Author Archives: schatzi

What To Look For In Your New Garage Door

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At some point in time you might have to buy a new garage door for your home. This can be a bit of a puzzling process since most people have never gone out to shop for something like a garage door as it’s rarely ever done. When looking for your new garage door, there are a few things that you need to consider.

Find out how much maintenance that the door will require. Some doors have less moving parts, therefore don’t require as much work. Others are a bit more complicated and will require more care to last. Do you want to have to make the garage door a big chore? If not, get something that requires less work.

Get a door that is dent resistant. Some cheaper doors will be dented with the slightest bump like a basketball hitting it. You need a door that will retain it’s shape if you bump it with the front of your car or a ball hits it. This will keep it nicer looking for many extra years. It’s well worth the extra expense.

Not all garage door openings are the same. Even if you have a two car garage, the doors have different shapes. You have to consider the width and the height of the door. One point that many miss is how far down the garage will hang when it’s open.

How does the door open? You might have issues with obstructions if you don’t consider this carefully.

You may need insulation in the door. This is important if you are heating your garage and working it in during the colder months. A well insulated door will keep more heat in and make it feel warmer.

Consider the life span of the door. You want to purchase one that will last for years not breaking down too quickly. You can get this information from online reviews typically avoiding the ones with many problems.

Pick Your Tools- Website Design Options

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New to website design? There are a number of options available to first-timers and novices. From cracking the books to online site builders, a few of the most common are explained here.

The journey from first getting that spark of an idea for a website and the finished product can be long and difficult. This article will focus on the various means available to create a web site. Finding a suitable place to host it is another matter entirely. It is generally wise to, if not already have your site complete, have a very good idea of what the finished site will be before shopping for hosting.

Do-It-Yourself Options- Design Software

There are 2 kinds of “do-it-yourself” options, design programs and online site builders. Design programs can vary wildly in both scope and complexity. For simple, static sites, an easy-to-use editor with a limited feature set might be ideal. More complex sites may require more complex, and usually more expensive solutions. In an industry where highly varied personal preference is the most common factor in choosing a design program, it’s difficult to say there is an “industry standard” design package. Popular design programs include Dreamweaver from Macromedia/Adobe, and FrontPage, from Microsoft. Dreamweaver is a powerful and complex program with a reasonably steep learning curve. FrontPage is targeted more towards the beginner, but in doing so, compromises a great deal of quality in its resulting code.

Additionally, a number of web design programs can be found on the web as “freeware” and “shareware”. Searching various file repositories such as “download.com” will reveal a wealth of alternate choices, far too many to list here. Do research and test them out first before making a purchase, you may find one you enjoy and are comfortable using. If you wish to go the extra mile and learn HTML itself, your design software options may include something simple like a text editor. Many web designers swear by Notepad as their favorite design tool. Learning HTML may seem a little more daunting than learning a single web design program, but the benefits, even if you still choose to use a more advanced, graphical editor, will stick with you. Having an understanding of how the underlying tags work will make your design work much easier.

Do-It-Yourself Options- Templates

One additional option to consider if you wish to use a design program is a template. Website templates are, usually, complete sites with graphics and placeholder text that you can modify using most any kind of design software. Templates provide a kind of design ‘shortcut’, allowing the user to move almost directly into adding content to an already existing site. Be aware, that most templates require some knowledge of either HTML or skill with a design program in order to use effectively. Also, they may require a graphical editing program if you wish to change any graphic elements. Commonly this editor will be Adobe’s Photoshop, which, unlike design software, is the widely regarded “industry standard” in graphic editing. Though templates can be a short cut, they are more a short cut for intermediate to advanced users who can effectively exploit them.

Do-It-Yourself Options- Online Site Builders

Those looking for an alternative to the older method of design on a local machine and upload to the web server may want to consider online site building programs. These programs, of which there are a few, are generally provided by your hosting company and viewed through your web browser. They don’t require any information to be installed on your home computer. Everything they do is handled remotely, through the browser, so your site can be created then updated in “real time.” All site builders share a few common traits. First, they will all be template based. Not exactly the same kind of advanced template discussed above, but a general color and layout you will select from in the initial stages of the site builder’s setup. The bonus to online site builder templates is that you can change your template selection most any time and have your entire site change automatically and immediately, without losing any of the information you have uploaded to that point.

Second, most online site builders will have some kind of editing screen into which you will type your content. The exact method by which individual site builders accomplish this can vary. In all cases you will be able to add and delete paragraphs. More advanced site builders allow you to add items like additional graphics and tables. Finally there will be various “extras” and “features” you can add to your site. Again, what these features will be will vary according to the specific feature set of the site builder you use. They can include everything from rotating text to a full shopping cart. If you are interested in using a site builder, contact your prospective website hosting company and ask if they have demo of the site builder they use or where such a demo can be found. By their nature, most site builders have online demos to allow users to test drive the product before use.

Profession Design Solutions

Those unwilling or unable to learn either HTML or design software will need to seek professional assistance. Like the plethora of design software, there is an even greater assortment of design firms ready and willing to take your business. Even someone experienced in web design may know when their current project outstrips their personal skills and calls in some additional help. Certain types of sites simply lend themselves to a team rather than a single designer. Very large ecommerce sites are one such example. Professional developers can split their resources among coding the site, setting up the shopping cart, and entering the products. By having a professional team working on a site, the site can be completed faster and more efficiently than by a single individual.

Finding a web design firm can be as simple as web search or even a trip to your local yellow pages. This becomes a matter client preference. If you wish to meet the designers, have face to face discussions with them about the nature of your project, then you should confine your search to local firms. If you are comfortable with phone and electronic communication, then most any web design firm you track down on the web should be able to accommodate your needs. In many cases, online firms will have a kind of “Customer Relations Management” or CRM tool, that allows direct interchange of information and content between the client and the designers.

Party Decorations – Use Your Imagination and Have Fun!

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Party decorations are so much fun. They are your opportunity to be creative. There are no rules that tell you what to do or how to do it. Your imagination is the limit. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

One of the easiest things to use to decorate any type of party is crepe paper. Choose the color that goes with the theme of your party, and cut the crepe paper into the widths that you want to use. You can use one color or you can use two colors. If you choose to use two colors, you can do it with separate strips of each color, or you can put the two colors together. Twist the strips and hang them up.

Balloons are another decoration that are easy to use. You can choose colors that will complement the theme. There are several things you can do. Use just one color, use all light pastel colors, use two colors, like green and red for a Christmas party, or use all of the colors. There are balloons with special messages that are fun, too.

Once you have the streamers and balloons in place, you will need to add the other decorations. These can be purchased online in party stores or at a local party store near you. If you want to save money, you can make your own decorations. There are numerous web sites online that have decoration ideas for every kind of party imaginable.

Be sure to include your plates, napkins and glasses as part of your decorations, too. They can go along with the theme, or you can choose a solid color that looks nice with the other decorations. You may want to purchase a special tablecloth. It, too, can be party themed or a solid color.

Choose your party theme, and begin to make your plans. Use your imagination for your decorations and make it a party that everyone will remember.

Construction Site Injuries

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Construction work is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. It is estimated that:

o Over 155,000 construction workers were injured in on the job accidents in the last year

o 10% of construction workers will be injured this year

o Falls account for the most common injuries, either from height or from the same level.

o The back is the most frequently injured part of the body, followed by the legs, arms and hands

o Most injured construction workers miss more than 30 days of work after their accidents

Causes of Construction Site Injuries

There are literally thousands of potential hazards on a construction site. Heavy equipment, dangerous chemicals and rushed production schedules can increase the injury rates of workers and even people in the surrounding areas. Most injuries on construction sites involve:

o falls

o collapses or cave-ins

o power tool accidents

o electrical hazards

o exposure to potentially dangerous materials such as asbestos, lead, benzene and vinyl chloride

o electrocution

o trench accidents

o welding accidents or other equipment malfunction

Like most American workers, construction industry employees are legally entitled to a workplace free of hazards and foreseeable accidents. Unfortunately, workplace injury in construction runs significantly higher than the national average. In fact, statistics show that in the last year, construction had the second highest number of workplace fatalities in the country and accounted for an above average number of days lost due to illness or injury. While the law does not allow construction workers to sue their employers while they collect workers’ compensation benefits, injured construction employees are more likely to have a lawsuit than other employees because construction work typically involves multiple contractors.

Types of Construction Site Injuries Sustained

Common construction site injuries include:

o Spinal cord injury caused by falls or equipment failures on a construction site

o Head injury such as a traumatic brain injury caused by a crane or bulldozer accident

o Severe burns and disfigurement such as from fire or electrical or chemical burns

o Loss of limb or amputation such as loss of a hand or an arm in a defective or dangerous machinery accident or unsafe job site practices

o Other injuries such as a neck or back injury or other disabling condition caused by an accident at work

What to Do if You Have been in a Construction Site Accident

If you have been injured on a construction site, the first thing you should do is contact a doctor. After your injury is treated, then you should contact an experienced construction accident attorney for advice. You may be entitled to recover for damages such as:

o past and future medical expenses

o pain and suffering

o lost wages

o other damages incurred as a result of the injury

No matter how you were injured – in a scaffold collapse, trip and fall, faulty wiring or by some other cause – please contact an experienced construction site injury lawyer to explain your rights and the possibilities for recovery of damages for your injuries suffered on the job.