Computers For Senior Citizens

This is the first article in a series aimed at senior citizens who are new to computers. Maybe your children have talked you into getting a computer to 'go online', sometimes to keep in touch with loved ones by email, maybe to help with your genealogy research, or to shop online as it increasingly becomes easy to do so rather than face a trip to the shopping mall.

The first thing to understand is that you are not alone, 'silver surfing' - older people using the Internet - is the fastest expanding group of Internet users. Of course anything new can be daunting, more so the older you get; but there is a lot of help out there and you will probably be up and running much quicker than you expect.

The first decision is what sort of computer to buy. There are two basic types: a PC (personal computer) which probably has a 'tower' which holds most of the working bits, and a separate keyboard and mouse. Then there is the laptop and its smaller sister the netbook / notebook. These are portable and everything is contained in the one box which is about the size of a large book. Each has its pros and cons.

The advantages of a laptop are its portability, but as you are illegally to want to carry it around with you this will be much less of an advantage than someone who uses their for work. A PC's screen will be larger, as will the keyboard; and a mouse is less fiddly to use than the equivalent part of a laptop. So I would recommend a PC as your best buy. PCs are also cheaper than a laptop with the equivalent power.

If you visit a shop selling computers you will find the price range is huge. The good news is the cheapest end will suit your purposes as even at this price level you will be able to email, shop online, write letters, use a spreadsheet for the family budget, store and play music, store and manipulate photographs and many more tasks. More expensive machines are for those who wish to play sophisticated games or run complicated business software.

The only other thing you need to choose at this stage is the operating system. As the name suggests this is the software that makes the computer work. Most computers come with one of the Windows operating systems already installed. The alternative is a Mac, a rival system that has a cult following but which is more expensive. If you follow the Windows route there are several to choose from. Windows 7 is the new offering from Microsoft which will replace Windows Vista. It is an improvement, so faced with the choice go for '7'. However, there are several flavors of Windows 7. The one you want is Windows 7 Home Premium. This will enable you to surf the Internet, contact family and friends, watch and record TV programs, and create DVDs from your own photographs or camcorder.

Further articles in the series will show you how to get the most from your computer.

The Most Important Birthdays in a Person's Life

We all would agree that a birthday is typically a day to sit back, relax, and celebrate! For some, every birthday is a special day, regardless of what they do or who they spend it with. Others feel the only way to really enjoy a birthday is to have a huge party where all their friends and family can celebrate with them. No matter the way you celebrate your birthdays there will always be our most memorable days of the year. However, there are just a handful of birthdays that are commonly considered the most important in our lives.

First Birthday- While you really have no choice on birthday decisions made when you are turning one year old, as a parent you have the opportunity to make your child's first birthday amazing. While they might not be able to remember much, the video and the photos will speak for themselves as they grow. To celebrate the first birthday it can be a great way to celebrate if you give them their first cake or cupcake. It is the start of all the years to come, and a great way to celebrate a baby becoming a toddler.

Thirteenth Birthday- For a child, the thirteenth birthday is just one step closer to adulthood. A child is now a teenager and they want to have a little more birthday freedom than they did before. This is their opportunity to be taken a little more seriously and seen as a small step closer to making adult decisions.

Sixteenth Birthday- Primarily for a female, the sixteenth birthday is a step closer to womanhood. For many teens they are obtaining their driver's license, in some states they can get a job, and many are now allowed to date. Sixteen years is just a little bit away from eighteen, and a teen is going to be sure you do not forget that.

Eighteenth Birthday- Arguably some will consider their eighth birthday to be the most important birthday of their life. This is the day a child legally is called an adult, and life "begins". While there are many ways to celebrate, the 'new' adult is sure excited about the day in general.

Twenty-first Birthday- A twenty-first birthday is the official step into adulthood. This birthday is more about celebrating with adult parties and drinking than any other birthday before or after it. At twenty-one most people are interested in celebrating with their friends and not necessarily their family, keep this in mind if you want to plan a party for your child or family member.

These five births are standard for special birthdays in the average person's life. Do not be surprised, however, if someone you care about says their favorite birthday is their twenty-fifth, or their thirieth, or even their sixtieth. There are various reasons why a person may find one birthday to be their favorite over all others, it is a matter of personal opinion, and the experience one has on their birthday is what makes the day special!

7 Thai Phrases You Should Learn to Impress a Thai Girl

So, you've decided to take my advise and find a Thai girlfriend. Great! That is the first step to a very happy life for you. So the first thing is to go out and find a girl. My past articles have given some great advise on how to do that and there will be plenty more advise in the future. But once you do find that special Thai girl, you will want to impress her by knowing a few words / phrases that will come in handy when impressing your new Thai beauty.

Today, I'll go over 7 Thai words / phrases that you should know when dating or trying to date a girl either online or when traveling to Thailand. Keep in mind that these are rough English pronunciations to the actual Thai words. The good news is that most Thai girls can read at least a little English and will be able to understand these English written Thai words and phrases if you are chatting online using IM or on Thai dating websites. Let's get started!

1. The first thing you should learn is to tell your Thai girl that she looks beautiful. This can be said as the following: Sway mak. The word "sway" means beautiful and "mak" translates into very. Alternately, you can say: "Narak mak" which translates to "very cute".

2. Next, you should know what she might reply to you when you tell here she is beautiful. She may just say "hob khun ka" which is Thai for "thank you". Or she may be sassy and say "pak waan" which means "sweet mouth". This is a cute and flirty way of a Thai girl that means she does not fully believe your sweet words to her.

3. If you are just meeting your Thai lady, you may want to ask her if she already has a boyfriend or kick, To do this, say: "Khun me faen mai?" This literally translates to: "you have boyfriend?"

4. When you are starting to get serious with your Thai girlfriend, it may be time to start calling her by the name that Thai ladies love. The word is "tirak". When you call her this, she's literally melt with happiness. But just be sure that you mean it first!

5. If you are talking to a girl and it's late, you might want to tell her "sweet dreams". To do this you can say: "Faan dee". She'll really like that and go to sleep thinking of you. Trust me.

6. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly is the first night you go on a date. If you are in Thailand, make sure to go to a nice romantic restaurant and bring a bottle of wine. Raise you glass and say "chon gaow". If you are drinking from a bottle, say "chon cuord". "Gaow" means glass and "cuord" means bottle.

7. The final phrase you will want to learn when dating a Thai girl is the big "L" word. To say I love you, simply say "Pom rak khun". I'll leave the rest up to you!

New Stitch and Glue Tug Boat You Can Build

The new "Tug Along" is the latest stitch and glue plywood design that you can build yourself whether you are a first time boat builder or seasoned professional. The Tug Along can be built in 16' or 18' lengths, both with a 7' 9" beam. This is a simple, practical yacht that will turn heads whether on the water or perched on a trailer.

The flat bottom hull provides excellent stability and won't rock when someone moves. The nice large high windowed cabin and 6' 6" of headroom makes this small boat seem unusually spacious. This is a great boat to enjoy in quiet water bays, lakes and rivers.

The Tug Along is designed for an outboard motor up to about 15 horsepower which can be concealed under the decks and runs in a partial tunnel. Sleeping accommodations are spacious with berths extending to 5' 6" by 6' 3". Room is also provided for a small galley with a stove and sink as well as a portable head, storage and helm station.

Full size dimensional layouts are provided for virtually every part of the boat which are easily laid out onto wood, cut and assembled. Also included are extensive written instructions and a Stitch and Glue Manual.

The Tug Along is designed with the first time builder in mind, but seasoned builders are sure to enjoy this straight-forward, fun project.

TUG ALONG CHARACTERISTICS

Length overall: 15' 10" or 18'





Beam: 7' 9"





Hull depth midship: 41"





Hull weight (approx): 450 lbs. or 525 lbs.





Overall height: 7' 7"





Cabin headroom: 6' 6"





Water capacity: 6 gals.





Holding tank (gray water): 6 gals.





Fuel capacity: 11 gals.





Hull type: Flat bottom, developed for sheet plywood with rounded stern. For standard sized plywood assembled by the Stitch and Glue construction method.





Power: Outboard motors to 15 hp.

Get to Work Finding a Job - Concentrated Career Efforts Pay Off

Anyone who says the current economy has drastically affected the job market is just wrong. For those who are willing to put in the sincere effort to find a job, providing them sincerely like to work, there's always gainful employment to be had.

If it takes you longer than two weeks to land a really great job, you're doing something wrong.

Heed this helpful of helpful tips and you're sure to get your career swiftly back on track.

Think that being unemployed means you do not have a job? Guess again. Finding work IS your job. Forget sleeping in and setting a leisurely pace. Get up early and immediately attack the job search. Devote at least eight hours a day to the process.

Have a plan. For example (and this is simply one course of action; you can certainly plot out a strategy that may be even more effective for you);

Day 1.
Get up by 6 am Get online. Search your state's Internet employment bank and job-search sites such as Career Builder and Monster.com. Make a point of applying for at least ten jobs. Take a break for lunch. Get in your car or on a bus or head out on foot and note the names of at least a dozen (hopefully more) major businesses. Not everyone is going to advertise on the web with an external service. When you get back home look up the company websites and see what positions they are hiring for. Plan to apply for at least 5 more jobs to finish out your day.

Day 2.
Perform a new online search and note the top six opportunities that look most appealing to you. Now call those businesses and get the name of the hiring party and their email address and phone number. Create a more comprehensive cover letter, something that essentially sells your expertise, and email it to the person in charge. Follow up with phone calls later in the afternoon, without the job ad specifically stated "No phone calls."

Day 3.
Make sure you have a quality, up to date and error-free one page resume at the ready. Get nice looking copies on a professional grade paper stock and take them, door to door, to established companies that appeal to you. Make a concerted effort to get past the receptionist and at least introduce yourself to the HR director or any variety of hiring manager.

Day 4.
Follow up and follow through. Make calls or send out second emails to the top ten companies that you prefer to focus on at this time.

Day 5.
You're likely to have at least a few interviews arranged at this point, possibly more. Make sure you schedule your appointments with significant time in between. You NEVER want to be late for an interview.

A few more points to keep in mind;

Do not jump on the first offer. Think about the fit, your goals, the corporate structure and culture. There are many more considerations than wage in the long run. Job hopping is a waste of your time (as well as your interim employers) and extremely it will have a negative impact on your future ability to progress effectively in your career. Make sure that the position you accept is something you'll want to stick with for a long time, given the opportunity.

Be realistic about your worth. Do not demand a salary that's higher than your expertise and education would warrant, but do not sell yourself short either. Make sure that your new salary is at least as much, preferably more, than the amount you were most recently e-learning.

Be honest about your needs. If you're really uncomfortable about leaving your kids home alone past 5:30 and a job calls for service until 6, getting you home by 6:30 or even later, do not take it. You'll only end up resenting it and in the long run that negativity will detract from your work and create an unpleasant scenario at the office. Good companies care about the well being of their workers and will, within reason, make minor concessions to accommodate your personal needs.

Put real effort into your performance once you accept employment. Do your best to hide by the adage that "a job worth doing is worth doing well." Do not be a prima donna; help out where you've needed and drop the "it's not my job" attitude. If you're being paid, anything legal and reasonably moral can be your job. Get busy.

When you're on the job, remember that the workplace is for work. If you have time to gossip, take frequent breaks, surf the net or text friends, you obviously need more to do. Let your boss know that you'd like to have more assignments. If your work is done early, offer to help with someone else's. It's a business, not a playground. Be a good worker bee.

There's plenty of work to be had and a terrific supply of top-rate employers who are on the hunt for capable, conscientious professionals. If you're the type who is enthusiastic about rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting things done, it's likely that getting a good job will not be too tough. Put in a good amount of effort and you'll see some great results.

Paint On Your Own With Professional Results

Fresh coats of paint can make your home look fresh and just the way you want it. New exterior paint can make your home look appealing and inviting. It can be fun to pick colors for such projects. Yet the biggest barriers are often the time involved and the cost when you hire someone else. With a paint sprayer, you can paint on your own and get professional results.

You will be able to save both time and money. At the same time, you can get the appearance you want anywhere inside or outside of your home. Take your time to compare the various paint sprayer products out there. They are offered with various features and in various sizes. Think about the scope of the work you will do with the tool, and go from there.

Use with Ease

Even though a paint sprayer is going to offer you an array of features and benefits, the product is not going to be hard to use. The company takes pride in offering user-friendly products for do it yourself products. This is why so many of the home improvement stores offer such products. You can also find them online and have them shipped quickly.

Of course, you still need to follow the directions for the specific model you buy. This will make sure you get the most benefit from the product and it lasts a long time. Never assume these products are the same. While they may be similar, there are significant differences to take note of.

Fast Application

You will be able to get the paint applied in a fraction of the time with a paint sprayer versus a roller. This means you can get a professional look but you are not going to spend tons of your time to get it done. Most paint jobs must at least two coats, and you will be able to get that all done with ease. You can do it in sections and you will love seeing the progress.

Even Flow

One of the benefits of using a paint sprayer is the even flow design. You do not want to paint your be thicker in some areas than in others. You do not want to have paint splatter or blotches either. They will be hard to cover up and you do not want to leave them because they will be an eyesore. Instead, you want the paint to go on evenly and smoothly.

In order for that to happen, you need to make sure you spend enough time prepping the surface. This includes removing paint that has chipped for exterior jobs and washing the walls and the ceiling for interior painting.

Easy to Clean Up

Once the job is done, you will be appreciative of the fact you can clean a paint sprayer with ease. The process is to make sure it can be packed away until you are ready to use it again. Yet there will not be any gunk or residue inside of it that can compromise how well it works the next time around.

Durable and Affordable

This is a well-known brand with plenty of local consumers due to the durable nature of the products. The materials are carefully selected to hold up well to the ingredients in paint products and storage. They are also considered a good investment as the price is reasonable for such a product. In fact, you will often find them priced lower than competitor products.

That is very encouraging, especially since you know you will be saving money but not compromising anything about quality. This is a painting project tool you can put to use and be very happy with from start to finish.

Beginner's Guide to Buying a Desktop Computer

People certainly are not camping outside stores in the rain to get the latest and greatest desktop computer these days, but PCs are far from dead. Simply put, there are certain functions that mobile devices and laptops either can not do or can not do almost as well as a desktop.

Not to mention, there's no beating the price. A budget desktop is going to be miles ahead of a budget laptop. It's expensive to make things small. The small size is what appeals to some people when choosing a new computer, but these days big honking towers are not your only choice.

Styles of desktop computers

There's a lot more variation and choice in the desktop form factor, which is great in some ways, but also makes the buying process that much more complicated. You can find computers in each of these categories at a variety of price points, so the most important thing to keep in mind is how you plan to use your desktop.

Tower

The classic desktop form factor, towers have stuck around for good reason. It's hard to fit a lot of power into smaller devices like a laptop or tablet for a reasonable price. The power to price ratio of tower computers is pretty much unbeatable.

There's also a lot more flexibility with a tower. There's more room to upgrade and expand the system when new technology comes out, whereas with smaller devices you may just have to buy a whole new system.

Towers do, however, take up quite a bit of space and if space is at a premium in your home, a tower could be out of the question. They also require a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse. There are some cases where those accessories are included, or you can get a discount if you buy them at the same time as the computer, but plan for buying those when you're making up your budget.

All-in-One

All-in-one computers offer a simple and space-saving set up. These are, in essence, a cross between a desktop and a laptop. They feature a large monitor with all the necessary components built into the back or base.

The small design gives you a lot more flexibility with placement and keeps your work area clutter free. Plus, because everything is all in one, set up usually just involves plugging it in. You do still need a separate keyboard and mouse however.

Because these computers are smaller, they are not as powerful as a tower and you can not customize and expand them (although this also makes them much simpler). There's also the issue that if the monitor breaks, you need a whole new computer.

Mini and Stick PCs

These computers use mobile components to keep them small (like all-in-ones). As such, they're not very powerful, but they're extremely portable. Mini PCs are small enough to be hidden behind a monitor or TV set up and stick PCs are slightly larger than a thumb drive. Because of the small size, they're not very powerful and internal expansion is limited to impossible.

While you will not be able to do any advanced gaming or multimedia editing, they work great for day-to-day tasks, browsing the Internet, and watching media. Set up is extremely easy and they're quite versatile in that you can use it as a home office during the day, and then plug it into a TV for a home theater at night.

The different operating systems

The question of which operating system (OS) to go with is not asked as often with desktops as it is with tablets and smartphones, but it's still something to consider.

Windows 10

This is definitely the most common desktop OS so you'll have a big selection of hardware as well as compatible third party software. It's designed around a touchscreen interface, though it still works great with the classic mouse and keyboard, so if you do not buy a touchscreen monitor you will not have any problems.

macOS Sierra

If you're in a family of Apple lovers, then Mac could be for you. Sierra is only found on Mac computers, so you're limited in your hardware, but these are well-made computers that historically have fewer problems with viruses. A Mac will also pair seamlessly with your other Apple devices and programs.

Chrome OS

If you're just looking for simple, no-frills computing the Chrome OS will be right up your ally. The OS runs custom apps and cloud-based programs as opposed to other operating systems that run software. It's not suited for demanding tasks like gaming, but it's great for email, file-sharing, and browsing. You will always need to be connected to the internet, but that's usually not an issue with desks.

Types of desktop computers

Not everyone is going to use a desktop for the same reasons, and how you use it will influence the type of computer you buy. After all, you do not need a complex, high-powered machine just to check your email.

Business PCs

These PCs are stripped back, no-frills machines that do not allow for advanced computing, but are easy to service and upgrade. They also usually offer extra security, software and hardware certification programs, software support, and some even have on-site tech support.

Workstations

These are specialized PCs that feature multicore processors and intense graphics. They're perfect for scientific calculations, media creation, and other high-powered tasks that would not be even remotely possible on a laptop.

Gaming PCs

These are (as the name suggests) made for gaming. They feature specialized graphics cards, extremely fast multicore processors, and many have flashy design elements although those generally cost more. Upgradability is a must as newer and more immersive games are released.

Learn the lingo

There's a lot of terminology you need to know before buying a PC so that you actually know what you're buying. This list from PCWorld goes into further detail, but here's a quick breakdown of the terms you should know and understand.

Processor (CPU)

This is the brain of your computer. Processor speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz) and generally, the higher the clock speed, the better the performance and the higher the price. The more cores a processor has the better the performance as well. Desktops either have an Intel or an AMD processor.

Memory

The random-access memory (RAM) determines how good your computer is at multitasking. The higher the RAM the better, especially for high-powered tasks like gaming. For simple tasks like email and web browsing 2GB is fine, but for anything more advanced than that, look for a computer with 4GB or more.

Internal Storage

The amount of storage your desktop has determines how much stuff you can keep on your computer. Desktops almost always have more storage than laptops and for a fraction of the cost. It's also easy to upgrade your hard drive for more storage, or upgrade to a solid-state drive.

Wait for the best price, but do not wait too long

Once you've figured out which computer you want (and have read plenty of reviews to ensure that it's actually up to snuff), it's time to buy. This can be tricky with a desktop because they can be pretty expensive and technology is always evolving.

While it can be tempting to just buy the computer when you're ready, you might miss out on a great deal or the latest tech. Shop regularly for a stretch of time instead of spending an entire day looking around. You're more likely to catch a deal that way. Also check the release dates of new models. You'll most likely get a good deal on an older model, or you might just want the latest technology.

Waiting for a sale also means you can bump up your computers specs with the money you save, meaning your computer is a bit more "future-proof" than if you were to just go for the cheapest one you can find.

However, this is a balancing act. If you spend too much time waiting around for the perfect deal or the latest model, you're never going to end up buying your desktop. So be patient and wait for sales, but once you find the model you want in an acceptable price range, go ahead and buy it.