The LuxMob Info Tags

While it seems that everyone and his dog (or cat) has a website, there a plenty of people out there that never got around to creating one, even though they could profit from it. Many people feel that they are not technically gifted enough, and that building a website would cost too much time or money.

The following, therefore, is not for the seasoned web designer, but for all those artists, crafters, freelancers and small business owners who want a website, but have all thoses excuses why they have not managed to get one yet.

What if you could set up your own website in one weekend, without having to engage in any HTML programming? Here is how:

1. Get a host. Your website has to be hosted somewhere. The options are free website communities (such as http://www.tripod.lycos.com/ or http://geocities.yahoo.com/), your own ISP (internet service provider), which might offer you a personal website, or a paid host (of which there many, you can find a list of popular hosts at http://www.websitehostdirectory.com/). I would stay away from the free offers, as these include ads and do not provide you with a professional image (though both Tripod and Geocities also offer paid ad-free options, sometimes with your own domain name) (1 hour)

2.Get a domain name. This is optional, but having a URL such as www.zebrabreeder.com (which was still available as I wrote this article:-) is more memorable than www.geocities.com/zebrabreeder. The other advantage is that you can take your domain name with you, if you ever switch ISPs. Just be warned that many of the “good” and obvious names have already been taken, so you have to show some creativity. You can find a list of domain name registrars at http://www.internic.net/alpha.html. The easiest way would be to buy your domain name and web hosting from the same company, and there are many sites that offer all these services, such as www.godaddy.com. (1 hour)

3.Decide on a layout. Once you registered a domain and obtained a host, it is time to think about the layout of your site. Get some pen and paper and started drawing. What do you want on your homepage (which should be named index.html)? How many sub-pages will there be (for example for various goods or services you offer)? What kind of visual theme do you want? What kind of graphics and pictures should you include? Make these decisions before actually designing your site. (3 hours)

4.Design your site. Many of the hosts mentioned in step 1 offer tools that let you choose pre-made designs and just fill in your own information. This makes it very easy, but may also restrict what you can do. Another way would be to use Netscape Composer, which is a free tool and part of Netscape 7.2 (you can download it at (http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/download/archive.jsp). Composer lets you use a word-processor like interface and contains a nifty “Publish” function to upload your pages. Of course you can also buy programs such as MS FrontPage. Your website will not win any design awards, but it will get your information out. (8 hours)

5.Check your site. Before uploading it, you should check spelling and grammar and see that every page has at least a link back to your homepage. (1 hour)

6.Upload your page. Now you actually have to get your content to the web. Your host will have information on how to do this. You basically need a destination, a username and a password to upload the files. (30 minutes)

7.Publicize your website. Do not expect people to rush to your website. How would they even know about it? There are many services that will submit your website to “hundreds” of directories for a fee, but you can submit it yourself (for free) to the ones that really matter:
http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request
Add your URL to the signature line of your outgoing e-mails, put it on your business card and on all other business-related communications. (30 minutes)

8.Don’t let you site go stale. Remember that content is king. You can start your website in a short time, but you have to keep adding to it. Why not write an article in an area of your expertise? Use the expertise you have in your field to make your website unique. Remember, fresh content will help search engines find you and will induce visitors to come back to your site.

Pamela Bruce lives in Austin, TX. She is the owner of Love Beads Unlimited and sells the sterling silver and Swarovski crystal bead jewelry she designs and creates both in her Etsy shop (http://lovebeadsunlimited.etsy.com) and on her website (built with Netscape Composer) at http://www.lovebeadsunlimited.com, where you can also download the free e-book “A Consumer’s Guide to Buying Bead Jewelry Online”.

Most of us regard a sundial as an attractive ornament for a park
or garden. Their effectiveness as time keepers is highly variable

That’s unfortunate, because it is not at all difficult to ensure
that your garden sundial will be an accurate timepiece,
provided, of course that the sun is shining.

But that will be covered in another article. For now, let’s see
what a sundial is, and what it is capable of.

Sundial History

We forget in this modern age that accurate, affordable watches
and clocks have been around for much less than 200 years.

Before then, sundials were one of the few ways to tell the time
with reasonable accuracy.

Shadow clocks dated at 1500BC are known from Egypt, but the
first dials appear to have been Babylonian. The Greeks adapted
the idea, the Romans developed it further, and by about 100BC
had perfected the horizontal sundial (and placed it in their
gardens).

Even in ancient days some people had schedules to keep, and both
agriculture and religion required knowledge of the seasons and
the movement of the sun to determine planting and the timing of
ceremonies.

The sundial was an important means of providing that
information, and considerable advances in mathematics, geometry
and astronomy were made while it was perfected. The knowledge
gained forms part of the foundations of modern science.

Types of Sundial

There are four reasonably common types of sundial.

They all have two things in common. Each consists of a raised
structure, called the gnomon (silent “g”) which casts a
shadow onto a plate called the dial. The dial is divided
into hourly or shorter time divisions and may also show other
information.The part of the gnomon whose shadow indicates the
time on the dial is called the style.

The most abundant form is the horizontal sundial, happily
sitting on its pedestal or column and adding beauty and interest
to the home garden.

Related is the equatorial sundial, with its dial oriented
at the same angle as the latitude. It works slightly
differently, and is easier to use when properly calibrated.

Thirdly, there is the vertical sundial, ideally located
on a wall facing due south in the northern hemisphere, and north
in the southern hemisphere. The principle is much the same, but
the sundial only occupies a semicircular area. Vertical sundials
displayed the time to the public, and were used to correct
unreliable public clocks.

And the most elegant of all, the portable sundial. George
Washington had one - at that time pocket watches were most
unreliable. Modern examples can be a work of art. They combine a
compass with an adjustable dial. The dial is tilted to
correspond to local latitude, and the compass defines north.
Pretty neat!

Sundial Accuracy

A properly designed and installed sundial can be a very accurate
means of telling the time, down to intervals of less than a
minute.

I won’t go into the mathematics, but on a sundial 16 inches
(40cm) in diameter, the shadow of the gnomon will move about
1/30th of an inch, or just under 1mm, in a minute. This may be
small, it’s enough for our eyes to see.

Two Major Problems

Apart from the frequent absence of sunlight (Problem 1), all
sundials show time by cakibrating outwards from the position of
the sun at noon, and if you live east or west of me, your noon
is different to mine.

Although the earth moves around the sun, we see it the other
way. The sun appears to move from east to west across the sky,
and local noon is when it’s vertically overhead. But if you live
100 miles west of me, my noon is still your late morning, and
your noon is my early afternoon. This would be inconvenient if
we used our sundials to arrange a lunch date, but a real problem
if I had a plane to catch in another city.

Solar Time and Official Time

People managed to live with this problem until communications
and transport became faster. Imagine calculating train
timetables when Boston, New York and Buffalo all worked on
different local times.

The answer was the development of local time zones. US
Railways did this in 1883, but in 1914 the world’s governments
agreed to divide the globe into 24 zones, each 15 degrees of
longitude in width, and each one hour different in time to its
neighbours. Boundaries were altered slightly to account for
state and national borders.

There are four time zones in the contiguous 48 states of the
USA: Eastern, centred on 75 degrees W longitude; Central, on 90
degrees; Mountain, on 105 degrees; and Pacific, on 120 degrees.
Noon was identified astronomically for each of these meridians
(now it’s done by atomic clocks), and accepted everywhere else
in the zone.

Noon on sundials in places very close to these longitudes will
correspond to official noon. For every degree east or west of
the central meridian, for 7.5 degrees either side, you will need
to add or subtract four minutes respectively to correct your
sundial.

A few other adjustments are necessary to compensate for
irregularities in the earth’s path around the sun - not too
difficult to make but the theory is beyond this article.

They add to the inconvenience, and that’s why sundials have been
superceded by more convenient and reliable forms of time
keeping. But problems with time zones and orbital paths can be
corrected, and there’s no reason why you can’t find the correct
time from your sundial.

No reason, that is, provided it has been properly installed in
your garden. And that’s the subject of another article.

Glyconutrients are part of the carbohydrate family. They are a collection of 8 saccharides. These are important factors in the body’s ability to fight infections and heal itself.

There are 8 necessary saccharides needed by our bodies

• Mannose
 • Glucose
 • Galactose
 • Xylose
 • Fucose (not fructose)
 • N-acetylglucosamine
 • N-acetylneuramic acid
 • N-acetylgalactosamine

These elements form the building blocks for glycoforms. Which serve as coverings for the body’s cells. Each has specific benefits for your health.

Mannose: is the main saccharide and the others are attached to it. Mannose plays a major role in building cells, and cell interaction. Other benefits include helping the body heal itself and improving the immune system. Mannose is a major factor in manufacturing cytokines. Cytokines are used by the body’s immune system to fight infections. The Mannose phytochemical can be found in the Aloe Vera plant’s inner leaf gel.

Glucose: is the most commonly known of the group. Table sugar is made up of this and other saccharides. Glucose is found in sugar products such as candy bars cake and ice cream. Elements are found in vegetables as well. Glucose can be absorbed directly into the blood stream and for this reason is widely used for a quick absorbing strong form of fast acting energy. Excessive amounts of glucose can lead to health problems such as obesity.

Galactose: Is usually found in combination with glucose in a saccharide known as lactose which is a disaccharide found in milk and other dairy products. It is also used in the body’s healing processes. It also decreases inflammation.

Xylose: is a carbohydrate with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Some manufacturers use it instead of sucrose and corn sweeteners in toothpaste and chewing gum because it does not harm your teeth.

Fucose: is found in human breast milk and some types of mushrooms. Research has shown fucose to be helpful in brain development and memory. It also helps the immune system

N-acetylglucosamine: also helps the immune system. It produces Glucosamine, used in cartilage. It helps to repair, and reduce inflammation in cartilage and also helps the digestive tract. This is also found in human breast milk.

N-acetylneuramic acid: is used in the learning process and brain development. It helps with many blood functions and improves the immune system. The levels of this saccharide decrease, as we get older. It is found in breast milk.

N-acetylgalactosamine: is another ingredient in breast milk. Research is still being done on this saccharide. It has been shown to help with cell interaction and communication

These Glyconutrients are found in some fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately due to soil depletions and processing of foods these vital nutrients (except glucose) are no longer prevalent in foods as they once were. This has resulted in shortage in the body of these saccharides and has led to the deterioration of our health. We must become aware of these vital elements and ensure that we are getting enough of them in our diets to ensure our good health.

Are you a skilled communicator? Well that’s a good thing if
you’re in the business of selling things to other people!

But are you absolutely sure that every word you say is received
by those you speak with, or write to, in the way you intend them
to be?

You might be surprised how your words are analyzed and
interpreted by your potential customers.

Here’s a few things to think about before you write your next
piece. Everything you’re about to read is based on a
“presupposition” of NLP, Neuro Linguistic Programming. NLP is a
relatively new process of self discovery and is used widely as a
serious training tool for business people of all fields.

The Meaning of a Communication is the Response You Get

But that’s not what I meant!!!

How many arguments have that little gem in them? I know that
I’ve often been heard saying that around the house.
Unfortunately for me, and the countless others who’ve uttered
those words, what you meant doesn’t matter if it isn’t
understood that way.

The next two presuppositions tie in very closely, so let’s look
at them and them summarize the three together . . .

You Cannot Fail to Communicate

Whatever you do or say is a form of communication. From verbal
expression to body language, everything conveys something about
what you’re thinking.

For example, you clicked your mouse and opened this article. By
doing so, you communicated to me that you’re seeking knowledge
that you might not yet possess. You’ve implied that you’re
willing to issue me a particle of trust that my efforts could
bring you that knowledge you seek. You’ve told me that you’re
interested in this subject matter. You’ve let me know that
you’re willing to take some reasonable risks, and so on and so
on.

Yes, communication can be anything from a mouse click, to a
facial expression, to cringing in your comfortable chair while
watching a scary movie on TV, to giving a full blown oration in
front of thousands of people.

It’s all about relaying inforamtion from you, to someone else,
or to the whole wide world! You can’t help it. In fact none of
us can because it’s a part of life and inbred in us as living
creatures!

If You Aren’t Getting the Response You Want, Do Something
Different

So far we’ve learned that communication is inevitable. As a
living, breathing creature, everything we do or say relates a
story about how we feel at any given moment. We’ve also seen
that the meaning of a communication, or its intent, means little
in comparison to reception and/or interpretation.

The obvious conclusion then, if it’s important to do so, is to
figure out how to communicate what you mean and have it received
in the way you intend it to be received. As the sub-heading
states, this might mean doing something different in order to
reach that goal.

Now if we were primatives, we might consider beating the other
person into understanding our drift, but we can’t think that way
anymore, right?

And the old standby doesn’t work either. I mean, no matter how
loud I yell at the other person, it doesn’t change how they hear
me. It just makes it easier for them to misunderstand because
they don’t have to listen all that hard. Besides, yelling only
proves you have the bigger mouth, not the more valid point!

So then here’s a visual for you . . .

Let’s say you create a dynomite web page, complete with
javascripting and flash animation and you are just sooo proud of
it. You publish it on your site, advertise it, and wait for all
the positive feedback you just know you’re going to get. But
something different happens. You begin getting emails from
people complaining that they can’t see all your bells and
whistles. So you do a little backtracking to make sure
everything is in place, and it is. You re-upload everything just
to be sure. You send out emails to those who’ve complained
asking them to visit your site again. But you still get the same
response.

Hmmmm!

After scratching your head in confusion for a while, you do a
little research on the web and discover that not all browsers
are equal.

Ah Ha!!

Some people can’t see your site the way you intended them to
because their browsers aren’t programmed for it! So you go
looking for another way.

Now you hate the idea of losing all the pizzazz of your web
page, but you do want people to see it right, so you find a
little program online that allows you to see your site in the
eyes of other browsers. You then decide to optimize your site in
such a way that it becomes user friendly for all viewers and
everyone is happy! You accept the idea of losing some of your
site’s glitz, because it’s the only way to get it across to
everyone you want to reach. A kind of a compromise of sorts for
the sake of getting your point across. You decide it’s a fair
trade off!

What just happened?

You created a scenario that allowed those who didn’t understand
you to see things more your way, didn’t you? You discovered that
obstacle in the others that hindered them from getting the gist
of your intentions, and by doing something a little different,
everything turned out just fine!

And the moral of the story is?

To have good communication skills, you most often times have to
see things the way the other person does in order to better
understand how to tell them what you want them to know.

Just like when you optimized your website to suit all browsers,
you can learn from the feedback of your visitors what you need
to do to improve your communications with them. It may mean
scaling down, or changing your language a little bit, but in the
end, you’ll achieve your desired results.