Naming Your Son - A Guy's Perspective

Author : Jacob Henderson

So, when it came to naming my first son, my wife had about a million ideas, picking everything from Clarence to Icarus to Zavier.I think in her mind, she was imagining telling her girlfriends the great news about our son's name, and something like Cyril would make them think "Wow, that is such a unique and interesting name. I wish I had a stylish name like that for my son"However, as a guy, I think we have a different approach.We choose names for our offspring based on several key factors:1. What name would establish our kid as the leader of the pack in school, and not as someone that everybody loves to pick on. So Clarence and Icarus is out unless your kid is built like a tank and already sporting a fully grown beard at birth. Swirling around my head were strong names like Bruce, Gordon, Jake, and Wolfrider. ( ok, my wife probably wouldn't go for the last one. )2. Next, it's important for us to imagine what our yet to be born son will grow up to be. If hes going to be a hairdresser or a fashion designer then something like Georgio, Zavier, or Ralph might work, but for me, I want my son to grow up to be some sort of sports personality ( like a million other fathers out there ), so my new name options included Bobby, Oscar, Dan andWolf. ( cant get away from that one, but imagine..Wolf Henderson..MVP 4 years in a rowSports-star, Legend, Hero )3. After that, its important for me to consider the fact that my kid will grow up..hit his rebellious teens, and will resent me for the name I choose for him. The name cant be too common, and it cant be too out there. In other words.I cant win here. No matter what name I choose, my kid will pull it apart. Whats really important is to choose a name that he wont hate me for after he passes those oh so wonderful teenage years.In my mind, those are the key factors for what I name my son. When he grows up, I want him to say Thanks dad, for giving me my name. I never got picked on in school, my name has established me in my job as a football legend, and I couldnt have picked a better name myself. Its everything I would want in a nameSo.Ive settled on Tom. You cant go wrong with Tom, however, my wife still wants Cyril ( which sounds like a villain name to me, from some movie ).Anyway, my wife and I still have a month to make the final decision for our little bundle of joy.I wish you all the luck in your baby name selection process. Jacob Henderson is a successful writer, publisher and soon to be dad. He writes articles for Oddbaby. http://www.oddbaby.com

Category : Newborns

Parity reflects on the IT spending outlook for 2006

Author : Michael Hanna

The outlook for IT spending is expected to be fairly conservative for 2006 (source: Forrester Research). This is because, say Forrester, IT departments are now expected to support business goals more efficiently than they have done in the past. A greater prioritisation on the business and less on new investments in IT will see just a 1.6% increase in IT spending this year for European enterprises. The skills landscape is changing, say Parity, with fewer technicians required and greater demand for business roles such as those that have PRINCE2 and ISEB qualifications. Clearly this shift has a major impact on education, internal training departments and recruitment. ?The new skills landscape has been apparent to the Parity Group for some time?, says David Plummer, Managing Director at Parity Resources. The shift in demand for project management and program management training and for the ISEB training in IT Service Management plus year on year increases in demand on recruitment right across the UK of these job roles supports the rationale behind a cautious IT spending outlook. The theory that the education system will take too long to meet demands for IT/business analysts, IT architecture specialists, project managers and vendor managers - skills that firms expect to need in greater numbers in the future - is looking to be a reality unless firms themselves invest in developing the skills necessary to meet the needs of the business. Standard ?best practice? approaches and ?frameworks?, and a good set of underlying business skills are vital in today?s business environment.For more information in skills and recruitment services for these job profiles: Parity trainingEditorial notes:About Parity:Parity, uniquely for its size, offers a full range of IT services including;Business process consultancy Change management training Management training Technology trainingProgramming trainingDevelopment and management of complex IT systems Oracle and Microsoft technology and application skills Permanent and temporary IT staffResource process outsourcing Major companies include:Alcatel, Allianz, AT&T, British American Tobacco, CISCO, Department for Education & Skills, Department for Work & Pensions, Glaxo Smith Kline, HBOS, Hewlett Packard, HM Revenue & Customs, HSBC, IBM, ICI, Ministry of Defence, NASA, Connecting for Health at the NHS, O2, Perot Systems, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, The Cabinet Office, The Meterological Office, and T-Systems. Contact details:For more information on Parity, visit Parity or by contacting Gina Cannon (g.cannon@parity.net ) Business process consultancy Change management training Management training Technology trainingProgramming trainingDevelopment and management of complex IT systems Oracle and Microsoft technology and application skills Permanent and temporary IT staffResource process outsourcing

Category : General Technology: Computer

Aromatherapy Candles

Author : M J Plaster

Important considerations before choosing a web hosting provider

Author : Michael Smith

The first thing before choosing a web host is that you should be fully aware of your hosting requirements. If you are a beginner wanting to host a personal web site, then your only concern is that you get a decent amount of disk space for your web site with a host that is as cheap as $5 per month. However, if you are a developer, an online entrepreneur or an online business looking for e-commerce capabilities or advanced scripting technologies, then you can determine your requirements in the following order. (1) Whether you need Shared Hosting or Dedicated Hosting:This depends mainly on two major requirements, the traffic your web site is expected to receive and the degree of administrative privileges you need. If you expect your web site to receive huge amounts of traffic, then you will need to have a Dedicated Server which definitely has a much greater bandwidth offering. Also you should select Dedicated server hosting if your web site requires customized options, secure information or complex applications i.e. e-commerce, dynamic content, database and multimedia applications.(2) Whether you need Linux Hosting or Windows Hosting: If you're going to use server technologies such as ASP, JSP etc or intend to run Microsoft applications like Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database on your server, then you should use a Windows hosting provider. Although ASP can be run on the Linux platform using some commercial applications, there are security and reliability concerns related to it. However, if you want to use ColdFusion, it can run on both Linux and Windows platforms.(3) What are your Space and Bandwidth requirements: Many web hosts nowadays offer generous amounts of disk space from 1 GB to 3 GB. However, if your web site mainly acts as a download resource, then your disk space requirements may be 5 to 10 times greater than this. The second consideration is how much traffic your web site is expected to receive which will let you estimate your bandwidth requirements.(4) How many Parked Domains and Subdomains do you need: Parked domains are very advantageous and can significantly increase the amount of traffic to your web site. Similarly, subdomains can help with your search engine rankings by pointing to specific directories of your web site. Parked domains and subdomains occasionally come free with certain web hosting packages. However if you need more, you will have to pay an additional price per month.(5) FTP Accounts and Anonymous FTP Requirements: You may need more than one FTP account if you have coworkers working on your web site project at different locations. The Anonymous FTP permits the general public to access certain directories on your web server to whom they have been granted permission by you. In most cases, you will need a dedicated IP address for Anonymous FTP to function.(6) Whether you need e-commerce Features: If you need e-commerce features, you should choose a web host that provides e-commerce functionality such as shopping carts and the ability to accept credit cards. You should also check whether their server is SSL secure. In addition to your own hosting requirements, the following considerations must be kept in mind when looking for a quality web host. (1) More than 99.5% uptime: Choose a web host that has an uptime greater than 99.5% and if there is an uptime guarantee, it's even better. If your web site is for business purposes, it's very crucial that your site stays online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.(2) Fast Servers: The level of connectivity of your web host to the Internet is very important. So you should choose a web host with at least a T3 connection to the major Internet backbone. Analysis has shown that the average web visitor waits for about 30 seconds before your web page loads. So if your web site takes more than 30 seconds to load, chances are that you will loose a lot of visitors and consequently sales.(3) Server Backups: To make your data secure, your web host must have a power backup system and should backup the data to an external device in order to prevent the data loss due to failure. Check how frequently the web host backups the data, i.e. daily or weekly.(4) Disk Space and Bandwidth: Choose a web host that meets your disk space and bandwidth requirements. Most web hosts offer 1 GB to 3 GB of disk space, so if your web site is not mainly a download resource, then this factor is not that important for you. However, as regards the bandwidth, it should be as much as possible because your traffic can increase in the future thereby requiring more data transfer. Also check that you have the option of buying more disk space and bandwidth when required.(5) Unrestricted CGI, SSH, FTP access & Anonymous FTP: If you have a professional web site, you will need to run CGI scripts, have SSH (Secure Shell) access and FTP access. CGI and FTP access is provided by most web hosts whereas SSH access is provided by a few. You may also need to check if anonymous FTP access is provided.(6) Software/Scripts: Choose a web host that has an extensive script library that you can use to add guestbooks, forms, surveys, newsletters etc to your web site.(7) E-commerce capabilities and SSL: Choose a web host that provides you with e-commerce capabilities with shopping cart software and also merchant accounts. The web host must also have an SSL secure server for safe and risk-free transactions.(8) Web-Based Administration: Almost all web hosts nowadays provide a control panel to access and manage web site features. Ask for a demo of their control panel if possible and check to make sure that it is simple as well as comprehensive. The control panel should provide access to FTP, e-mail, databases, e-commerce and all other functions for effective web site management. VDeck 2.0 and CPanel are the leading brands of administration control panels.(9) Full e-mail services: Choose a web host that provides both POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, web-based e-mail, autoresponders, mailing lists, forwarding accounts and antivirus and spam filtering software.(10) Moneyback Guarantee: If the Web host gives a moneyback guarantee, it's even better because it makes you absolutely risk-free.(11) 24/7/365 Customer Support: The web host should provide as many support channels as possible including an FAQ section, a knowledgebase, video and flash tutorials, toll-free support, e-mails support, live chat support and a community forum. Try e-mailing the web host a couple of times to check how quickly they respond to your request. The customer support should be as prompt as possible and should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. This is crucial because if you run into problems and the support staff is not receptive or knowledgeable, you will be helpless. Michael Smith is an expert web hosting analyst. His site Web Hosting Provider reviews and rates the leading web hosting providers.

Category : Hosting

3 Ways to Increase Your List Numbers from In-Person Events

Author : Alicia Forest
Do you often attend in-person events, such as workshops, networking breakfasts, and seminars, and as you speak with people you collect a handful of business cards, but then you don't know what to do with them?Of course if someone's expressed an interest in your services, you want to follow up with them, but most people you talk with at these events may not need your services RIGHT NOW, yet they very well may in the future.So how do you make sure you're at their fingertips when they do need you? Get them on your list! That way you'll have the opportunity to continue to get in front of them in a subtle way. Remember, though, never to put anyone on your list who hasn't give you permission to do so.Here are three ways to encourage people to get on your list when you meet them in person, without being pushy:1. Put your Pink Spoon offering (your freebie product that draws people into your marketing funnel) information on the back of your business card, or on whatever other materials you hand out.Business cards are the standard pass-around marketing tool at these kind of events, but if the back of your card is blank, you're losing valuable real estate. There are several things you could add to the back of your card, and one of them is the information for your Pink Spoon.Write a snappy sentence describing the benefit that the reader will get if they sign up, along with the website address of where they can subscribe. For example, on the back of one of my cards it says, "Want to increase your income and client base by 20%? Sign up for my FREE ecourse to show you how at www.clientabundance.com."2. Email each person whose business card you collected within a week. Send a brief email to each person you met, reminding them that they can sign up for your freebie offering at your website. Make sure you include a live link to make it super-easy for them to click and sign up.I sent this note to someone I met at a party recently:"Dear Christine, It was so great to meet you at Cathy's party last weekend. I enjoyed swapping the joys and trials of juggling a business and a family, and I'm really impressed with all you do having three children under the age of 6!I wanted to send you the link to my free ecourse and ezine that I think would really help you in your marketing of your business. It's http://www.clientabundance.com.Keep in touch and let me know if there are other ways I can help you!cheers, Alicia"3. If you're a speaker at the event, or if it's your own event, have a sign-up sheet for the attendees. At the beginning and end of your talk, make sure you tell your audience that they can receive FREE valuable information from you if they will simply sign-up on the form. Ask them for their first name and email address, and make note on the form what it is they will receive.You can give each person a separate sign-up form or have one that you pass around for everyone to sign. You can also pass around a basket or bowl for people to drop their cards into to win a prize, AND to be put on your list to receive your Pink Spoon. (Most email list services require anyone signing up to double opt-in now, so you will be giving them another opportunity to confim that they do in fact want to be on your list after you've added them.)You've probably heard "the fortune is in the follow-up" and that's exactly what this will do for you. If you collect their names and email addresses at the event, add them to your list with their permission, or send them a reminder email to do it themselves, your Pink Spoon will do the follow up for you. It will keep you on your prospects' radar screens so you'll come to mind immediately when they do need your services. And that's exactly what you want!Copyright 2005 Alicia ForestAlicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coachâ„¢, & Founder of http://www.ClientAbundance.com , teaches coaches, consultants, online entrepreneurs and solo professionals to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve.
For FREE tips on how to create your own Client Abundance, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com
Category : Digital Products

Soul Mate

Author : Michael Teo

Soulmate (or soul mate) is a term used to designate someone with whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, friendship, love, intimacy, sexuality, and/or compatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul thought to be the eventual soulmate, the one and only other half of one's soul, for which all souls are driven to find and join. However, not everyone who uses these terms carries such mystical connotations; they are sometimes used only as an expression of strong emotional feeling for someone.Like many spiritual beliefs, the concepts of twin spirits or soul mates are predicated upon deep spiritual experiences for which there are actually no adequate words. We use metaphors to describe such experiences until the experiences become so commonplace that new words evolve to more accurately describe our experiences or the metaphors stick like glue and we come to accept the metaphor as a literal description when in fact it may still fall short of being a valid description of our experience.While it is definitely true that many of us have experiences in which we recognize another soul with whom we are intimately connected in some inexplicable way, perhaps we should examine the metaphors we use to describe these experiences to shed some light on what may really be going on. Metaphors are used to apply past experiences, which we recognize to new experiences, which we have no proper concepts for. Without clearly understood concepts we can have no words, which exactly describe our new experiences, which is why we must resort to metaphors. But a metaphor is an approximate likeness between two experiences which will typically accurately describe our familiar experience but which will provide only a reasonably close as-if description of our new experience.So when we meet someone with whom we feel we can share a common past or destiny we search for a way to explain this feeling and our culture has developed the concepts of soul mates and twin spirits to accommodate our basic need for words to describe how we feel.The metaphors of soul mates and twin spirits come from our actual experiences with having partners in life, our mates, or having known someone with a twin, a biological condition. Both indicate a degree of relatedness that is over and above the way we appear to be related to most other people in our lives and that is the essence of what we are trying to express when we find someone with whom we communicate on a very deep level of our souls.However, there are considerations, which may make the concepts of soul mates and spiritual twins valid metaphors for our experiences of being thoroughly related with another persons soul. Perhaps our souls have somehow divided themselves and our souls have thereby created an independent soul mate. This is one explanation, which would make soul mates or twin spirits a reasonably valid metaphor for the experience of meeting a very special person. Michael Teo is an expert on the Human Psychology and Behavior and have given some very good tips for finding your soul mates and spiritual twins

Category : General Lifestyle

Build a Mass of Muscle by Going Back to the Basics

Author : Derek Manuel

These days it seems that right when a new type of technology comes out, a better version quickly replaces it. Whether its cell phones, Ipods, computers, or energy drinks. Right when we get version 5.0, 6.0 comes out and is faster, bigger and better. With technology changing so rapidly these days its hard to keep up with the latest and greatest.What I love best about workouts for muscle mass and gaining weight is that no matter what great salesman comes up with a new and improved workout gym, exercise, or supplement, there is nothing better to build a mass of muscle then the same basic exercises men did way back in the 50s. This is because although our minds have so much potential to learn and grow, our bodies will ONLY grow based on just a few basic principles applied over and over. And no matter where technology takes us in the future, there will never be any supplement or exercise that can replace good old fashioned hard work on a few of the most basic compound exercises. So if you find yourself bombarded with new information everyday on weight training and bodybuilding, dont get too flustered, all you need to know is just the basics. Basic exercises such as squats, bench presses, pull-ups, shoulder presses, and bicep curls are the benchmark for maximum muscle mass. And dont get all fancy with these exercises, just using good old fashioned barbells and dumbbells will do the trick, especially if you are a beginner. Even if you are not a beginner and you have been training for a while, dont forget about the basic exercises. There is no better and sure way to boost your strength and muscle mass then the basic exercises performed a few times a week. A key point is also to focus on getting stronger each workout, not on how big of a pump you get or by feeling the burn. I can wager that anybody, beginner or advanced could build a mass of muscle with a just few compound exercises done a few times a week with the intent on just progressively increasing your strength will build more muscle consistently then any new fancy equipment or advanced exercise can achieve. So if find yourself thinking you are falling behind with all the new trends and exercises out there, one of the best things you can do is go back to the basics. Youll be amazed that what worked yesterday still and always will work today! Derek Manuel is the author of the best-selling How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle for Hardgainers. If you want to learn how you too can gain 20 to 30 pounds of solid muscle in as short as 8 weeks, or if you just want more quality information on how to gain weight and build muscle, please visit http://www.hardgainers-weight-tips.com

Category : General Fitness