouth is open are home remedies to treat bad breath!
Don't worry, your life is not over just because you have stinky breath. There are tons of people that have this same problem, so there are lots of bad breath solutions available. The trick is to figure what is causing your bad breath, so that you can determine which solution will work best for you.
Halitosis, another term for chronic bad breath, is the result of trapped proteins that are processed by different types of bacteria in your mouth. Many of these oral bacteria are capable of producing high levels of foul odors, which leads to bad breath.
There are over 600 different types of oral bacteria, and they all behave differently, reacting to different stimulants. Some are more active at certain times of the day, and some thrive on certain conditions, like a decrease in saliva.
"Morning breath" is a good example of this. While you are asleep, your mouth is inactive, and stops producing the amount of saliva it does while your mouth is active. Without saliva to wash them out, oral bacteria build up and thrive, producing the strong halitosis we refer to as morning breath.
This is why chewing gum often works well as a bad breath solution. Chewing the gum stimulates saliva that washes out some of the bacteria. That's also why it is better to chew gum than suck on a mint. Chewing and producing saliva is an effective natural cure for bad breath, and mints do nothing more than temporarily mask bad breath.
Everything you put in your mouth has an effect on your breath, the food you eat, the cigarettes you smoke and the alcohol you drink. Some foods cause bigger problems than others, but when food particles are trapped in between your teeth or on your tongue, they stimulate oral bacteria to produce nasty smelling breath.
One natural cure for bad breath to combat this is to scrape your tongue after meals. You can use your toothbrush to scrape off these halitosis-causing particles, but it is much easier and more effective to use an actual tongue scraper.
Now that you have basic understanding of what is causing your halitosis, you need to explore the different remedies available and determine which bad breath solution is best for you. There are all kinds of different breath fresheners you can buy, just try them until you find ones you like.
You should also keep in mind that there are many effective home remedies to treat bad breath available as well. Baking soda is extremely effective at eliminating oral bacteria, so rinsing your mouth with some added to water is a great bad breath solution. Eating an orange or grapefruit will also help your mouth fight halitosis-causing bacteria.
It doesn't matter what type of bad breath solution you decide on. Just find something and get rid of that nasty bad breath today!
Don't spend your life alone because of your breath. Click here to discover a bad breath solution that will get rid of your halitosis for good! Visit naturalbadbreathsolutions.blogspot.com today to find solutions for bad breath that really work!
Article Source: If You Can't Get A Date, You Might Be In Need Of A Bad Breath Solution
If you are reasonably attractive with a decent personality and you are spending all of your weekends alone, then it might be time to consider that your nasty breath is keeping you out of the dating scene. It is a sad but true fact that most people are repulsed by bad breath, so unless you want to die alone you better figure out why your breath is so funky and find a bad breath solution fast.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself that you don't have bad breath, so this can't possibly be the reason that you can clear a room just by opening your mouth. Well, think again my friend, because contrary to popular belief, you can't actually smell your own breath.
That's right, the breath you believe to be harmless is actually so rank that no one can concentrate on what you are saying because all they can think about when your mouth is open are home remedies to treat bad breath!
Don't worry, your life is not over just because you have stinky breath. There are tons of people that have this same problem, so there are lots of bad breath solutions available. The trick is to figure what is causing your bad breath, so that you can determine which solution will work best for you.
Halitosis, another term for chronic bad breath, is the result of trapped proteins that are processed by different types of bacteria in your mouth. Many of these oral bacteria are capable of producing high levels of foul odors, which leads to bad breath.
There are over 600 different types of oral bacteria, and they all behave differently, reacting to different stimulants. Some are more active at certain times of the day, and some thrive on certain conditions, like a decrease in saliva.
"Morning breath" is a good example of this. While you are asleep, your mouth is inactive, and stops producing the amount of saliva it does while your mouth is active. Without saliva to wash them out, oral bacteria build up and thrive, producing the strong halitosis we refer to as morning breath.
This is why chewing gum often works well as a bad breath solution. Chewing the gum stimulates saliva that washes out some of the bacteria. That's also why it is better to chew gum than suck on a mint. Chewing and producing saliva is an effective natural cure for bad breath, and mints do nothing more than temporarily mask bad breath.
Everything you put in your mouth has an effect on your breath, the food you eat, the cigarettes you smoke and the alcohol you drink. Some foods cause bigger problems than others, but when food particles are trapped in between your teeth or on your tongue, they stimulate oral bacteria to produce nasty smelling breath.
One natural cure for bad breath to combat this is to scrape your tongue after meals. You can use your toothbrush to scrape off these halitosis-causing particles, but it is much easier and more effective to use an actual tongue scraper.
Now that you have basic understanding of what is causing your halitosis, you need to explore the different remedies available and determine which bad breath solution is best for you. There are all kinds of different breath fresheners you can buy, just try them until you find ones you like.
You should also keep in mind that there are many effective home remedies to treat bad breath available as well. Baking soda is extremely effective at eliminating oral bacteria, so rinsing your mouth with some added to water is a great bad breath solution. Eating an orange or grapefruit will also help your mouth fight halitosis-causing bacteria.
It doesn't matter what type of bad breath solution you decide on. Just find something and get rid of that nasty bad breath today!
Don't spend your life alone because of your breath. Click here to discover a bad breath solution that will get rid of your halitosis for good! Visit naturalbadbreathsolutions.blogspot.com today to find solutions for bad breath that really work!
Article Source: If You Can't Get A Date, You Might Be In Need Of A Bad Breath Solution
Friday, July 9, 2010
Indoor Vegetable Garden - Create Your Own Easily With These Tips
By Jay Node
An indoor vegetable garden is the answer if you want to grow your own vegetables but you don't have any kind of space to do it outside. This can be a good thing. If you set it out right, your indoor vegetable garden will not only provide delicious and healthy vegetables, but it will also allow you to set it up to blend in with the decor of your home. Follow these tips and you can turn your home into your own veggie patch in no time.
What to grow
One of the first things you need to consider is what type of vegetables you want to plant in your indoor vegetable garden. Whilst your options will be limited, there are still plenty of vegetables you can grow. You could try cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, baby carrots, lettuce and, of course, different varieties of herbs like parsley and basil.
Containers
When choosing containers to plant your vegetables in, you will want to pick the ones that complement the theme of your home. That is understandable but be sure that they meet these basic requirements. The container must be big enough to hold the vegetable plant when it's fully matured. For example, lettuce with its shallow roots will grow very well in small containers whereas carrots will need deeper ones. The containers must have drainage holes and come with saucers to catch excess water. And, rolling platforms are handy to move any containers that are too heavy.
Soil
The type of soil to use will depend on the vegetables you are growing. Nowadays, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding good quality soil mixes to suit your needs from your local garden center. Choose an organic mix. Ordinary dirt from the garden should not be used.
Location
The type of vegetable you decide to plant will determine where you can locate the containers. As a general rule, root and leaf vegetables such as carrots and spinach do not mind being in partial shade. On the other hand, if you go with fruiting varieties like tomatoes, they need lots of sunlight. For example, tomatoes need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight each day. Therefore, you will need to organize the location of the containers based on these criteria. Consider windowsills, balconies or anywhere near a window or door where the sun shines through for a fair amount of time.
Pest Control
Vegetables grown indoors are less susceptible to pests and diseases but, if treatment is necessary, don't be tempted to use pesticides or herbicides. Instead, go for an organic product.
Fertilizers
The same applies to fertilizers. You could try something like a fish emulsion, which is totally organic.
An indoor vegetable garden is a wonderful alternative for anybody who wants to grow their own vegetable gardens but have a limit on space. Remember all those recipes that tell you to "add parsley just before serving". Now, you really can add parsley just before serving.
Jay Node operates and maintains a website totally dedicated to organic gardening of vegetables and herbs. If you would like an easy to follow, step by step guide on planting tomatoes in containers, please visit http://www.vegetablegardenplantingguide.com where you may also subscribe to the RSS feed to receive regular updates.
Copyright 2009 Jay Node
Article Source: Indoor Vegetable Garden - Create Your Own Easily With These Tips
An indoor vegetable garden is the answer if you want to grow your own vegetables but you don't have any kind of space to do it outside. This can be a good thing. If you set it out right, your indoor vegetable garden will not only provide delicious and healthy vegetables, but it will also allow you to set it up to blend in with the decor of your home. Follow these tips and you can turn your home into your own veggie patch in no time.
What to grow
One of the first things you need to consider is what type of vegetables you want to plant in your indoor vegetable garden. Whilst your options will be limited, there are still plenty of vegetables you can grow. You could try cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, baby carrots, lettuce and, of course, different varieties of herbs like parsley and basil.
Containers
When choosing containers to plant your vegetables in, you will want to pick the ones that complement the theme of your home. That is understandable but be sure that they meet these basic requirements. The container must be big enough to hold the vegetable plant when it's fully matured. For example, lettuce with its shallow roots will grow very well in small containers whereas carrots will need deeper ones. The containers must have drainage holes and come with saucers to catch excess water. And, rolling platforms are handy to move any containers that are too heavy.
Soil
The type of soil to use will depend on the vegetables you are growing. Nowadays, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding good quality soil mixes to suit your needs from your local garden center. Choose an organic mix. Ordinary dirt from the garden should not be used.
Location
The type of vegetable you decide to plant will determine where you can locate the containers. As a general rule, root and leaf vegetables such as carrots and spinach do not mind being in partial shade. On the other hand, if you go with fruiting varieties like tomatoes, they need lots of sunlight. For example, tomatoes need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight each day. Therefore, you will need to organize the location of the containers based on these criteria. Consider windowsills, balconies or anywhere near a window or door where the sun shines through for a fair amount of time.
Pest Control
Vegetables grown indoors are less susceptible to pests and diseases but, if treatment is necessary, don't be tempted to use pesticides or herbicides. Instead, go for an organic product.
Fertilizers
The same applies to fertilizers. You could try something like a fish emulsion, which is totally organic.
An indoor vegetable garden is a wonderful alternative for anybody who wants to grow their own vegetable gardens but have a limit on space. Remember all those recipes that tell you to "add parsley just before serving". Now, you really can add parsley just before serving.
Jay Node operates and maintains a website totally dedicated to organic gardening of vegetables and herbs. If you would like an easy to follow, step by step guide on planting tomatoes in containers, please visit http://www.vegetablegardenplantingguide.com where you may also subscribe to the RSS feed to receive regular updates.
Copyright 2009 Jay Node
Article Source: Indoor Vegetable Garden - Create Your Own Easily With These Tips
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Best Blogging Software
By Miles Evans
The blogging platform wars are getting really interesting and much of the discussion I find myself in lately revolves around what is happening with various CMS systems. The market can essentially be defined into 3 major camps: remotely hosted, self hosted, and community based systems. I have used pretty much every blogging platform available and each of them has its ups and downs. In this article I will cover the best options for each area taking into account price, usability, market share and of course SEO potential.
All of these products are either open source, completely free or have a functional free version. Links were stripped from this article so you may want to check out the original best blogging software [http://www.profitpapers.com/reviews/best-blogging-software.php] article at ProfitPapers.
Remotely Hosted Blogging Software
(Note: I cannot really recommend any of these from an SEO stand point as optimizing a domain you do not own or control is obviously not a good marketing plan.)
Blogger
Blogger is completely free and currently owns the majority of the remotely hosted user base, but not by a land slide . Bought out by Google in 1999, Blogger essentially fired up the blogging trend we see today. It is by far the easiest overall solution to use and if you are a novice user looking to throw up some recipes or poetry, this is for you. Blogger is completely free and includes some great features like comments, photo blogging, and a basic community feel with user profiles. Because it is so dumbed down there are some features you may not find with Blogger that are only available through 3rd party add-ons. As a side note Blogger weblogs do quite well in the search engines and this was recently exploited with it being the first choice for spam blogs or splogs. A splog is a weblog used for the sole purpose of gaining inbound links or generating thousands of keyword stuffed pages with Adsense and the like. The recent Google Jagger update cleared a large portion of this up. Free.
Typepad
Released in 2003 Typepad is a product of Sixapart, the makers of Movable Type. it is largely based on MT but there are some major enhancements and differences. Your blog can accomodate one or more photo albums with auto thumbnail generation. You can easily add music, books, and other media to Typelists, which grab a thumbnail from Amazon and other retailers for easily displaying in your sidebar. Typepad is also a great deal more technical than Blogger so a bit of HTML know how is recommended. On that note editing your blog to look the way you want it also quite easy and Typepad blogs are known for being very eye pleasing, intuitive and easy to navigate. In Sixapart's business model Typepad is aimed at regular home and small business users while Movable Type is targeted at larger businesses or for internal intranets. Price: Basic, $4.95 a month; premium, $8.95 to $14.95 a month.
Xanga
These guys originated back in 1999 as a site for sharing book, music and movie reviews. Although it quickly morphed into a full blown blogging tool Xanga still maintains the ability to run a powerful review site. Xanga pulls data from several retailers like Amazon.com including thumbnails, pricing and a cover. The software also is very usable by novices with a powerful WYSIWYG editor allowing for easy HTML editing, adding smilies, links, and other symbols. By using Blog rings it is also easy to interface with Xanga's other 3 million users to share interests, ideas, and of course traffic. Xanga comes in a free and $25 flavor.
Mentions: Blogsome, Blogster, MindSay, Multiply,
Self Hosted Blogging Software
WordPress
WordPress originally began as a mod of an older open source package known as B2. WP is MT's biggest competition and is often the bain of endless Wordpress vs Movabletype style threads around the internet. Although launched just over a year or so ago WP has really taken the blogosphere by storm. And with good reason - Wordpress is completely free under GNU licensing and is packed with many featured you will not find anywhere else. It is also much easier to install and get blogging for novice users and has a very large and helpful community. WP runs on PHP/mySQL and is quite scalable judging from some of the very large and trafficked sites I see using it. It also sports utilities to import files from Movable Type, Textpattern, Greymatter, Blogger, and b2. Wordpress recently upped the ante when Yahoo recently included them on their hosting packages, in addition to MT. I have to admit I am finding myself more and more digging WP and will likely convert Profitpapers to WP as I get time (it can be a biznitch). Wordpress is free.
Movable Type
Aside from maybe Greymatter (the original open source blogging tool), Movabletype dominated the blogging market share in 2002-2004. Released in late 2001, Perl based Movable Type by Sixapart has maintained a large portion of the blogging market share, due mainly to the fact that there is a free version (supporting up to 3 weblogs) and that it is incredibly powerful, intuitive and easy to customize. Template driven Movable Type also sports one of the largest communities of developers and blogging enthusiasts around, meaning lots of support, idea sharing, and of course plugins. Movable Type can be configured to dynamically generate HTML, PHP or any other kind of pages you like, meaning it is incredibly scalable, fast, and loved by spiders. It is perhaps the most well known blogging software for SEO purposes and it what currently powers Profitpapers and several of my other projects. Moveabletype is either Free with 3 authors, 1 weblog, and no support or $69.95 with unlimited weblogs, authors and full support.
Textpattern
Textpattern is the brainchild of Dean Allen and was written to ease publishing of content for those not inclined to learn HTML. Like WP and MT Textpattern runs on PHP and mySQL for easy administration, backups, and power. What really sets textpattern apart from the others is the integration of Textile. Textile is a tool for easily formatting content for those who do not know HTML. WP & MT have modules for textile as well but it is native to the Textpattern system. Another bonus of the app is its superior handling of comment spam due to its smaller market share. On a blogs I maintain running WP and MT I often find myself clearing out spam every day, whereas on some very busy textpattern sites I receive only manual comment spam (not bot driven). TP is open source.
Mentions: Blosxom, LifeType, Serendipity.
Community based Blogging Software
Slash
Waaaaay back in 1997, Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda launched a website known as Chips & Dips, supplied via his student account at Hope College in Michigan. In 1999 Andover.net acquired Slashdot. Shortly after, the underlying code was released as open source software called Slash. Like Movable Type and Greymatter, Slash runs on Perl, but it also has established hooks into MySQL and a very strong track record of scaling to enormous traffic levels. To give you an idea, the term 'slashdotted' originated from acquiring a link on this now infamous and very popular tech news website – and consequently watching your servers melt. If you have never messed around with Slash, you really should as it is quite a powerful platform. Slash is open source.
Scoop
Another well known Perl based community blogging software is Scoop. Scoop is the software that powers Kuro5shin, DailyKos and many other busy community weblogs. Scoop took the Slashdot idea and expanded on it, making the discussion rather than the news the focus of the application. Where Slashdot entries tend to have a link with added commentary pointing readers off the site, Scoop points to stories written by members of the community keeping the reader within your own weblog. Scoop is also well known for handling large volumes of traffic and a large very technical community. Scoop is free .
Drupal
Drupal is a well known open source community blogging platform with a very large community of users and developers. Not only is Drupal free but it is damn powerful. Instead of Perl, which is quite hard to decode at times, even if you are a fluent coder, Drupal uses a PHP/mySQL platform. Drupal is also a very community focused application with a built in forum, download area, and hundreds of other home brewed mods and hacks. If you are looking for a lot of functionality give Drupal a check - the project has become quite mature. It is also much easier to use and customize than either Scoop or Slash. Drupal is also another open source project.
Mentions: LiveJournal, PHP Nuke.
Miles Evans writes for ProfitPapers [http://www.profitpapers.com] where he writes essays on organic SEO, SEM, development and other equally fascinating subjects.
Article Source: Best Blogging Software
The blogging platform wars are getting really interesting and much of the discussion I find myself in lately revolves around what is happening with various CMS systems. The market can essentially be defined into 3 major camps: remotely hosted, self hosted, and community based systems. I have used pretty much every blogging platform available and each of them has its ups and downs. In this article I will cover the best options for each area taking into account price, usability, market share and of course SEO potential.
All of these products are either open source, completely free or have a functional free version. Links were stripped from this article so you may want to check out the original best blogging software [http://www.profitpapers.com/reviews/best-blogging-software.php] article at ProfitPapers.
Remotely Hosted Blogging Software
(Note: I cannot really recommend any of these from an SEO stand point as optimizing a domain you do not own or control is obviously not a good marketing plan.)
Blogger
Blogger is completely free and currently owns the majority of the remotely hosted user base, but not by a land slide . Bought out by Google in 1999, Blogger essentially fired up the blogging trend we see today. It is by far the easiest overall solution to use and if you are a novice user looking to throw up some recipes or poetry, this is for you. Blogger is completely free and includes some great features like comments, photo blogging, and a basic community feel with user profiles. Because it is so dumbed down there are some features you may not find with Blogger that are only available through 3rd party add-ons. As a side note Blogger weblogs do quite well in the search engines and this was recently exploited with it being the first choice for spam blogs or splogs. A splog is a weblog used for the sole purpose of gaining inbound links or generating thousands of keyword stuffed pages with Adsense and the like. The recent Google Jagger update cleared a large portion of this up. Free.
Typepad
Released in 2003 Typepad is a product of Sixapart, the makers of Movable Type. it is largely based on MT but there are some major enhancements and differences. Your blog can accomodate one or more photo albums with auto thumbnail generation. You can easily add music, books, and other media to Typelists, which grab a thumbnail from Amazon and other retailers for easily displaying in your sidebar. Typepad is also a great deal more technical than Blogger so a bit of HTML know how is recommended. On that note editing your blog to look the way you want it also quite easy and Typepad blogs are known for being very eye pleasing, intuitive and easy to navigate. In Sixapart's business model Typepad is aimed at regular home and small business users while Movable Type is targeted at larger businesses or for internal intranets. Price: Basic, $4.95 a month; premium, $8.95 to $14.95 a month.
Xanga
These guys originated back in 1999 as a site for sharing book, music and movie reviews. Although it quickly morphed into a full blown blogging tool Xanga still maintains the ability to run a powerful review site. Xanga pulls data from several retailers like Amazon.com including thumbnails, pricing and a cover. The software also is very usable by novices with a powerful WYSIWYG editor allowing for easy HTML editing, adding smilies, links, and other symbols. By using Blog rings it is also easy to interface with Xanga's other 3 million users to share interests, ideas, and of course traffic. Xanga comes in a free and $25 flavor.
Mentions: Blogsome, Blogster, MindSay, Multiply,
Self Hosted Blogging Software
WordPress
WordPress originally began as a mod of an older open source package known as B2. WP is MT's biggest competition and is often the bain of endless Wordpress vs Movabletype style threads around the internet. Although launched just over a year or so ago WP has really taken the blogosphere by storm. And with good reason - Wordpress is completely free under GNU licensing and is packed with many featured you will not find anywhere else. It is also much easier to install and get blogging for novice users and has a very large and helpful community. WP runs on PHP/mySQL and is quite scalable judging from some of the very large and trafficked sites I see using it. It also sports utilities to import files from Movable Type, Textpattern, Greymatter, Blogger, and b2. Wordpress recently upped the ante when Yahoo recently included them on their hosting packages, in addition to MT. I have to admit I am finding myself more and more digging WP and will likely convert Profitpapers to WP as I get time (it can be a biznitch). Wordpress is free.
Movable Type
Aside from maybe Greymatter (the original open source blogging tool), Movabletype dominated the blogging market share in 2002-2004. Released in late 2001, Perl based Movable Type by Sixapart has maintained a large portion of the blogging market share, due mainly to the fact that there is a free version (supporting up to 3 weblogs) and that it is incredibly powerful, intuitive and easy to customize. Template driven Movable Type also sports one of the largest communities of developers and blogging enthusiasts around, meaning lots of support, idea sharing, and of course plugins. Movable Type can be configured to dynamically generate HTML, PHP or any other kind of pages you like, meaning it is incredibly scalable, fast, and loved by spiders. It is perhaps the most well known blogging software for SEO purposes and it what currently powers Profitpapers and several of my other projects. Moveabletype is either Free with 3 authors, 1 weblog, and no support or $69.95 with unlimited weblogs, authors and full support.
Textpattern
Textpattern is the brainchild of Dean Allen and was written to ease publishing of content for those not inclined to learn HTML. Like WP and MT Textpattern runs on PHP and mySQL for easy administration, backups, and power. What really sets textpattern apart from the others is the integration of Textile. Textile is a tool for easily formatting content for those who do not know HTML. WP & MT have modules for textile as well but it is native to the Textpattern system. Another bonus of the app is its superior handling of comment spam due to its smaller market share. On a blogs I maintain running WP and MT I often find myself clearing out spam every day, whereas on some very busy textpattern sites I receive only manual comment spam (not bot driven). TP is open source.
Mentions: Blosxom, LifeType, Serendipity.
Community based Blogging Software
Slash
Waaaaay back in 1997, Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda launched a website known as Chips & Dips, supplied via his student account at Hope College in Michigan. In 1999 Andover.net acquired Slashdot. Shortly after, the underlying code was released as open source software called Slash. Like Movable Type and Greymatter, Slash runs on Perl, but it also has established hooks into MySQL and a very strong track record of scaling to enormous traffic levels. To give you an idea, the term 'slashdotted' originated from acquiring a link on this now infamous and very popular tech news website – and consequently watching your servers melt. If you have never messed around with Slash, you really should as it is quite a powerful platform. Slash is open source.
Scoop
Another well known Perl based community blogging software is Scoop. Scoop is the software that powers Kuro5shin, DailyKos and many other busy community weblogs. Scoop took the Slashdot idea and expanded on it, making the discussion rather than the news the focus of the application. Where Slashdot entries tend to have a link with added commentary pointing readers off the site, Scoop points to stories written by members of the community keeping the reader within your own weblog. Scoop is also well known for handling large volumes of traffic and a large very technical community. Scoop is free .
Drupal
Drupal is a well known open source community blogging platform with a very large community of users and developers. Not only is Drupal free but it is damn powerful. Instead of Perl, which is quite hard to decode at times, even if you are a fluent coder, Drupal uses a PHP/mySQL platform. Drupal is also a very community focused application with a built in forum, download area, and hundreds of other home brewed mods and hacks. If you are looking for a lot of functionality give Drupal a check - the project has become quite mature. It is also much easier to use and customize than either Scoop or Slash. Drupal is also another open source project.
Mentions: LiveJournal, PHP Nuke.
Miles Evans writes for ProfitPapers [http://www.profitpapers.com] where he writes essays on organic SEO, SEM, development and other equally fascinating subjects.
Article Source: Best Blogging Software
Monday, July 5, 2010
7 Basic Tools Needed to Start a Topical Stamp Collection
By Janice Dugas
Apart from the stamp themselves, the essential tools you need as a stamp collector are very simple and geared to maintain order and good care of your collection.
1. Album
You cannot always keep your stamps and envelopes with stamps on them in a shoe box! They deserve a better home and also, a better way of being displayed.
The first album printed specifically for stamps was published by Lallier of Paris in 1862 and since that time, many types of album became available. Nowadays, you can even choose to collect by country or by subjects, and find corresponding albums on your main topical choices.
Do keep in mind that you do not have to buy a "printed" album to store your collection, as you may, instead, acquire a three ring binder and keep your stamps on loose leaf stock sheets. Quite simple and unexpensive, this system gives you much more flexibility that a printed album as you can easily shuffle your album pages around while your collections grows.
2. Catalogues
Stamp catalogues are an essential guide. They provide an illustrated listing of the postage stamps issued by the postal administrations of the world along with their market value.
It is the tool by excellence to identify and store chronologically your stamps. They are updated on a regular basis to reflect the changes in the market value along with the addition of new issues
Pretty much every country has its own specialized catalogues. For example, Yvert & Tellier for France, Michel catalogue for Germany, Zumstein catalogue for Switzerland, Stanley Gibbons for Great Britain, to name just these few.
The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue published by Scott Publishing Co. in the United States, contains the listing of all the stamps issued by all the countries of the world.
3. Tongs
Always use tongs to manipulate your stamps in order to avoid damaging them with your fingers or skin oil. As the condition of the stamp is directly related to its value on the market, you must take great care.
4. Magnifying Glass
Very handy when comes the time to check for varieties, errors, oddities and freaks, but also to decipher the cancellation on used stamps and difficult to read inscriptions.
5. Hinges
In the past, many postage stamps completely lost their value because they were affixed to album pages with glue or scotch tape! We owe much to the inventor of stamp hinges as these small, folded, transparent and rectangular pieces of paper coated with a mild gum are now safely used to affix used postage stamps onto the album pages.
6. Perforation gauge
It is not uncommon to find two stamps with identical design and colors but not having the same perforations. It is now easy to measure such perforations with the gauge and properly identify the stamps. The first perforated stamps appeared in Great Britain in 1854. Before that date, stamps were issued imperforate.
7. Transparent Glassines
They can hold unsorted or unidentified stamps until you have time to work on them or can be used to display your collection in this format as well.
You now know the basic tools you need to start your stamp collection.
Happy stamping!
Janice Dugas is a professional stamp collector and has been actively involved in the stamp collecting community for more than 16 years. She joyfully shares her knowledge about the most fascinating hobby in the world. If you are passionate of topical stamp collecting, you must visit her blog at http://www.secretstostampcollecting.com/members
Article Source: 7 Basic Tools Needed to Start a Topical Stamp Collection
Apart from the stamp themselves, the essential tools you need as a stamp collector are very simple and geared to maintain order and good care of your collection.
1. Album
You cannot always keep your stamps and envelopes with stamps on them in a shoe box! They deserve a better home and also, a better way of being displayed.
The first album printed specifically for stamps was published by Lallier of Paris in 1862 and since that time, many types of album became available. Nowadays, you can even choose to collect by country or by subjects, and find corresponding albums on your main topical choices.
Do keep in mind that you do not have to buy a "printed" album to store your collection, as you may, instead, acquire a three ring binder and keep your stamps on loose leaf stock sheets. Quite simple and unexpensive, this system gives you much more flexibility that a printed album as you can easily shuffle your album pages around while your collections grows.
2. Catalogues
Stamp catalogues are an essential guide. They provide an illustrated listing of the postage stamps issued by the postal administrations of the world along with their market value.
It is the tool by excellence to identify and store chronologically your stamps. They are updated on a regular basis to reflect the changes in the market value along with the addition of new issues
Pretty much every country has its own specialized catalogues. For example, Yvert & Tellier for France, Michel catalogue for Germany, Zumstein catalogue for Switzerland, Stanley Gibbons for Great Britain, to name just these few.
The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue published by Scott Publishing Co. in the United States, contains the listing of all the stamps issued by all the countries of the world.
3. Tongs
Always use tongs to manipulate your stamps in order to avoid damaging them with your fingers or skin oil. As the condition of the stamp is directly related to its value on the market, you must take great care.
4. Magnifying Glass
Very handy when comes the time to check for varieties, errors, oddities and freaks, but also to decipher the cancellation on used stamps and difficult to read inscriptions.
5. Hinges
In the past, many postage stamps completely lost their value because they were affixed to album pages with glue or scotch tape! We owe much to the inventor of stamp hinges as these small, folded, transparent and rectangular pieces of paper coated with a mild gum are now safely used to affix used postage stamps onto the album pages.
6. Perforation gauge
It is not uncommon to find two stamps with identical design and colors but not having the same perforations. It is now easy to measure such perforations with the gauge and properly identify the stamps. The first perforated stamps appeared in Great Britain in 1854. Before that date, stamps were issued imperforate.
7. Transparent Glassines
They can hold unsorted or unidentified stamps until you have time to work on them or can be used to display your collection in this format as well.
You now know the basic tools you need to start your stamp collection.
Happy stamping!
Janice Dugas is a professional stamp collector and has been actively involved in the stamp collecting community for more than 16 years. She joyfully shares her knowledge about the most fascinating hobby in the world. If you are passionate of topical stamp collecting, you must visit her blog at http://www.secretstostampcollecting.com/members
Article Source: 7 Basic Tools Needed to Start a Topical Stamp Collection
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Updating Yourself As a Blogger Or Writer
Like updating your anti-virus software. Whether you are a blogger or a copywriter, a writer or a journalist, believe it or not, there will come a day when you sit down in front of your computer feeling like you are absolutely dry. Empty. Said enough. Enough said.
Writing and blogging online makes it disadvantageous for you because blogging means capturing and recording everything online. You have to come up with new things to blog about, to write about, that is entertaining and wise, funny and memorable. Nobody wants to revisit a boring blog that talks about nothing but how blue the sky is.
Bloggers need to get creative with the way they write things because you don't get to sell the same thing over and over again...like a cell phone or a tube of hand lotion. It's the same thing that you sell to different people. For online writers and bloggers, you need to sell different things to different people all the time.
Any good business blogger can tell you that they consistently break up the same topic into minuscule components and then write it from a different angle.
For example, today you could be talking about blogging, you break it up into the health, creative, inspiration, fingers, mental, ideas, links, etc. Topic by topic, you break it down again. For example, health: how sitting down and writing on a daily basis can be a hazardous to health if you don't get out of your seat every half an hour for a walk around the kitchen. And then you can write about how writing about health topics is very enticing because you learn new things from the things that you have to write.
See? Plenty of ways to attack that.
But the sad thing about writing and blogging is that it needs to be fresh. The only way to keep your blogging habits (and the result thereof) healthy and fresh is to educate and update yourself consistently. Do not have the time to read? Make time. Don't think reading other people's blogs and writeups is helpful? Think again. Do not have the time to perform lengthy and tiring research work on the internet? Get down on it.
A blogger, if he or she does not update him or herself regular will soon find him or herself staring down into an empty well of repetitiveness.
Marsha Maung is a Malaysian-based freelance writer with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her blog for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
Article Source: Updating Yourself As a Blogger Or Writer
Writing and blogging online makes it disadvantageous for you because blogging means capturing and recording everything online. You have to come up with new things to blog about, to write about, that is entertaining and wise, funny and memorable. Nobody wants to revisit a boring blog that talks about nothing but how blue the sky is.
Bloggers need to get creative with the way they write things because you don't get to sell the same thing over and over again...like a cell phone or a tube of hand lotion. It's the same thing that you sell to different people. For online writers and bloggers, you need to sell different things to different people all the time.
Any good business blogger can tell you that they consistently break up the same topic into minuscule components and then write it from a different angle.
For example, today you could be talking about blogging, you break it up into the health, creative, inspiration, fingers, mental, ideas, links, etc. Topic by topic, you break it down again. For example, health: how sitting down and writing on a daily basis can be a hazardous to health if you don't get out of your seat every half an hour for a walk around the kitchen. And then you can write about how writing about health topics is very enticing because you learn new things from the things that you have to write.
See? Plenty of ways to attack that.
But the sad thing about writing and blogging is that it needs to be fresh. The only way to keep your blogging habits (and the result thereof) healthy and fresh is to educate and update yourself consistently. Do not have the time to read? Make time. Don't think reading other people's blogs and writeups is helpful? Think again. Do not have the time to perform lengthy and tiring research work on the internet? Get down on it.
A blogger, if he or she does not update him or herself regular will soon find him or herself staring down into an empty well of repetitiveness.
Marsha Maung is a Malaysian-based freelance writer with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her blog for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
Article Source: Updating Yourself As a Blogger Or Writer
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I and My Health
If I ask you to what extent the importance of healthy body to you, what is your answer? For me, healthy body is paramount.
I have a story. I met someone who I know five years ago. Now he is 51. I was very amazing that he is handsome and healthy compared to five years ago.
I asked him what's the secret. He said he practices the holistic health therapy, also known as Ganotherapy. It is so easy and inexpensive. He said the car engine is always maintained, why not the engine (heart) of ours.
Seeing how healthy he is (and handsome of course
), I decided to practice the concept of holistic health or Ganotherapy in my life.
I have a story. I met someone who I know five years ago. Now he is 51. I was very amazing that he is handsome and healthy compared to five years ago.
I asked him what's the secret. He said he practices the holistic health therapy, also known as Ganotherapy. It is so easy and inexpensive. He said the car engine is always maintained, why not the engine (heart) of ours.
Seeing how healthy he is (and handsome of course
), I decided to practice the concept of holistic health or Ganotherapy in my life.
