Homes and Businesses Utilizing New Technology to Reduce Energy Usage

In today's high energy world, people are constantly searching for ways to reduce energy consumption any way possible. Reducing energy usage is the best way to lower electric bills. In addition, it makes electricity cheaper for everyone if there is an unused surplus.

One example would be the Marine Corps Base in Camp Lejeune, NC holding its second annual Energy Fair at the Marine Exchange this October to demonstrate ways energy can be conserved both commercially and residential.

"The Energy Fair is a way we can increase awareness across the base," said Lt. J.G. Walter Anderson, assistant public works officer. "First off, we want to show them some of the different technologies out there as far as energy conservation. When most people hear it, they think 'turn off your lights,' but there are so many things that can be done. Secondly, we want to show the people some of the projects going on around base."

Booths were set up by vendors at the entrance of the MCX displaying their company's newest ideas to make the World a greener and more energy efficient place.

One common trend among commercial companies is Building energy management system and computerize energy monitoring. Recent research indicates that companies utilizing commercial energy management are up 40 percent from last year. Rising energy costs and environmental awareness is attributed to this change.

One company has developed LED lights with built-in speakers for homes with recessed lighting, and they have also worked to create wireless electronics for everyday household objects.

"Many commercial buildings had these installed for a few years now," said one vendor. "Now it's becoming something people can put in their houses, and it is just another way to not use up unnecessary electricity.

Most of today's energy management systems are comprehensive monitoring and control systems that are part of a full building solution. The monitoring component of these systems allows owners to track energy consumption in real time, make this data available to company financial controllers to produce company budgets, and make necessary adjustments when consumption exceeds demand. The control component of the systems enables building management staff to effectively manage the building, often when building management resources are shrinking.

Today there are technologies available for both in-home and commercial use. Many of these new innovative upgrades are more cost effective than outdated systems. What was once considered commercial energy management has now morphed in to residential energy management. Homes around the world are beginning to install and utilize new technology designed to lower energy usage.

Steven Brock has been in the commercial energy management field for 25 years. He now dedicates his time to writing web copy and newsletters for En Touch Controls energy management solutions.

What Is Adobe Illustrator Exchange And Why Is It Beneficial

Illustration is different today. Professional artists are increasingly doing their work on computer software, even if they may do some conceptualizing of the art by hand. An extensive knowledge of computer skills is becoming increasingly important for all artists.

That's where Adobe Illustrator Exchange comes in.

Adobe Illustrator training will help, but the Illustrator exchange has benefits that go far beyond that.

Downloadables

The number of downloadable resources that the Adobe Illustrator Exchange has is considerable. You can download files there for use with a large number of different illustration type software.

For example, the Illustrator exchange has:

-brushes

-styles-

Swatches

-symbols

-plugins

And many more. Anyone who's tried to do digital illustration using their computer could tell you that the more individual tools you have for drawing, the more range accuracy and attention to detail you'll be capable of creating within digital scripts.

Star Rating

Each individual item within the Exchange has a 5 star rating so that you can determine how other users view that particular tool. The Exchange also has tutorials available as well to help you learn any particular software or technique in the illustration category. In addition, the scripts and swatches can make it much easier to illustrate any particular project you're working on in a fast and efficient manner.

Star rating systems are an effective way to do quality control. This is because they tend to be more trustworthy than other methods due to the crowd sourcing. It makes more sense to trust a large number of users like yourself, as opposed to review sites which may or may not be corrupt. It's also an effective way to make sure that any particular tool is legitimate and not in any way dangerous.

Full Access

Perhaps the best benefit of the Exchange is the sheer amount of access you have once logged in. For example, there are many featured downloads which give you many different options.

An example of this is the blank t-shirt templates that allow you to print out any particular design you want yourself. There are also world maps that let you make your own designs and freely use for any purpose you deem necessary.

World maps could be very useful for teachers. For example they could use these in lessons, on tests and quizzes, or any number of other ways for teaching students.

Varying Licenses

The software and tools available have varying types of licenses based on what you need. Some of them are completely free to use for as long as you want. It's important to have some software that's free to use in any situation since some situations really require it., Teachers, for example, will be using the software in the public sphere and need the completely free option to avoid paying extra license fees.

But there are also more advanced options for software and various tools that give you access to abilities you wouldn't have otherwise, although it's only for a demo or for shareware.

Examples

An example of something you might find in the exchange is free dog silhouettes. These are shadow depictions of various types of dogs and a dog walker and are under the featured section of the site. They are available for either Mac or Windows.

Another example is a free extension for Adobe Creative Suite 5 called "Adobe Connect." This allows professionals to freely access their Adobe Connect meeting rooms from inside the suite software.

Learn how to use the special features in Adobe Illustrator CS6 training to design high quality websites from an experienced professional. With VPclasses, you can learn more about this web design software through our Des Moines Adobe Illustrator CS6 Training.

Business Success In Efficient IT Systems

Most companies today are technology-driven. We cannot function without a proper hardware and network to operate our daily tasks and communicate effectively with clients, partners, and staff. Any delay caused by hardware malfunction or downtime in network connectivity can mean a delay in operations that can cost a lot of money, especially for multi-million dollar corporations. Efficient operations and productivity of employees are always keys to success to any a business. Therefore, it should operate like a well-oiled machine through effective IT systems.

Benefits of a Strategic IT Structure

Wonder why businesses spend millions on office computing, hardware, software, and IT solutions? It is because these solutions continue to enhance operations and provide a higher standard of work efficiency. For example, an audio and video conferencing system may seem like a luxury to a business, but it actually reduces business travel expenses by replacing this with quick collaborative solutions like virtual meetings. No need to spend so much in flight and hotel bookings and travel expenses when you can simply meet through video conferencing. The convenience and reduced cost on top of the quick process of setting this up will benefit companies worldwide. What would usually take a couple of days to be finalized can be decided upon within the day. You can meet about important business negotiations in the morning and finalize contracts and agreement in the afternoon.

Data centers are also used to provide 24/7 uptime, especially for business-critical operations in call center agencies and banks. Any downtime can mean losses in dollars. It is, therefore, important to keep the IT center up and running at all times. Some companies even spend on IT consulting services to check for any weak spot in the IT structure. Any upgrades and other improvements in the current system are strategically considered by the company for better operations and reduced cost.

The Downside to Maintaining an IT Structure

It is expensive to keep a first-grade, top-of-the-line IT facility to achieve the ideal operations of your company. You would have to spend a lot on reliable IT specialists and engineers who can keep your business up-to-date with the right solutions. New technology will always be emerging in the market. As much as you would always like to upgrade your IT system, funding will always be a big consideration. On the brighter side, most technologies are geared towards solutions to improve operations and reduce the cost at the same time. It is, therefore, important for businesses to make sure they are choosing IT services and solutions that will provide greater return of investment instead of more costs in the long run. This will help in avoiding any business losses due to unnecessary IT purchases. Make wise decisions regarding your IT systems and you will benefit from it immensely.

With over 10 years experience in IT, data center management, web programming, and computer tech, Glenn Rice hopes to share his expertise on technology and give advice and recommendations on business IT solutions. His interests lie on VoIP, cloud computing, and managed IT services. Find IT services online for more info.

Social Media Consuming the Consumer.......?

Life at the Palm of Your Hands

Social media has changed the way people are living their lives on a daily basis. Hitting that annoying alarm clock from across the room has been replaced with a simple finger swipe to turn off that annoying high pitched ring tone from your cellphone. Additionally, people seem to care more about what other people are doing in the world versus the news provided by mainstream media. How much are we letting social media take part of our lives? I for one, will not be a hypocrite. I admit, I'm addicted to Facebook, but I know I'm not alone!

Be Smart With Social Media

It's okay to put down your cell-phone for two minutes. Don't you just hate those people you see walking across the street, not paying attention to a single thing around them except the cell-phone right in-front of their face? This may be the reason you may be noticing an increase in vehicle-pedestrian accidents, that simply could be avoided! Be smart when using social media. As you can see this applies internally and externally. After all, we don't want to end up in the water fountain like this girl.

Consumers should also be cautious of what they post online. Some people post upwards of 25-30 posts a day! While this may seem fun and interesting to the person posting, others may find it a bit over the top. You may find the outcome to be counter-effective, since people will start ignoring your posts if you're either repetitive or post too frequently. You have to think about postings like a consumer. Would you want to see a story or post pop up on your news feed 13 times in a row? I didn't think so.

What Not to Post on Facebook

While you might think it looks "cool" to take a picture of you and your underage friends drinking alcohol, you may actually be incriminating yourself in the process. This can particularly be a problem since more and more parents are starting to join Facebook, themselves. Instead of having the cops bust the party, they may pull the plug earlier!

Facebook and other social sites have cooperated with law enforcement officials to help keep their communication platforms in a safe and respectful environment. Sometimes, Facebook has been able to provide insightful details to investigators of a specific case. The good news is, it appears criminals are now dumber than ever, leaving social media foot-prints on the internet. This can lead investigators to a specific scene or location and can also help identify a number of other factors, sometimes even the suspect's identification.

While Facebook and other sites are being used by millions of people across the globe, it can also consume too much of your time and in some cases, put you behind bars! Be smart when it comes to consuming social media and don't let it consume you.

Is social media consuming too much of your time? See how social media has made a fool out of some and even landed others behind bars!