Why Mobile Technology is Seen to Exhibit Cult-Like Characteristics

There is no doubt about the popularity of the mobile technology in the current era. It has changed the way we communicate with one another completely. That is not all, it has now even started to alter the way we live our lives. We simply love mobile phones because we can carry them everywhere with us and they do a thousand things for us too.

There are many people who have to travel from one place to another due to their work and others have to commute such long distances to reach their workplaces. This has made it even more important for us to stay connected at all times. If you go out of station due to a work-related assignment, then you would want to stay in touch with your office and family while you are away. If you have to commute a long way to get to work, you want to stay in touch with your family. Let’s face it, humans are social animals and they crave staying connected.

Some may view it as becoming a trend just like alternative medicine. There are so many similarities between the two. Alternative medicine is often claimed to spring from cultural tradition. Mobile technology can also be seen to exhibit similar cult-like characteristics. Have you noticed how people tend to crowd around bars and cafes offering free Wi-Fi rather than visiting restaurants that don’t? You will even notice them constantly checking their mobile for updates even when they are talking to someone. Seems like, all that a café needs is the best broadband connection to attract these mobile phone addicts.

Among all these brands, Apple is perhaps the one with the largest fan following inspiring a sort of ritualistic behavior among its users. There are currently more than 250 million iPhones active around the globe. iPhone has done a mind blowing job of capturing the smartphone user market single-handedly since its launch in 2007. As far as Android is concerned there are 200 million devices active across the globe.

Just as is the case with alternative medicine, there is no absolute consensus among mobile phone users as to which smartphone platform should be called the best. Apple has its pros and cons and so does Android. Apple offers its users a very user friendly phone with thousands of apps available for download on iTunes. However, it is not at all customizable. Android also offers a user friendly experience and is even developed on a customizable platform. On the hand it does not have as many apps to offer on Google Play Store.

Now there is another platform available for smartphone users, the Microsoft Windows Phone which has only recently been introduced. The Windows Phone was launched as an attempt by Microsoft to compete with iPhone and Android phone. It still proved to be a very good choice instead of the expected disappointed that homeopathy often is.

Every a few months there is a new device launched in the market and mobile phone user hog is down just like self-medication. All they seem to want is upgrading to the latest smartphone on the market, which often become a drain on their bank balance. That’s not all; where gadgets are concerned tablets are also very popular devices that tech-savvy people are buying like crazy. These tablets, which are a hybrid of a laptop and a smartphone, cannot offer the complete feature of either of them. That is why people have to buy smartphones and laptops along with their tablets.

iPad has been ruling the tablet market since its launch in 2010. However, now a compatible Android-based tablet has been launched by Samsung in 2011 called the Samsung Galaxy Note. This tablet not only has touch-screen, but also comes with a stylus pen for a better interactive use. Following Samsung, LG has released a tablet as well, which is also Android-based. It is called LG Optimus Vu.

You may or may not be a part of this cult-like tradition of staying updated with the latest mobile phones and tablets all the time. An upside of the picture is that if you do one day decide to follow this tradition, it won’t be a huge dent on your wallet. There are many affordable mobile phones and tablets also easily available in the market. Just install one of the best broadband plans at home for constant connectivity.

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Why Kindle is a Better Choice at Home than Iphone 4 and 5

Introduction

The increase in awareness about electronic products has increased substantially as the internet has become commonly used. People check out the information and reviews on new gadgets, devices and mobile broadband plans regularly. A majority of them base their buying decisions on what they read and see online. This has become a prominent trend with regards to smartphones. Since the moment the launch of a new smartphone is announced, the internet is abuzz with all sorts of information, though most of it is rumors and gossip.

As most of the people use Google to conduct these searches for information, statistics can be compiled and then analyzed to pick up any trends. There are some particularly interesting comparisons that become evident when one goes over the statistics for searches related to electronic devices.

 

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: The Search Wars

The iPhone is perhaps the most popular gadget in the world. Each subsequent model is greeted with a fever pitch. The anticipation is high every single time. The number of searches for the latest model of the iPhone with the proposed next one shows that the unreleased model is more popular. The iPhone 5 generated 450,000 searches for the month of the February in the UK. In comparison, the iPhone 4S was searched for 368,000 times.

So what is the reason for this difference? For one, the iPhone 4S has been released and most of the people who wanted it have bought it. There is no need for them to search for it anymore. Hence, the number of searches has gone down.

The second major reason is the hype surrounding iPhone 5. As yet, there is no formal launch date but information regarding new features and technology has been circulating around the internet. Even if most of the information is inaccurate, it is adding to the anticipation. Consequently, people are conducting more Google searches for iPhone 5 through their mobile broadband plans using their respective broadband internet providers.

This is as far as Apple goes. Now comes the surprise part. None of the two terms is the highest searched on Google in the consumer electronics section! The clear winner is Kindle!

 

Kindle: The Most Searched Gadget on Google

This is more surprising than the fact that the iPhone 5 got more searches than the iPhone 4S. The reason for the surprise is that Kindle is not a smartphone and does not have the features of the other gadgets in the market. It is a specialized device that can only be used for a specific purpose: reading. You can download, read and store books on a Kindle.

According to the data available, Kindle generated a whopping 823,000 searches in February. In the consumer electronics section, no gadget even comes close. Consider the iPhone 5’s 450,000. That is about as good as it gets for Apple.

Another interesting piece of information is that second place goes to BlackBerry. Once again, this is quite shocking. Kindle and BlackBerry are by no means the best selling devices in the market. BlackBerry attracted no less than 673,000 searches.

So, why this discrepancy between demand and Google searches?

The most obvious conclusion is that the sales volume of Kindle and BlackBerry is quite low as compared to Apple’s popular devices. This is why there are many people out there without a Kindle and a BlackBerry. Before they spend their money on buying either of those, they want to be absolutely sure. Add to the fact that the BlackBerry is quite expensive plus the Kindle does not have multiple uses.

Plus, the general public is quite well-informed about the iPhone. They don’t need to read up on reviews or product description online to know about the new models. The intense coverage by the media ensures that people are well aware of the Apple products a long time before they are released into the market.

 

Conclusion

These are some of the reasons why Kindle manages to trump both the iPhone 5 and 4S in terms of Google searches. This does not at all mean that Apple’s popularity is dwindling. The other popular gadgets, Android and Samsung don’t even feature in the top 10 terms searched under the consumer electronics section. Nokia and HTC just about manage to squeeze in. So even if the Kindle and BlackBerry win in this arena, Apple is the market leader with regards to smartphones.

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How to Award Your Soccer Team

Whether your team is a group of under 10 children or adults in an open league, it is important for the morale of any team that a fun awards night is held at the end of the season. Regardless of where your team finished in the standings, it is important that you make this a time to feel good and have fun, because just the fact that you formed a team is well and truly something to be celebrated. The following are a few ways you can award your soccer team at the end of the season.

Have a party

There is no better excuse to hold a party than to mark the end of year awards for your soccer team, so book the local school or community hall and get ready for fun. You should be able to raise enough money for the party just by getting all of the parents to chip in, and apart from the food and prizes, it likely won’t cost much at all to put on. If yours is an adult team, your party will cost quite a bit more, as it takes more food to fill adult bellies. You’ll probably need to get some alcoholic beverages as well.

 

Something for everyone

If yours is a team of youngsters, you should be celebrating just the fact that you have all been out and playing sport together for the season, so make sure you have an award for absolutely everyone. You obviously need to recognise that some players may have shown outstanding talent and scored a lot of goals, but it is also important to recognise that soccer is a team sport, and every single person on the team plays an important role and makes a unique contribution. It is important to come up with a unique award title to recognise everyone’s individual contribution, and it will be more fun having more specific titles for each of the awards and trophies.

The coach

Your coach is without doubt pivotal to the existence of the team, and likely will have spent countless hours trying to get everyone organised and improving, so make sure that, if nothing else, a heartfelt thank you isn’t left unsaid. It is important that your coach gets properly thanked, because it can often be an otherwise unrewarded volunteer job, and if you want him or her to do it again next year, you had better say thanks and have some sort of trophy ready.

Get awards donated

Well before the season ends, have people from your team approach local businesses for donations to give out as awards at your end-of-season event. Often, donated items can be claimed as a tax write-off, and regardless, it is in the interest of local businesses to support the local team. If you can have most of the awards donated, you will be able to put on the awards event for next to nothing.

Say “thank you”

Rather than focus on individual awards, have your team concern themselves with ensuring that everyone who has helped the team throughout the season will be properly thanked. It matters little what you give to your show of thanks, as the gesture alone is sure to have your volunteers lined up again next year.

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Sunday Family Lunch

Last Sunday, my BILs and SILs –along with their kids- came to have lunch together. We decided to eat at Rumah Air (Water House) restaurant. Kids had good time as they can play various games there. The food was just average, nothing special; but the place is really nice. While waiting the food, we can feed lots of fish in the pond. Do you like an eating place with watery environment? 

Mini Becak

Water Baloon

Colorful Boats

Having fun

 Blue Monday.

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6 Simple Ways to Stay in Touch

Maintaining intimate connections with your loved ones while you are working, travelling overseas or have moved can be difficult. There are a number of easy ways to keep important personal connections thriving that don’t take much effort at all. Although social networking sites are extremely convenient they can often lack intimacy. Connecting with your loved ones regularly and acknowledging special occasions with messages, letters or a bouquet of flowers will prove satisfying and will also strengthen relationships. Here are 6 simple ways to stay in touch with your loved ones.

Use a Calendar

It sounds basic and that’s because it is. Take some time to put your loved ones’ special milestones, anniversaries and birthdays into your calendar each year. It will certainly make a lasting impression. Whatever way you chose to recognise the occasion you can be sure they will be impressed and in awe of your thoughtfulness.  Acknowledging your friends and families special dates doesn’t take much time out of your day and what you get out of it, apart from respect and gratitude is more intimate connections and lasting friendships.

Online Flowers

There is nothing easier than selecting a beautiful bouquet of flowers online to have delivered directly to your loved ones on their special occasion. Flowers are the perfect gift for birthdays and other anniversaries and they are scientifically proven to make your loved one feel good. Studies show that giving and receiving flowers improves social behaviour and reduces the receivers stress levels. The mood lift provided by receiving flowers can last for a few days after their arrival so this makes them the number one way to make a connection. 

Letters

Letters may be old fashioned however this is what makes them so special. Knowing that your friend or loved one has taken the time to write to you and then send it through the post can be quite thrilling. Also, a letter it is something that they can hold onto and provides them with a vivid sensory experience of you. The handwriting, ink colour, paper choice even the picture on the stamp give your loved one a whole range of experiences that connect them to you. It may take a little more time however the effort will not go unnoticed.

Telephone Cards

If you happen to be somewhere isolated where internet connection is slow or even costly then a telephone card is a smart option. Telephone cards allow you to call overseas at an affordable rate and talk for hours to your friends and family.

Email

Email is instant, available almost everywhere and free so it is a perfect way to make regular contact with your friends and family. On special occasions you can write or send an electronic card. There are e cards for almost every occasion and every type of relationship which makes reaching out, honouring a milestone or birthday fun and easy.

Video Chat

Video chatting can be a lot more intimate than a phone call. An instant visual impression of your loved one allows you to communicate on a much deeper level. There is less room for misunderstandings and you have the ability to read each others facial expressions. Eye contact is great for creating intimacy and if you are missing your family, friends or partner there is nothing quite like just seeing their face and knowing that they are seeing you too. Video chatting can be the next best thing to having the person right there in front of you. 

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Glowing in the Dark

Different with our eyes that work well in day light, the cat’s eyes can function well in very low light situation. In the dark, cat’s eyes only need about one-sixth of the light required for human sight as the cat’s elliptical pupil are able to open as wide as possible to allow the light entering the eyes.

Tapetum lucidum that located at the back of the cat’s eyes –behind the retina- performs like a mirror that will reflect back the light onto the light sensor cells in the retina. That’s why when those eyes are caught in a ray of light at night, we see two amazing glowing eyes!

Camera Critters

source:google

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A Brief History of Silver-Service Dining

Despite the fact that it has been around for hundreds of years, unless you eat at high-end restaurants or live in an affluent household, you may have never experienced silver-service dining. For generations, upper class British people have been elaborately served in a style known as silver service, which has become the benchmark of fine dining across much of the world. The following is a brief history of silver-service dining.

What Is It?

Silver service is a form of dining where the food is brought to your plate, rather than being plated in the kitchen and then brought to you. Food is served by the waiter from the diner’s left side. It is generally served with a fork and a spoon, or two forks. The waiter or server uses the utensils to create a pincer-type action for transferring food to the guests’ plates, usually from a large silver dish or tray.

Origin
Silver service is also known as English service or butler service, and originates in the country manors and high-class estates of England during the 17th and 18th centuries. Silver service is thought to have evolved out of the practise of giving waiting staff Sunday evening off, meaning the butler was required to serve the food instead. Usually, Sunday dinners would have consisted of leftovers from a big Sunday lunch. The butler would go from guest to guest, serving them from a larger platter directly onto their plates. This type of table service became popular in high-end restaurants and at fancy functions and is still used in many top-class restaurants to this day.

Training
Silver service has always been taught in hotel school, and while it is not exactly a common style of dining, silver service is still a feature of modern-day hospitality training. For those who want to go into high-end restaurant or catering work, being proficient in silver service is mandatory.

Benefits
The biggest benefit is for those being served, as they feel special having the food served right to their plates. However, it also makes bringing food to the table a little easier for the waiter. If you are hosting a dinner, silver service can also be a sneaky way to control portions of food, so that you can ensure there is enough to go around.

Future
While you shouldn’t expect to see silver service offered at your local cafe anytime soon, there has been a gradual move back towards silver-service dining in restaurants catering to the middle and upper classes. As a way to offer an extra-special dining experience, silver service remains a timeless classic, and will likely continue to be a fixture of high-end dining for years to come.

Silver service has a long and impressive history at the dinner tables of the upper classes, and is a great way to make a dinner an extra special occasion. If you are planning a lavish wedding or special celebration, think about the waiting service you will be providing for your guests. When you are booking your marqueehire, it is worth also exploring the catering services that event hire companies offer. Providing silver-service dining is sure to give your guests an experience they will never forget!

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