Designing Your Ultimate Garage With Planning Software

Every year homeowners spend tens of thousands of dollars in renovating their kitchens, bedrooms, living areas, and washrooms. One area that often gets over-looked is the garage. We don’t think that’s fair! Many people make the mistake of thinking that a garage is nothing but a place to store your vehicle, and whatever other odds and ends you don’t have room for in the house. This doesn’t have to be the case however…after all, that’s what sheds are for, right?

A proper garage, can be a multiple of things whether it be a workshop fit for a master carpenter, to a quiet place of refuge to enjoy a cold beer and your favourite TV show, or an entertaining space to host those summer parties! All it takes is a bit of careful design and planning, which is made easy with designing software.

Now before you go running off screaming “I’m not a computer guy!” allow us to reassure you that there are plenty of options that require little to no experience. Lucky for you, we’re here to tell you about a few:

1.     DIY Garage Designer
One of our top picks is DIY Garage Designer by Big Hammer.
This software’s motto is “You supply the vision. DIY Garage Designer will supply everything else.”

Features include:

• Click & drag drawing method
• Allows you to choose from multiple building methods
• Provides multi-view and 3D rotation to see your future garage from all angles
• Offers detailed printouts to assist you with building permit applications
• Advanced design features for the more experienced builder
• Gives you a list of all building materials required for your design, right down to the last screw

But our favourite part? It’s absolutely free and requires no license. Simply download the software to your Internet Explorer Browser and get planning.

2.     Plan3D
Plan3D designing software isn’t free, but at just $2.95 a month it might as well be. And just like Big Hammer’s DIY Garage Designer, it is great for beginners. As the program’s homepage says “You have better things to do than learn complex architectural software. That's why we made Plan3D the easiest home and interior design toolfor homeowners and others with limited design experience. If you know how to use the Internet you know how to use Plan3D.”

Features include:

• All inclusive software with no additional fees
• Allows you to simply scan floor plans and convert them into 3D renderings
• Realistic diagrams with a variety of textures and building materials
• Design interiors and exteriors, including landscaping
• Access to thousands of 3D models from windows and doors, to furniture to give you an idea of where everything will fit in your garage organization storage.

One thing to keep in mind, is that as useful of a tool as Plan3D may be for designing, it’s not as comprehensive as some other software. For instance although it will offer you with an extremely realistic and scaled vision of your garage, it won’t provide you with a detailed list of required materials like some of the other software on your list.

That said, if you simply want to come up with a design to pass onto a contractor or expert for reference, then Plan3D will be more than enough to get the job done.

3.     SketchUp Pro
A slightly more advanced alternative, is SketchUp Pro.  Advanced doesn’t always mean difficult though. This software brags about its usability and the fact that it’s brand name is “synonymous with friendly and forgiving 3D modeling technology”. Handy contextual tips, a digital instructor, and online resources are there to help you alongside your designing process.

Features include:

• Imports DXF, DWG, 3DS, DAE, KMZ, TIF, JPG, PNG, and others.
• Exports all of these as well as DF, OBJ, FBX, XSI, VRML, MP4, WEBM, and AVI.
• Endless visual effects to modify building features and surroundings so that you know exactly what your final product will look like
• Scalable models of lathes, toolboxes, and anything else you might find in your garage that can be incorporated into your design blueprint to help you plan an appropriate layout
• Prints custom construction plans based on your design with building steps and required tools.

Unlike DIY Garage Designer, SketchUp Pro comes with a price tag but depending on your needs, this might be worth it. Otherwise, sign up for the free trial! If you’re able to work quickly, this might be all that you need.

4.     SoftPlan
If you’re completely new to the world of building, then SoftPlan’s software might be a bit excessive, however it’s one of the most thorough programs out their for all of your designing and architectural needs.

Features include:

• 2D and 3D designs
• Optimized to allow incredibly fast design and revision times
• Specially developed material textures like studs, pitch, and fascia for house and garage design
• Allows you to print detailed construction plans
• Produces comprehensive material lists that account for all kinds of details including the volume of excavation, rolls of landscaping fabric, length of edging, and volume of gravel right down to the number of stones required.  Each with their own pricing and waste factor!

SoftPlan does come with a bit of a pricetag, but what we like about it is that rather than forcing you to hand over a large chunk of cash up front, this software uses a month-to-month payment scheme starting at less than $50.This way,  you don’t have to worry about handing over an arm and a leg for software that you’re only planning on using for one project.

Now it’s time to get started!

Don’t worry about whether or not your design is perfect the first time around. The whole point of planning software is being able to try your ideas out before building a permanent structure! If you complete the digitalized version of your “perfect design” only to find out it’s not so perfect after all, then start over and try again. You’ll have your ultimate garage in no time!

The author is an interior designer, who has more than eight years of experience in the field. His name is Michael Nelson and is living in Toronto with his family. You can contact him at Google or Facebook.

Read more

Use Promotional Memory Sticks To Market Your Brand

New creative marketing ideas are what companies are always looking for, for attracting new customers or for endorsing the loyalty of the existing client base. Thou is not new, the promotional memory sticks are one of most effective marketing tools in usage for today’s computer generation, as it provides the most positive and lasting impact.

As the majority of people use a personal computer or a notebook, they will also use different digital data storing devices as the USB flash drives, to collect information, images, presentations, different multimedia files and so on. Also, the computers are used in all kind of environments, at home or at work, so the promotional memory sticks are the best way to expose your company name or logo to a large segment of people without making an extremely large investment. Custom printed or engraved, the promotional memory sticks will help you make people associate your brand with this high-tech gadget and turn to your products or services in their time of need.

Since the USB flash is a storing device, you can use the branded USB sticks to carry your company’s product and service information to you customers or potential clients, along with different presentations or a link to your website, during a well organised marketing campaign. The promotional memory sticks are becoming one of the most popular marketing platforms and tools to send the desired message to your targeted market segment. This method is more attractive, efficient and useful than the regular catalogues or flyers and even then TV or radio commercials, since everyone uses them. Not to mention a lot cheaper.
The promotional memory sticks come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and colours, and you can even create your custom designs. The best way to promote your company with them is to make a strong association between your brand and the shape and colour of the giveaway. For example, a pharmaceutical company can use a flash drive in the shape of a pill, a steel factory could offer a metal bodied memory drive and for the executive suite, the leather memory sticks work very well. You just have to get your customers’ attention with the right design for them, so your gift would stand out from the crowd and become their favourite storing tool. In return they will reward you with their loyalty towards your company’s products or services.

Every company that chooses to invest in promotional memory sticks will have their value returned in increasing sales of products or services. Depending on their technical or design specifications, the branded USB sticks can be cheaper or more expensive, but without any doubt, they will be used on regular basis, making your company’s contact details, logo, brand or promotional message visible every time. Compared to other promotional items, like notepads, regular pens or pencils, mugs and other products, the promotional memory sticks will have more value to your company and clients since they are more practical, useful and visible.

The promotional memory sticks provide a positive impact in every marketing campaign, in the technological world we live in, and act like an incentive that will be used over and over again by the clients themselves. They are the most practical investment for any long term marketing and branding strategy.

Citations:

• Learn more about memory sticks

Eric, the author of this article works as a marketing consutant at USB Company in UK. He likes to blog about USB technology and the manufacturing process in which branded USB flash drives are involved. Check his contribution on Facebook.

Read more

The Future Of Tracking

GPS Tracking Costs

As the use of GPS tracking gets less expensive the possibilities for its use become too many to even list. But we’re gonna try anyway!  Just imagine a tracking unit on anything expensive, well we have that now actually. But it gets a little difficult to track things that are only slightly expensive. For example liquor bottles at a bar, now if you get down to it they are relatively inexpensive to purchase, especially for a bar.  They buy in such volume that an average bottle of rum like Captain Morgan will probably cost them $13 or $14 (probably even less). But if they are able to pour 40 or 50 shots of rum from one bottle at $4.50 a shot, that $13 bottle is now worth $225!  Now take that across the board, or bar in this case, and you have a lot of money in liquor.

If you are able to track those bottles and the number of times they are turned over to be poured what would the value of that be?  Imagine a bar being able to count the number of time a bottles is poured from, compare that to the night’s receipts and bam, you now know if anyone is skimming off the top!
Staying on the bar and restaurant theme think about the equipment onsite. Large refrigerators and dish washing equipment can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. If you are able to link these machines to a tracking app you can measure the amount of cycles they run through in any given time period. Compare that to the maintenance on these units and owners can see how efficient their equipment really is operating, ort how they can operate more efficiently.

The Pad Lock

I’ve always thought the pad lock was a good idea but if you put that pad lock onto a small object that was easily removed from its location then what was the point?  Imagine a small tracker in a pad lock, not only can it tells you if it’s been moved, but it can tell you if it’s been tampered with or even if and when it was unlocked.  I can think of a lot of applications for a device like this.  A commercial company that has equipment in the field that is locked up well out of the sight of people would love to have a tool like this. What if you went on holiday for a few weeks and left your new grill locked up on the patio.  Will it be there when you get back?  If it is not then just track the lock and see if it’s still with the grill.

GPS feature in phones

We have the ability to find and track our mobile devices now.  They in fact use more than just GPS actually; these devices that are cellular devices can use triangulation from cell towers to find their location.  While it’s not as accurate GPS it does work well.  How about putting this technology into items like watches or your wallet?  Well I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised to know this is already happening.  There are many different products on the market that can track your wallet or purse for you now.  Technology has come a long way and it’s only going to get better, smaller and less expensive.  We can look forward to saving a lot of time and money in everything we do, simply because of technology!

Citations:

• Learn more about GPS and how it works

Josh Schied, the author of this article and the owner of GPS Tracker App blog, is a passionate technology writer. He likes to blog about everything that is GPS and navigation related. Get in touch with Josh on Facebook.

Read more

Ancient SEO Practices Letting Your Site Down

Despite the number of hugely popular search industry blogs available to read, such as Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch, and aggregator sites like Alltop.com, there are still many SEO services providers and business owners living by old SEO habits and attitudes. To the informed SEO professional or business owner, the dynamic nature of the industry is something to live with and adapt to if you want to be a success.It is no secret that doing today what you were doing five years ago in most businesses isn’t going to work.

Why Don’t People Change?

One only has to look at the opinion many people have of Matt Cutts, Google’s Head of Webspam, to understand why many stick to old SEO practices. It is probably going too far to suggest that some think SEO is one big conspiracy, but there is definitely a lot of cynicism related to exactly what Google’s motives are and what they’re trying to achieve. The people who see Google as a business purely in it for themselves tend to be the ones who stick to the old-school SEO strategies. Some just dislike Google, period, while others have implemented things like Google authorship and seen their search traffic plummet. Although there are likely to be other factors involved, it is human nature to blame what you’ve done differently on any negative consequences. What are these old-school strategies and attitudes people can’t let go of?

Rank Matters

This problem can be laid exclusively of the door of those SEO providers who still try to rank highly and take out Google advertising for terms such as “Number 1 Ranking in One Month.” Seriously, if every holistic SEO agency or freelance SEO professional could take the money wasted on companies that peddle such messages, the industry would be thriving and the return on investment clients see would skyrocket. SEO is about increasing business revenues and extending your brand reach across the internet, not achieving the highest possible ranking for keywords that might not even be relevant to what you do.

Link Numbers Rule!

How often in life do we hear the words ‘quality over quantity,’ but fall foul to the desire for something we can measure objectively without much effort? The main offender here is inbound links. For years, people obsessed with how many links they could build in the shortest possible time, before Google finally got wise and started focusing on quality links between great content and websites. Still, people continue to build links in bulk believing this is the way, only to then have to spend time getting familiar with the disavow links tool later.

Keyword Density Equations

There are still websites out there that still promote the myth that is keyword density, despite industry giants such as Moz.com reporting as far back as 2008 that keyword density is irrelevant. Content mills like Textbroker and Hotype are still getting writers to write to keyword density and telling their clients it is important, so it is no wonder this myth persists. If you’re thinking of any of these while pursuing SEO, you’re wasting time and in all likelihood, money aswell. Forget them, and instead focus on the things that can make a positive difference.

Danny loves marketing, and although his specialist area is print and radio advertising, he understands the value of digital marketing and that the industry is going to shift more in this direction in the future.

Read more

A Guide To Online Success

Being successful online is sort of a skill in itself. There is so much competition nowadays that it is becoming progressively difficult to separate yourself from the pack. You have got to be proactive and have a grasp of both the market and your own company strengths. If you have this then you will be able to target the correct market and thus make money from what you offer. In addition to the traditional method of creating a website, there are other ways to promote such as social media and emailing. All of these must be explored as well as optimizing your website and securing a strong and memory filled domain in order to ensure that that your site is fully efficient and functional. This article will highlight what it takes to be successful online and how there are many options that need to be covered in order for this to be the case.

A Well Designed Website

This is of pivotal importance, your website has to be well designed, clear for the user and must work efficiently. To many this seems plainly obvious but there are so many companies out there who create websites for the sake of creating one rather than as a credible way of increasing the prominence and success of their company.

We live in a world dominated by the internet and thus it is increasingly important that company infiltrate this market and invest money at the same time. Employing a team of web developers isn't a bad idea, after all this is their job and the can make sure every feature works properly and it is designed in a way that can embrace your company image and ethos. Being successful online is a long term process and you have to have the product and presence to ensure that clients keep coming back. If you are successful in ensuring this, then the likelihood is you will have a fruitful time of it on the web.

A Strong Platform

There are many companies out there that offer domain platforms from which you can create your website, selecting the correct one for the right price is becoming very important. JaguarPC hosting services is one of doing it, the offer large memory and monitoring services for their customers at a good price. The list however is endless, there are so many different companies out there that may suit your needs better so it important to ask around and get what is best for you.

Use of All Available Resources

Facebook and Twitter are both so popular nowadays and using this as a tool to promote your company website can be a great way to increase your profit margin. Setting up your own profile and also paying Facebook to advertise are bother brilliant ways of raising awareness of what you have to offer. If you are credible about making money online then you have got to raise your company profile and show the world what you can do, above are three of the best and most efficient ways of doing this.

Andrew is an author with a love for modern technology, especially the internet. He has a degree in business and writes extensively about both technological developments and business strategy.

Read more

Protect Your Information from a Data Breach

If your company has been the victim of a data breach you know how frustrating and time consuming such an event can be. In addition to having to rebuild your databases and inform customers about the issues, there is also a monetary cost associated with replacing and reinforcing lost or stolen records. There are many commonalities that exist in data breaches that will help you anticipate and prevent any such attacks from occurring in your system. Over half of data breaches compromise the servers in a company’s infrastructure and nearly 80 percent happen when there are low security barriers. Lessons can be learned from some of the more extensive breaches in recent history so that you can protect your valuable information moving forward. For example, a cyber-security attack on Central Hudson Gas & Electric in New York impacted around 110,000 customers. Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about the nature of data breaches.

Written by IT Creations, a company an independent wholesale distributor of high-end servers and components in Los Angeles.

Read more

Get a custom URL for your Google+ profile

Today I got a email from Google+ as given in the email I am eligible to get a custom URL for my Google+ profile. I'm not sure if you're eligible! if you're eligible you will get a email from them Like I got., It's like facebook and twitter username but it has the + sign which makes the URL look great also we all have a long ID that has numbers so getting a custom URL would be really helpful for everyone.

There's link given in the email that takes you to get a custom URL you will get a the email with a username suggested automatically that depends on your Google+ name. Mine was +MohamedShimran I think It would suit me well :D.

Look here, you can change the custom URL they have suggested or else just go ahead with the suggested one:

 

In order to change the URL you must verify your phone number by entering the code sent by message:

 After confirming the verification code, you will get the custom URL replaced with your older one.

Read more

Going Beyond Schools: Learning Management Systems For Individuals And Businesses

Learning management systems (LMSs) are being used in online education and integrated into blended learning environments more and more every day. In the education sector, the advantages of using an LMS are numerous and well known: they provide a centralized space for all of a course’s materials, resources, and activities; students can access the course materials at any time and using various devices; students can collaborate with each other, submit assignments, and receive feedback; instructors can track students’ progress and identify when additional support is needed; and so on.

In the past LMSs could cost $50,000 to $100,000 or more, which made using them cost-prohibitive for all but the largest and most well-funded universities and organizations. Now, however, that trend is changing. A host of new cloud-based LMS software packages are available, some free and others on a low-cost subscription basis. With the costs under control, small organizations and even individuals can use LMSs to deliver courses and training programs online.

LMSs offer many advantages for businesses, even small businesses—not only for training employees, but also for keeping them updated on the latest products and trends. Here are some major reasons organizations should consider using an LMS in their training programs:

• Cost savings. This is the number one reason many organizations move from traditional instructor-led training (ILT) to eLearning. Putting programs online saves money associated with travelling to deliver or receive training. In today’s climate, as many companies continue to decrease their learning and development (L&D) budgets, saving money while continuing to deliver high-quality training is essential.

• Ease of use. In addition to having high upfront costs, LMSs of the past also required a good deal of work just to update and maintain. Organizations would need to hire in-house technicians or purchase an additional service package from the LMS vendor. In addition, they were very technically demanding to use, practically requiring a degree in computer programming just to operate. This is no longer true—today’s LMSs are very user-friendly, as are eLearning authoring tools in general, and anyone with basic computer literacy can design and publish a course online.

• Analytics. Recently, big data has become all the rage in pretty much every sector of business and society. LMSs allow organizations to collect their own L&D big data, as all aspects of training can be tracked, including employee engagement with training materials, progress through courses, and success on assessments.

• Informal learning. In business environments, informal learning, such as peer-to-peer learning and self-paced independent learning, is estimated to account for up to 70 percent of learning. That is a huge percentage, considering informal learning is not often accounted for in formal training programs. LMSs with social media integration, such as spaces for employees to discuss content and collaborate on projects, offer ways for instructors to monitor and assess informal as well as formal learning.

Elearning for large businesses has been around a long time, and eLearning for small businesses is expanding, but now individuals not associated with either schools or businesses are starting to get into the action. Recently, there has been a trend toward a new form of democratization—massive open online courses (MOOCs) have allowed anyone to become a student, and now low-cost, user-friendly eLearning development tools and online LMS software are allowing anyone to become a teacher. The DIY (do-it-yourself) movement and the popularity of peer-to-peer learning are turning subject matter experts everywhere into online instructors, and many websites allow individual users to create, and even sell, their courses online.

Education is no longer something that takes place solely in schools. People everywhere are demanding access to educational resources and materials, and a new wave of online learning management system software is working to respond to their needs.

Sameer Bhatia is founder & CEO of ProProfs.com which is a leading provider of online learning tools for building, testing, and applying knowledge.Sameer has a background in technology with a Masters in Computer Science from USC (University Of Southern California) and is an ed-tech industry veteran. You can find Sameer on Google+ .

Read more

5 Coolest Celebrity Gossip Websites

If you are one of those who love getting celebrity news and gossips as it happens then you should be reasing this article. With thousands of different gossips sites on the web, it can be challenging to fish out the best place to turn with the most up-to-date information. Here are the top 5 coolest celebrity websites with the latest gossips that will keep you updated and in the know on the latest news.

1. TMZ
TMZ has lately become the go-to place for the latest celebrity gossip. They were the first to report on the death of Michael Jackson, as well as Britney Spears filing to divorce Kevin Federline. With a large staff working around the clock, TMZ is the most frequently updated website when it comes to celebrity news. Not only do they have a website, but also a television segment that airs on E! so not only do you have a website full of the latest information, but you can see the celebrity gossip reporting in action with the numerous members of the TMZ team on-camera telling you the latest news. TMZ has become a favorite among those who want the latest gossip.

2. E! News
With its one television network and website, E! is one of the most popular sources for the latest celebrity news. What's great about E! is that they have exclusive celebrity interviews everyday with celebrity gossip. If you want to see the latest celebrity news and gossip in action, you can catch their news segments every weeknight. The E! News website is constantly updated with news and gossip with follow ups to reports found on other websites.

3. The Hollywood Gossip
The Hollywood Gossip is located in Lighthouse Point, FL and is one of the leading websites for celebrity gossip. Not only do they cover gossip about the most popular celebrities, but they also cover gossip and news about the celebrities who are off the radar and not so popular anymore. With a team of reporters and anchors working around the clock, there is no question as to why The Hollywood Gossip is one of the most popular gossip sites on the web.

4. Perez Hilton
One of the most controversial bloggers in celebrity gossip, Perez Hilton has fine-tuned the genre of celebrity gossip. His influence of formerly outing celebrities has increased attention on celebrities, with the rest of the media seemingly acting on Hilton's cue. Not only does he report on celebrity gossip, but he also includes his own opinions and input with his famous "doodles" on tabloid photographs. While he may be extremely biased in his reporting, there is no doubt that his opinion will inspire readers to investigate more into the gossip he publishes.

5. Celebrity Gossip, Powered By Gossip Center
Celebrity Gossip is part of the Gossip Center brand, and originally began as a hub for a group of girlfriends to report on the latest celebrity gossip, Celebrity Gossip has grown since it began in 2003, and being bought out by Brand Technologies in 2006. Celebrity Gossip reports on the latest entertainment news and celebrity gossip directly on their website.

This article was written by Kate Parkfield. She has been on the editorial staff of one of the most influential celebrity magazines in Africa. She recommends that you visit buzz South Africa, an information website where she often makes her contributions.

Read more