How to Survive an Avalanche

Summer has gone, Autumn is drawing to a close and winter is preparing itself to envelope us all. The snow junkies are beginning to stir out of hibernation.. The skiing season is soon to be upon us. Perhaps one of the most exhilarating of all outdoor activities, skiing offers a huge amount of enjoyment and scalability. However there can be an element of risk for serious injury. Safe skiing and the use of just general common sense will insure a memorable and highly pleasant experience.

It goes without doubt that an avalanche is the most scary and potentially lethal of all unforeseen mishaps that can occur on the skiing slopes. Prevention is better than cure and with just a little awareness you may never encounter an avalanche. Never go hiking or skiing alone in avalanche territory alone. This is just asking for trouble. Always carry an avalanche probe which is an aluminium pole that fits together creating a probe of six to eight feet in length. Some ski poles are actually threaded and can thus then be screwed together to form an avalanche pole. These ski poles are a much more convenient option. And finally on the equipment front always carry a beacon or GPS. This beacon will broadcast your location by setting up a magnetic field that can be picked up by other beacons in your skiing group or by the rescue services.

Avalanches occur in areas with new snow, on the mountain side facing away from the wind and generally in the afternoons of sunny days. They occur most often on mountainsides with angles of thirty to forty-five degrees which do happen to be the most popular slopes for skiing. Avalanches can be triggered by numerous factors including recent snowfall, wind and sunlight. As new snow falls the layers of snow may be of different consistencies and not bond together making the snow highly unstable.

Loud noises, contrary to belief, do not cause avalanches unless they cause significant vibrations in the snow or ground. The snow activity with the most avalanche risk is that of snowmobiling. These machines are light and powerful allowing them to be easily ridden high into mountainous terrain where the avalanches begin and occur.

If you do find yourself caught up in an avalanche do all you can to try and stay on top of the snow by using a freestyle swimming motion. If you are buried under the snow your best chance of survival is if someone saw you get covered and the location you are in. Snow in an avalanche is like a wet snowball. It is not light and powdery and hence extremely difficult to dig you way out from. But if you are completely buried the chances are that you will be too injured to help yourself out. However if you are not too injured and still retain body functions then dig a small hole around you and spit in it. The saliva will head downhill showing you which direction is up. On establishing this, dig up and dig as quickly as you can.

But don't let the risk of an avalanche ruin or put you off a skiing trip. Just equip yourself correctly and apply common sense and the chances of you actually being confronted with an avalanche are extremely remote.

Real Time in Electronic Design

Having been in the field of electronics from the middle 60s until today, it has been to my awestruck amazement to watch technology move from the lowly tube of yesterday into today’s modern wonders in electronics. It seems to this engineer, however, that there is a passion for making everything we use digital, that much of the simplicity and ease of the analog has been discarded and in many cases the Rube Goldberg philosophy of engineering has been adopted: Why do something simple when you can make it complex?

Case in point: Did you know that there is a wire that expands and contracts depending on the temperature? We used it in thermostats. Why then do you need a processor controlled, programmable, state of the art controller that takes a 15 page illustrated book of directions to turn on the heat in a chicken coop, garage, or a greenhouse?

If you talk to some of the young engineers today and mention Conventional current or a Logarithmic nomograph, they will look at you like you're speaking in tongues. For those who don’t know what a nomograph is, it is a set of parallel perpendicular graphs that will show you that 20 volts across 5 ohms dissipates 80 watts. This is done by simply drawing a straight line through the graphs.

Today they solve the problems by plugging a set of numbers into a screen and an algorithm buried in a line of code somewhere in a program spits out an answer. If asked how the answer was arrived at they answer "it's right there on the screen".

People can learn from the past. For a while NASA couldn’t hit their butt with a board, let alone successfully land on Mars. My generation managed to land on the surface with out too much trouble. You would think that after the first couple of failures someone would go back in the archives and see how it was done.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to go back to the time of the PDP-8 computer that had a row of octal programmable switches, fed by paper tape, and had 4K of core memory. But it would be nice once in a while to have something come on without getting the command "Please wait while the system boots." Just because technology is old doesn’t mean it is not relevant. I would like to have a piece of equipment that has a switch that actually turns something on and off without talking to a processor. There are times you would like the off/on switch to work just by adding or removing the power.

OHM'S LAW STILL WORKS And there is still a place for a fuse

I have designed something straight forward, simple and it works. It is called the Lightning Lockout Safety Switch™. It does just what it says it does. If you’re interested go to http://mrsegrowings.com/ [http://www.mrsegrowings.com]

Writing Is A Means Of Reaching In And Reaching Out

I felt yesterday was a supremely productive day.

I wrote five articles, gave some serious thought to a business proposal or two, and then, when I had about an hour on my hands, I idled the time away at Starbuck's.

Perhaps this last line item, repairing for some brew, stimulated the zenith of my productivity, because, as is my custom I write a few pages in long hand of whatever comes to mind.

Sometimes these musings are accompanied with squiggles or very poorly drawn people, but a mix of completely free meanderings almost always leads me to some insights.

Yesterday, for instance, I pulled together an idea that had been a mere fragment, a business concept for an integrated suite of public seminars, short speeches, and consulting.

What I came up with is so clear that it has to be a great idea. What writing enabled me to do is get beneath surface distractions to explore what I was really feeling about my occupation as a coach and consultant.

I could see, at last, the types of people and companies with which I'm most comfortable, while distinguishing them from those with whom I don't really click.

Once this portrait appeared, it was easy to generalize to see how I could offer programming that would appeal to these prime clients.

Finally, I could see them in the same room, in my mind.

What happened next is my hand wrote a perfectly succinct title for the class, and I could then see the individual topics sorting themselves out.

Without writing, I've found, there isn't much quality thinking. Jotting down ideas and concepts expresses to us what's within, and it will emerge if we just get out of the way and let it.

I think this is akin to taking notes during a lecture or after reading passages from books. Our minds read the ideas or hear them first, from these sources, but solid connections aren't made until we translate them into words that mean something special to us.

When we take the ultimate steps of writing our words, seeing them on the page, and considering them, we finally promote deep understandings.

By having a leisurely coffee and thinking and writing we accomplish much the same thing without the external stimulus.

Writing then becomes a natural process of reaching in and reaching out, a rhythm that's similar to breathing, or the movement of the tides.

Fireplace Screens - Just for Decoration?

Originally fireplace screens where designed with the primary purpose of protecting the area directly in front of the fireplace, helping reduce the risk of fire. Constructed of materials to withstand the extreme heat produced by a wood-burning fireplace, how they looked was unimportant. Modern fireplace screens incorporate the same safety features but with the added benefit of numerous designs and styles to compliment your home's décor and serve as much as a piece of decoration as a safety feature.

Ranging from a simple one piece flat black fireplace accessory to hand crafted works of art, fireplace screens incorporate the major trends in home décor. Offering finishing's in a variety of polishes such as: copper, bronze iron, satin black, polished brass, pewter, antique brass, natural iron, ancient age plus combinations of various materials. Decorative screens can also be manufactured from stained glass and incorporate intricate cuts and designs looking more like a piece of art than fireplace screen.

Not limited to just being a safety accessory, fireplace screens can add realism to your gas or electric fireplace, completing the look you are trying to achieve bringing warmth and beauty to your hearth and home. As a final thought, when selecting your screen make sure the size you select neither over-powers your fireplace distracting from the overall look or that it is too small and looks out of place.

4 Great Tips on How to Select Wooden Doors

Your wooden doors are not added for the sake of aesthetic value. They can add protection to your home, especially from intruders and stray animals. They can also prevent harmful elements such as strong wind, snow, and rain from getting into your house.

But how do you exactly choose the most ideal wooden doors for your house? We can sum up everything in 4 tips:

1. Get to know the weather. One of the biggest issues of wood is that it tends to expand and contract every time the weather changes. This then makes wooden doors highly susceptible to premature wear and tear. What you can do is to select those that have fiberboard panels. They are not only very durable, but they are resistant to changeable weather conditions.

2. Go for solid wooden doors. There are actually two known types of wooden doors. You have the hollow core, where the panels are made up of fiberboards with gaps or holes. They are very lightweight and somewhat inexpensive. However, they are not as durable as solid wooden doors. They also produce a lot of noise. Though you will surely be spending more for them, you are also assured of their quality. You can stick with mahogany, oak, and hickory, to name a few. They are also considered to be more fire resistant. If you're in doubt of how strong they are, you can still find these kinds of doors among old houses-those that have been around for more than 50 years.

3. Ensure that the door hardly touches the floor. Some doors are just so huge that their bottom edges will cause scratches into your floor every time you close and open them. It would be ideal to have your floors attached first before you buy the wooden doors, or you can have an allowance of at least a half inch at the bottom of the door.

4. Buy the door from a legitimate manufacturer. There are hundreds of manufacturers that you can find in the market today, but not all of them are actually real. Some of them would only give you substandard wood door or market them as solid wood when, in fact, they're not. To see if it's a legitimate seller or manufacturer, you can look for reviews in the World Wide Web. You can also check the Better Business Bureau if the company is registered. Most of all, don't buy any wood door without warranty.

5. Determine your style. There are several choices that you can have for your wood doors, and usually, your selection will depend on your style. If you can't find the right color for your door, you can opt to buy the unfinished one and just have a professional painter to add the color. Victorian-style homes can go for six-panel doors, while others can select 4-panel ones.

You can look for wood doors in your local home depot or at the Internet. It's important, however, that before you bring them home, you must be able to check for any potential issue.

Road Map to Internet Marketing Success

Today, the internet has become part of our life. We communicate, trade, and find entertainment over the internet. It makes our life simple, easier and get faster communication. Evertyhing is done by one simple click.

Through its many features, the internet has brought us changes in our lifestyle. We can also work from the internet.

Just by one click, your product or service can be bought by anyone, anywhere in the world. As you can see, lots of products or business offers throughout the internet. Business becomes easy, fast and reliable.

We can trade tangible or intangible products or service over the internet.

It's easy and fast, but lots of people failed when they try to do some business on the internet. Why? What's wrong? Maybe these are the answers :

1. There is no mentor

You need someone to guide you step by step, gives you good training material, otherwise, you can easily get lost on the virtual world.

2. Knowledge is expensive

Can you buy only one book and then master the whole thing at one night? Absolutely not! You need a road map, tools, new development. You can't stop buying more information to get success on an online business. And it's obviously not cheap.

3. There is no system to support you

Offline marketing and online marketing is totally different, you'll need an automatic system that works for you 24/7.

4. Wrong programs

Lost of programs offer "get rich quick scheme", the real internet marketing is not about how to get rich at no time. It takes learning process and effort.

5. You get bored

This is the worst thing, people get bored and tired, and then give up too early.

6. You feel lost and alone

It's better if you have a team to help you and give a support

Imagine what you life will be, and take action today.

Things I've Learned From Buying A New Kitchen

A few years ago I bought my first flat. It's a good sized property that was in need of some modernisation. It was perfect as I was looking forward to the challenge of doing some DIY. That was before I realised that I was hopeless at DIY. I've gotten a bit better at it but it was a steep learning curve. Installing a new kitchen was never something I was going to attempt to do but I was willing to try my hand at doing the tiling and flooring. I'm now happy with my kitchen but there were some ups and downs along the way. Here are just some of the things that I learned along the way.

I used to get calls all the time from kitchen and conservatory companies (even though I'm on the first floor). Here are some of the tactics they would use.

One of the call centre operatives would call and ask if it was okay for one of their colleagues to call later to do some market research questions. I would say yes to get them off the phone. Later the colleague would call up and say "I was asked by my colleague to give you a call" which was a blatant lie. I don't know why they thought this would work. It didn't.

Another tactic was for the company to call up and tell me I had won a free kitchen design session at my home. If we bought a kitchen we would possibly be featured in their before and after magazine and get the whole thing free. Fantastic I foolishly thought. We're looking to buy a kitchen so what do we have to lose by getting a quote and a design session? That was before the salesman arrived. After he did a quick sketch of our kitchen, telling me his son had the same name as me and getting stuck into our tea and biscuits we were getting on well. He then told us the price which was enormous. However, five minutes later after explaining that he owned part of the company and could tell some porkies on the order form we could now get the kitchen for a third of the starting price. It was now looking more promising.

My wife and I left the salesman for five minutes to discuss it. We quickly did a search for the company name online and we were very amused to see some shocking reviews of the company and to read about the salesmans pitch being delivered nearly word for word to other customers. Including the part about the son having the same name as the customer. We turned down the sale at which point the salesman pretty much stormed off in a huff. So my first thing I learned is not to let random sales people in.

We went to one of the big chains to answer our two biggest kitchen questions. How long would it take and how much would it cost? The sales woman nonchalantly told us we would have to wait around four months and that the price of installation was pretty close to the price of materials. We ended up going with a local company through a friends recommendation. We got a great looking kitchen for a still expensive but far more reasonable rate. Second thing I learned is avoid the big chains.

After the installation I thought that the kitchen was near enough finished. I once again overestimated my DIY ability and it wasn't completely finished until a couple of years later.

Once the kitchen was installed that was just the beginning. Tiling and flooring weren't included in the price so that was left to me. Once I figured out how to cut the tiles that was actually a lot of fun to do.

The flooring on the other hand was not a labour of love. As I put laminate tiles down on the floor I had to leave room on each side for expansion and contraction. This meant that the space had to be covered up with strips of laminate beading which looks okay but could be better. In hindsight I probably would have had the floor done first so that the kitchen units sat on top. The last thing I learned was that it could be more cost effective in the long run to just pay a professional.

Why Plastic Touch Screen Protectors Are Today's Hottest Trend

People today can't leave home without their electronic gadgets. Cell phones, MP3 players, laptops - you name it, they take it. And just as popular as all these gadgets are all the accessories that have been designed specifically for those gadgets. From decorative phone charms to eye-catching decals to cell phone screen protectors, an entire secondary market now exists for supplying the masses with every type of accessory imaginable.

Among the most popular of these accessories are clear plastic touch screen protectors, cell phone protectors, LG Shine accessories, iPhone 3G cases, Samsung phone covers, and Instinct cases. Protective covers have always been handy for helping keep these expensive devices scratch-free. Leather hard cases, brightly colored pouches, weather-resistant cases and other types of protection are out there. But lately, today's gadget owners are choosing the clear plastic second skins to the exclusion of all others.

Perhaps the most appealing feature of the clear plastic touch screen protectors available for practically every make and model electronic gadget you can think of is the way the plastic custom-fits each device. The thin yet durable plastic is such a perfect fit that most people won't even know there's anything covering the gadget. Cutouts for each device's controls, connectors and buttons means there's nothing to impede its operation, either.

Another desirable feature is the fact that the clear plastic offers a durable shield of protection against scratches and blemishes without compromising the design and beauty of that gadget. Let's face it; manufacturers today are paying a lot more attention to the way these gadgets look. They're definitely getting smaller, but they're also getting flashier.

Maybe that's because our electronic devices are becoming extensions of our personalities. Or maybe it's something else. But regardless of the reason, people are choosing protection that doesn't compromise beauty and doesn't distort the size or the design of their LG Shine accessories, Instinct accessories, iPhone 3G cases or whatever gadgets they own.

When it comes to maintenance, transparent plastic touch screen protectors, cell phone protectors, gaming device protectors, watch protectors, laptop protectors and the like are practically maintenance-free. An occasional wipe with a soft damp cloth is all that's needed to keep expensive electronic devices looking like they're brand new even after years of use.

And unlike the protection that was available just a few years back, today's clear plastic touch screen protectors are really easy to apply. Just moisten, peel away the backing, line up the edges, and stick. Protection doesn't get easier than that!

Bodybuilding Diet Tips

One of the most important factors to finding success with bodybuilding is your diet. What you eat can either make or break your results which is why it is so important to follow a diet specifically designed for bodybuilding. Unlike other diets, bodybuilding diets are specifically designed to provide your muscles with the energy that they need to grow while at the same time giving your body all of the nutrients that it needs to stay healthy and strong. Here are some tips on what you should eat when you are building muscle.

Protein is essential in a bodybuilding diet because it feeds your muscles while at the same time helping you to lose fat. Not only that, but it helps the tissues of your body and your organs to stay healthy and strong. A common recommendation when building muscle is to eat about 1 gram of protein each day for each pound of body weight based on your current weight.

Carbohydrates provide your body with energy and fuel to keep it going which also makes them an important part of a diet for bodybuilding. Rather than eating simple carbs, you need to focus on eating complex carbohydrates such as those found in pasta, vegetables, whole grains and potatoes.

Along with protein and carbs, fats also play an important roll in building muscle. Many people make the mistake of cutting fat out completely when bodybuilding, however our bodies need fat to function properly. All that you need to keep in mind when it comes to fats is that you should try to eat only good fats and not bad fats. For sources of good fat try cooking with olive oil or flaxseed oil. You should avoid lard and butter since they contain saturated fats and instead focus on only consuming unsaturated fats.

Getting enough fiber allows your body to flush away impurities and keeps your system functioning properly. Not only that, but fiber can help you to lose fat. Again, whole grains will help you to get your fiber intake along with your good carbs.

Vegetables are important as well since they provide your body with essential vitamins and nutrients. Try to eat a lot of vegetables along with your other foods when you are eating to build muscle. Typically vegetables with darker, more saturated colors have the most vitamins and are the best for you so try to focus on those. Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale are good choices.

You should eat many small meals each day rather than 3 large meals. Aim for eating 6 small meals each day to help you reach your goals. Keep your diet well balanced and nutritious to keep your body fueled and to help you build muscle.