Living The Beach Life In Grenada

Your choice of Grenada hotels can help you experience all the best beaches and diving spots this picturesque Caribbean island has to offer.

Experience the original Spice Island when you hit the shores of this Caribbean paradise. As you gaze out of the balcony of any luxurious Grenada hotels, you are greeted by crystalline waters, endless miles of white sand and the perfect weather that made the Caribbean a haven for pirates and lords alike. Pack your sunscreen and set sail for cool winds, dramatic beaches and a slice of beach heaven.

Mimosas by the Beach

Grenada's unique geography and temperate climate makes it a center for spice-growing and exporting. Grenada is part of a three island system that includes Carriacou and Petit Martinique and can easily be accessed by plane or boat.

Your pick of Grenada hotels depends on which beach you prefer. The Grand Anse Beach's famously calm waters and sparkling white sand ensures this two mile stretch attracts tourists year-round. This is true even during rainy season, because the island enjoys very little rain throughout the year. There are a handful of top rated resorts and boutique hotels which boast well-reviewed supreme service.

Book one right by the strip of shore so you can open your windows to the sound of the surf.

Book near the beach if you love to sunbathe, drink the day away and love swimming. Snorkelling is also a favourite activity - but be warned that the shore is so pristine fish can be a rare sight. If you want a more local flavour, book Grenada hotels by the Bathway Beach on the other side of the island. Bathway is not as developed as the Grand Anse and you will bump elbows with locals while you set up your beach blanket and pop open a beer.

Underwater Paradise

After a morning at the beach, saunter down to Levera National Park near Bathway Beach for one of the best (and little-known) snorkelling sites on the island. This small site is surrounded by mangroves and breaks into a freshwater pool teeming with life. Unlike Grand Anse, you are more likely to find cozy inns and rest houses on this side of the island.

If your idea of a perfect beach trip involves donning a mask and diving into the cool Caribbean blue, this island boasts some of the most breathtaking dive sites in the world. Head on over on a day trip to Sandy Island in Carriacou for a snorkelling experience like no other. Many Grenada hotels can help you book a dive trip with the island's specialist dive groups. Other hotels have their own dive school and instructors.

The Calabash Hotel by Grand Anse beach in particular works with the ScubaTech near the southern tip of the island. Seasoned instructors can help earn that open dive certificate for adults and children alike. If you want to experience ten or more days of diving, contact Dive Grenada, a full service trip that includes over ten different dives that include night dives and open water certification classes.

You should not forget to book a dive to the Underwater Monuments off Moliniere Bay. These sculptures are a tribute to the many slaves who lost their lives during the height of the slave trade. The area makes for a memorable dive and a little bit of a history lesson. Do not forget to bring your underwater cameras!

A trip to this Caribbean island would not be complete without enjoying its wondrous beaches and exceptional diving sites. Dig your feet into pristine white sand and enjoy your choice of cocktails, head down to Bathway for a more authentic experience, or slip those fins on and dive into adventure.

Cheryl Matthews works for the Essential Hotel Collection. If you're looking for Grenada hotels, we offer a handpicked portfolio of privately owned hotels. We have an intimate knowledge of every property and can provide the perfect Grenada hotels to make your island dreams a reality.

Explore More of Grenada By Going Beyond the Beach

When you check into luxury Grenada hotels, expand your horizons by going beyond to beach for all the attractions the island has to offer.

If you look out from any Grenada hotels window, you may think there is nothing else to this beautiful island than that expanse of sea and sand. But there is more to this Caribbean paradise than meets the eye. Spend a day out of the beach or nights dancing your heart out to beat of island drums.

Experience Nature

Leave the beach behind and make your way from your hotel to Grand Etang National Park. Do not forget to bring your swimsuits! One of the main attractions is the Seven Sister Falls. Walk through the rainforest until you hear the rush of the falls and dive right in! The area is safe and perfect for swimming. Hike your way to Concord Falls near St. John to experience the thundering 65-foot waterfall and a cool mid-afternoon swim.

To complete the waterfall experience, the Royal Mount Carmel Falls are a double set of falls that are the highlight of a guided tour through the forest. This waterfall features a unique smooth pool that you can slip into after a short hike through the forest. During your stay in Grenada, hotels should also be able to point you in the right direction no matter what type of experience you are looking for.

The Bay Gardens boast over 3000 different species of flora and provide great photo opportunities. For a small fee you can happily scamper about, photograph your favourite flowers and enjoy the diversity of the Caribbean. You can also choose to tour the Co-Operative Nutmeg Associate for a peek into the spice that fuels the island's export economy, plus you can buy a few spices to take home.

Educational Tours

If travelling with children or teenagers, luxury Grenada hotels often have different activities to keep them busy but who wants to be cooped up all day when this beautiful island is calling out for you to explore? Why not take the family off the beaten path and visit the Grenada Chocolate Company for an inside look at one of the best chocolatiers in the world? Although remote and a long ride from town, the trip will be worth its weight (in chocolate). Another interesting attraction worth looking into is the River Antoine Rum Distillery for a day tour. Yes, you can buy a bottle and there are free samplings of the rum varieties. Pirate jokes are optional.

There is also no shortage of museums. Cricket lovers should take the time to visit the West Indies Cricket Heritage Center, a lesser-known museum that displays cricket memorabilia, uniforms, caps, equipment and jackets. Explore how life was by visiting the National Museum and visit the historic Carenage Harbor for dining, shopping and island crafts.

Take the family to Fort George for a look at olden times and a chance to see some of the island's most beautiful panoramic bay views. After take a stroll through the bay and dine in the many restaurants around the area.

There is more to this fabulous destination than the beautiful beaches. Day tours are available for all of the attractions for convenient prices. Explore the island and discover its hidden sights, hidden secrets and colorful history.

Cheryl Matthews works for the Essential Hotel Collection. If you're looking for Grenada hotels, we offer a handpicked portfolio of privately owned hotels. We have an intimate knowledge of every property and can provide the perfect Grenada hotels to make your island dreams a reality.

Caribbean Vacations: Barbados Travel Guide And Advice

Barbados travel agents can be an extremely valuable asset to arrange a nice and memorable tour on this Caribbean island, and provide you with valuable information about where to go, what to see and where to stay.

Barbados is one of the most picturesque islands among the Lesser Antilles. It was discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1536. The island was given the name 'Los Barbados', which is translated as 'bearded' because of the huge banyan tree with roots, forming a real beard around the trunk. The main attractions of the island are St. James Church, Sugar Museum, Folkestone Park and Marine Museum.

By the time when the development of this piece of land began, the island was uninhabited. The oldest city in Barbados was founded in the early 17th century. At that time the settlers planted vast sugar plantations. Until the middle of the 20th century, rum and sugar production was practically the only growing sector of the local economy. Only at the end of the last century, booming tourism gave additional stimulus to the development of the island. Thus it became one of the most popular resort areas in the Western Hemisphere. The year-round sun and the warm sea, picturesque beaches and beautiful coral reefs, fields and wineries, a variety of historical monuments, the traditional carnival as well as a huge number of cultural events make this island a great destination in the Caribbean Sea.

Also, there are lots of places associated with the heyday of piracy, Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados, the island's commercial center and one of the major Caribbean ports. This small town with a population of only eighty thousand people is a picturesque place with colonial-style houses, with narrow streets, rum shops and historical monuments. Here one will find the seat of government and the offices of major companies.

The center of the city is Trafalgar Square or Heroes' Square. It is almost a complete copy of the same name place in London, there is even a statue of Lord Nelson. The square offers a picturesque view of the harbor since water moves right into the city center, and there is a parking lot of many yachts and cruise ships. To the east of the 'Heroes Square' one will see a large Anglican Cathedral of St. Michael. The theater, Queen's Park House, used to be the residence of the commander of British forces. The Gothic building of Parliament of Barbados stands at the beginning of the main street. The main shopping area of the city is Broad Street, which runs from the Heroes' Square with a series of banks, department stores and duty free shops.

Outside the city, there are also many interesting places, such as the Bayshore shopping mall with a lot of shops and antique shops, a few rum factories, including the well-known Gay-Rum Factory with a small museum of Rum.

Not far from the capital, there is a tiny historic village consisting of six old houses representing various projects, and a few shops with the products of traditional crafts. The original botanical gardens, Flower Forest and Francia Plantation, are considered the most attractive places on the island. Other noteworthy places include the huge terraced garden, a fire tower on Gun Hill, a small military museum and a small canyon. The island is also known for its unique flora and fauna.

Stormy east coast is the most beautiful part of Barbados. High Atlantic tides create good conditions for water sports. The northern part of Barbados is the least visited area of the island. However, the region offers a huge variety of places for recreation and sport activities, and the most popular sights here include Barbados Wildlife Sanctuary, Christ Church, Accra Beach mentioned in numerous legends about pirates, and Sam Lord's Castle. The west coast of Barbados is also known as the 'Platinum Coast'. It is the land of bays and sandy beaches.

Travel Agencies in Barbados can provide a better travel experience and, probably, a better price. Also, Barbados tour operators are the local experts in providing such trip components as hotels, tour guides, transport etc.

Djibouti Travel Notes and Advice

Travel agencies in Djibouti invite you to explore this unusual and beautiful country. They are the experts in preparing effective trips to this country and can help you organize such things as flights, hotels, excursions and more.

The special appeal of Djibouti consists in the fact that it is a rather rarely visited country. Unforgettable is the sunrise on the shore of the desert lakes inhabited by flamingos. The black lava fields and fantastic natural volcanic formations, common to the area of the Great African Rift, deliver the hot steam and volcanic gases onto the surface. Endless barren plains of the 'Martian landscapes' can be seen on this tiny part of the African land. And at the same time, there are quite ordinary beautiful uninhabited parts of the coastline and the magnificent underwater world of coral reefs of the Red Sea that make snorkeling and diving in these places an incredibly attractive occupation.

The country practically consists only of the port city of Djibouti. Djibouti is a beautiful capital city, and the largest city in this country, located in an amazing and beautiful place that bears the name of the Afar Triangle. This area is known for the hottest desert across the globe. Djibouti is built below sea level, surrounded by lava fields and the long-extinct volcanoes. Due to the very dry climate, as well as its specific location, the capital is always dusty and very hot.

The main sights of the capital include the Presidential Palace and the Central Market. The majority of buildings in the city have the typical features of the colonial style. Central Market is the attraction of Djibouti, which is a must for foreign tourists. Located to the south of downtown, it attracts foreigners, primarily because it is one of the best places to buy different kinds of goods, from seafood to exotic fruits. Walking around the town, one will thoroughly examine the beauty of Djibouti, its magnificent theater, called L'Escale, as well as the marina, which is considered one of the best in the world. Here you can listen to traditional music and dancing. Also, the city has a community theater, called 'Saline'. One should visit the Tropical Aquarium of Djibouti and walk past the Presidential Palace.

Ali Sabeh is an exotic desert land, a large salt plain and a kind of paradise for 'sand surfing'. On the way from Djibouti to Ali Sabeh the motorway crosses two unique, perfectly flat desert plains - Petit Vara and Grand Bara, which serve as a 'stadium' for windsurfing on wheels. The lakes of the country are rather unusual natural formations. Lake Assal lies below sea level and is surrounded by dormant volcanoes and black lava fields. Some of these lakes are called 'pits of demons' by the locals.

People, who love beach holidays, will be delighted by the spacious beaches of the city. In Djibouti, there are many beaches, mostly picturesque and secluded. Underwater divers will appreciate the bewitching beauty of coral reefs and crystal clear sea water. The best beaches near the city are Dorale and less accessible Khor Ambado, where you can easily rent a boat and sail to the nearby protected islands of Mascali and Mush. In the Gulf of Aden and in the vicinity of Bab el Mandeb Strait one can also find spectacular coral reefs. They are the dream of every diver, but are considered rather complicated and dangerous for diving because of the peculiarities of local currents. This is one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the world due to the unfortunate reputation of the Bab el Mandeb Strait, where from 1,500 to 6,000 shipwrecks took place.

Visit Djibouti with the help of one of Djibouti travel agents using their knowledge of local conditions and extensive experience in the tourism industry. Djibouti tour operators can provide better offers for flights, land arrangements, hotels, transport and other key tour components.

Hawaii the Big Island - 6 Reasons to Choose It for Your Honeymoon

Remember the first day that you crossed paths with that special someone? It may have begun with a simple greeting, a smile, an introduction, or even an argument. Eventually, this encounter transformed into one of the most beautiful experiences that a person can live throughout their lifetime. This of course, developed even further and led to one of the greatest days of your life, the engagement to become married.

The wedding day can come in all different shapes, sizes, and forms. Some believe that a huge wedding is the way to go while others thrive with simplicity. However, there is something else that deserves a fair amount of thought and planning. The Honeymoon! In this article, we are going to talk about one of the most fascinating places in the world, Hawaii (The Big Island). Below you will learn 6 reasons to pick Hawaii (The Big Island) for your Honeymoon.

1) Beaches: The Big Island has some of the most captivating beaches in the world. If you appreciate beautiful scenery, diving, snorkeling, sun bathing, and fishing, the Big Island will not disappoint. Kahalu'u beach is one great example of the type of beaches found in Hawaii.

Known, as the snorkel beach, Kahalu'u is usually a pretty calm beach and has more than 100 species of colorful fish. Sea turtles, butterfly fish, parrot fish, and beautiful corals are some of the things you will come across when snorkeling in Kahalu'u beach. The north part of the beach is a little rough since this is where the wave's break which is great for those that enjoy body boarding and surfing.

2) History & Culture: Learning about the history and culture of The Big Island will enchant any traveler, ranging from the least to even the most experienced. Mookini Heiau State Monument, over 1,500 years is one of the longest standing and historical sites in Hawaii Island. This religious monument was once used as a temple for human sacrifice.

A short walk away from the Mookini Heiau State Monument, you will find another historical site, the birthplace of Hawaii's greatest King, known as Kamehameha I. The Kings birthplace is marked by a sign in front of a stone wall. Many of the Hawaiians and others consider this area to be a spiritual place, and it is important not to walk on the rocks or move them.

Due to an earthquake in this area, it may not be what it once was, but it is still considered a great historical site. The history and culture found in the Big Island makes it a great place for newlyweds to start off on the right path and learn about a new culture, which is ironically an essential step in marriage.

3) Attractions: Another great aspect of Hawaii's Big Island is the variety of activities and attractions. At The Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, one can experience a mixture of Hawaiian culture and astronomical research conducted at Maunakea.

Another great attraction is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Bring your camera because you will see more than 2,000 species of beautiful plants. You can also take a trip to World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls and observe Hawaii's most beautiful waterfall.

The Hawaiian EDventure is another attraction you will not want to miss. They will allow you to experience authentic cultural activities and programs with the purpose of honoring and perpetuating Hawaiian culture.

If you and your mate need something that will get your adrenaline pumping, take a trip to Aloja Jet Ski. You have the choice of renting a jet ski for thirty minutes or one hour if you prefer, and they are incredibly fun. The best part about a Jet Ski is that they are extremely easy to operate, even if you have never experienced driving one.

4) Animals & Nature: Are you a nature and animal lover? The Big Island will provide you with an experience you will never forget. Imagine having the opportunity to interact with some of the smartest and most beautiful animals on the planet? Dolphin Quest allows you to do just that. You get to swim and engage with these amazing and therapeutic mammals for thirty minutes.

If the dolphin experience isn't enough, how about taking a glimpse at an animal that weighs forty thousand pounds and is forty feet long. Watching the Humpback whales off the Big Island's shore will cause any human being to feel a dreamlike outburst of amusement and joy. These amazing animals can be seen from December to May, when they reach Hawaii's warm waters to breed and give birth to new calves.

5) Hotels & Beach Resorts: Hawaii is no stranger when it comes to hospitality and pampering their visitors. There are plenty of hotels and resorts with magnificent beach settings, eager to provide you with their world class amenities.

One example of this is the Hilton Waikoloa Beach resort which includes two championship golf courses. The first one is the Waikoloa Beach course designed by Robert Trent Jones and the Waikoloa Kings course designed by Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish. If the above isn't enough, a putting course can also be found in this resort which includes a romantic ocean setting.

Another example of the kind of Hotels found at the Big Island is the Mauna Lani Bay Resort. Want to include a few lessons of Hula to your Honeymoon? The Mauna Lani Bay includes this, and it's complimentary. The Mauna Lani Bay also includes two championship golf courses and has received Golf Magazine's Gold Medal Award every year since 1988.

6) State Parks: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one location that you will not want to bypass. The natural scenery that is found in this park is unparalleled to anything else. Some of the things that make it unique include the rainforests and scalded deserts, a walk in lave a tube, hiking trails through volcanic craters, and a favorite for many, two active volcanoes. You get to experience seeing a real live volcano which has not stopped erupting since it started on January 3rd 1983 known as Kilauea and Maunaloa which last erupted in 1984.

The Thurston Lave Tube can also cause an incomparable impression. Imagine walking through a cave that was formed by lava 500 years ago? This is one of the activities found at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and it is lit to allow you to get a detailed view of the lava tube. If you are brave and carry a flash light, you can continue walking further into the dark area of the tube for another 50 yards which leads to light at the end as you reach the grand finally and walk into an enchanting tropical rain forest.

All things considered, the Big Island is the perfect place for a honeymoon and the perfect place for a great vacation. Start making the necessary preparations well in advance and buckle up to experience the greatest adventure of your life.

Mike Tailor is an avid traveler, he loves nature, he is a passionate blogger, and is the owner of a tourism information website. For great ideas on where to go on your next vacation, grab his free 26 page report "Delightful Beach Vacations" at: http://www.nextvacationspot.com/report/

St Lucia - Sampling the Local Cuisine

St Lucia honeymoons: the phrase rightly suggests idyllic tropical sunsets over the ocean as you start your married life together. Yet a visit to this gorgeous island will also give you the chance to sample some of the unique Creole cuisine for which it is famous.

A culinary heritage

French, African and British cuisines have all left their mark on the island. Whilst part of the British Empire, people from all around the globe came and settled on the island and also made their own contribution to local tastes and cooking techniques. Today, St Lucia honeymoons will provide romantic couples with the chance to sample some of these delights including:

Pepperpot Stew. Truly delicious and comprises a very lean beef stew with a rich mixture of potatoes, onions, green beans and of course pepper.

Callaloo Soup. Callaloo is a local vegetable not dissimilar to spinach. It is stewed, sometimes with coconut milk, together with beef (perhaps salted) and dumplings.

Jerk Chicken. There are various recipes for this and they do involve a pretty hot chilli but having said that, the trick of the best local chefs is to make this classic dish spicy and pungent without it burning off your taste buds.

Pork Chop and Pineapple Salsa. If this sounds absurdly simple, you'll be surprised! Somehow the local chefs manage to combine a very tangy and flavoursome pineapple salsa with a marinated chop and make it a truly unique and delicious taste.

Green fig and Saltfish Pie. This is a great dish to try on St Lucia honeymoons, as you may not find it easy to obtain elsewhere. It's essentially fish, peppers, cheese and breadcrumbs and of course, green figs. It's absolutely superb when done well.

Baked Stuffed Breadfruit. This is a mixture of minced meat, ham, tomatoes and garlic, baked in a hollowed out breadfruit. Once again, it sounds simple but the taste isn't.

Banana Chicken. This is chicken and ham, rolled together with banana and then fried in a sort of batter with coconut flavouring. A uniquely exotic taste - and it works!

This is, of course, just a totally inadequate sample of the fantastic tastes that await you on St Lucia honeymoons.

Contrary to what you might have heard, Caribbean and St Lucian cuisine is not just about heat and spices. When authentically prepared, it offers a range of taste experiences that compare favourably with any cuisine anywhere in the world. So, St Lucia honeymoons don't just have to be about beach and sea - you can think about your taste buds too!

Ross Stevenson is the General Manager of Cap Maison. With a reputation as the foremost luxury hotel on St Lucia, they provide a wide selection of services for St Lucia honeymoons and options for couples who want to enjoy a blissful Caribbean experience.

Enhance the Aesthetic Value of Your Property With Aluminum Fences

Are you looking to protect your property from thefts or trespassing?? Are you looking to enhance the aesthetics of your property? If the answers are affirmative, then one of the best alternatives for you would be to invest in an option which looks stylish and is in your budget.

Investing in an aluminum fences is a lifetime investment... An aluminum, a durable material is quite popular these days, which requires low maintenance. These fences are available in various attractive designs and colors giving an ethereal look to any façade.

In the last few decades, a rising number of customers are choosing these powder coated fences. Read on to know more about the advantages of installing this inexpensive option over other fences:

Advantages of choose these Aluminum fences

Sturdiness - An aluminum is a sturdy material, which is durable in nature. These are also long lasting as compared to other construction material such as wood, iron and steel. Moreover, an aluminum as compared to iron does not rust on being exposed to air. This means that they have a longer life in comparison to iron fences.

Attractive - The malleability of the metal aluminum makes it easy to cast into attractive designs. In addition, it also has various adornment options that make it enhance the aesthetic beauty of the surroundings.

Easy installation - These enclosures have an easy installation, which means that a property owner does not need to spend cumbersome amounts on the installation of these fences. Most of these fences have a pre-punched hole that makes it easy to be installed. Since, most of these structures are available in sections; it is a easy to replace the damaged part without interrupting the complete structure.

Low Maintenance - Fences made up of aluminum are low on maintenance since, it is available in powder coat finish. This finish not only gives them a smooth and attractive finish but also makes them easy to maintain. Moreover, the powder finish gives the customers a wide variety of choices, as they are available in many different colors.

Competitive pricing - One of the biggest advantages these fences offer, over other types, are that they are reasonably priced. These fences are available at different prices. The pricing may differ depending upon the grade of aluminum being used.

Those looking for competitive pricing and good quality can benefit from the various advantages that these fences have to offer.

If you are looking for aluminum fences for your house or commercial property and want to see a huge collection and options that are available in the market, log on to http://www.discountaluminumfences.com to choose from a wide variety of designs and style, and that too at affordable prices.

The Importance of Fuses

Have you ever wondered how your home is able to contain enough electricity to run all of your home's appliances without causing it to burn down? If you are not too knowledgeable about how electricity works, maybe you can learn a bit about the fuses in your home. There are more than simple decorations, fuses help control electricity and keep it from burning down your home.

It is important to have devices in place that will monitor the flow and ebb of electricity in any type of building and structures. It would be very convenient to think that since your electrical supplier controls how many watts of power you receive on a monthly basis, that they also control the way it is dispersed throughout your home. Even though that may be something that is possible in the future, the way your home is wired plays the most important factor at how energy efficient it is.

To prevent any electrical cells from overloading, your home has a box that contains fuses. These little alloys perform a very big job. When there is something in your home that is pulling too much electricity and putting a staring on your electrical circuits, rather than allowing those circuits to overheat and transform its energy into fire, the alloys terminate the connection by undergoing a process that is commonly referred to as blowing. The way that alloys are blown is the copper connector they have that allows for the flow of electricity back and forth breaks or separates. This handy feature is life-saving because it prevents electrical fires and electrical fires are very hard to contain once they get started.

The downside is if you happen to run appliances on a regular basis that require a lot of energy or overtax your circuits, you are going to go through more alloys than the average person. It is normal for fuses to blown periodically, once they are dead, they need to be replaced. However, constantly blowing them can indicate that maybe your home is not properly wired and you may need to have an electrician come out and inspect your home's wiring. The last thing you want to have on your mind every time you go to leave your home or go to sleep at night is whether or not your home is going to catch on fire. Many times, electrical fires happen and the inhabitants of the home are not aware or are not home to catch it in the beginning stages. Since this type of fire can quickly get out of hand, you need to make sure that your home is properly set up so you don't lose your home and so no one is every injured.

Make sure that when you replace those lifesaving fuses, that you are replacing the bad ones with the right product.

One very nifty and convenient safety about alloys is if you were to put the wrong amperage in the wrong socket, you still won't regain any lost power to the respective area of your home. This is to further increase the safety of your home.

Get the fuses Atlanta homes require, in a massive variety. For all your needs, visit http://www.mayerelectric.com

Hot Home Trend: Why Steel Is The Wave Of The Future

Selecting the right materials in the construction of your house can make a big difference. Although windows are major components of a house, they are often sidelined, and not much thought is put into them, particularly the window frame. The window frame is not only a major element of interior designing, but is also crucial for the structural stability of the window. If you consider the various materials available for window and door frames, steel seems to be the most ideal.

Advantages of Selecting Steel over other Materials for Door and Window Frames

1) Durability and Strength

Steel is an extremely durable material, which does not rust or degrade in any way. You can safely expect such frames to last well over 50 years, even in areas that have high corrosion. Secondly, steel is much stronger than other metals. For instance, it is thrice as strong as aluminum, which means you can have slimmer frames in steel, for holding quite heavy glass panes.

2) Least Maintenance

Steel frames can be maintained quite easily. They do not require any protective coating of paint or polish, as with wooden frames. They are proof against insects, blistering heat of the sun and other natural elements. Just an occasional wipe with a cloth will keep your steel frames as good as new.

3) Sleek Frame Structure

As steel is quite strong, the door or window frame need not be bulky, to hold the weight of the glass. Thin and sleek frames can do wonders to your interiors, and they go well with almost any type of decor.

4) Visibility

Wooden frames can get lost in the overall design, whereas steel can stand out, and enhance the decor. Steel lends itself beautifully to various artistic designs, and hence you have a huge choice in the way your windows and doors can look.

5) Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Material

You hardly hear of steel going to waste. Even from the worst mangled remains of any structure, steel is always recycled and reused. This makes it one of the most sustainable materials that you can find for construction. Steel industries around the world are also investing huge amounts to improve technology for reducing energy consumption, lessening emissions, and improving the quality of steel. The result is a greener planet, and at the same time, there is no compromise on the quality of steel.

All these advantages clearly suggest that steel should be the first choice for door and window frames. You not only have the advantage of structural strength and durability, but you can also enhance the beauty of your interiors. Sleek finish and almost maintenance-free, steel is definitely the best material you can find to construct window and door frames.

Author Name writes for Euroline Steel Windows and Doors. Bring the outside in with Euroline Steel Windows and Doors. See their amazing project photo gallery at http://eurolinesteelwindows.com/.

Construction Companies and Their Services

Construction companies are seen as big firms that take charge of constructing buildings and structures. This is basically their major form of service for the people who hire them. However, they also have other services that they usually offer, but are often overlooked.

Reconstruction and Renovation

In these forms, the construction companies usually have a contract with the client to renovate or reconstruct the building. Before any contract is signed, it is important to be clear regarding the extent of the project. This includes the cost, the scope of work, and the responsibilities of the company. Usually, a current structure needs to be redone or changed to suit the needs and preferences of the owner. Private houses usually need renovation or reconstruction due to the regular wear and tear of the older materials.

Some firms can supply the materials, as well as the labor for the project, while some homeowners might prefer to buy the materials themselves in order to have some perceived savings. Many of the firms that offer these services also offer to have their engineers or architects design the renovation or reconstruction for their clients. A sit-down meeting is necessary for the client and the design team to come to an agreement with regards the overall alterations and look of the project.

Construction companies also need to conform to the local rules and regulations concerning building and structural codes for each state and city. The firms need to have in-depth knowledge of these rules and regulations. There are different aspects to each of these, such as electrical, plumbing, and engineering codes, which need to be considered. Many of these projects are small scale and relatively easy to do, and most of the firms that are in this business thrive on these types of jobs. This is mainly because there are many homeowners who need to renovate or reconstruct their houses.

Industrial

This aspect of the services offered by construction companies deals with constructing structures and buildings that are big and for commercial use. Corporations and companies that require these projects usually have big designs and ideas in mind for their structures. These projects are long-term and can be costly to complete. It is not just the designs of these projects that need to be handled by professionals, but also the planning of the materials and possible future occupants.

These are just a couple of the aspects that construction companies need to deal with in the business. The bigger projects may be few and far between, but they contribute to the financial stability of the firms.

If you are searching for Michigan construction companies for your next project, be sure to visit http://www.cdbarnes.com.

A Sprinkle of Enlightenment on CAD CAM Software

The products of technology have indeed gone a long way. Nowadays, its evolution has become more immense and equally impressive. As geniuses in the field continue their pursuit for excellence, the consuming public is also reaping all the benefits.

One of the most brilliant outputs of automation is the so-called CAD designing software. This basically refers to a process which utilises computer systems in creating, analysing, modifying, and optimising the design of products and services.

Manufacturing companies has indeed benefited from the birth of this wonderful application. It has not only increased their productivity but it has also enhanced the quality and quantity of their work. And, the uses of this program do not just stop here.

Today, the range of its applications has already widened. It is now also being tapped in automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, footwear, and even in orthotic and prosthetic devices. It has been a leading software in the creation of various solutions across many industries.

To help you understand this product of genius, it is also important to familiarise its basic mechanism. CAD CAM software is characterised by the creation of computer models that are being defined by geometrical parameters.

These representations then appear on a monitor as three-dimensional figures which embody either a single component or a system of parts. On the other hand, a computer aided manufacturing also makes use of the same design to control automated machinery.

For a curious learner like you, it is also interesting to examine the beginnings of this magnificent invention. According to research, the origins of this modern genius can be traced from three separate sources.

The first can be attributed to the attempts in automating the drafting process. The General Motors Research Laboratories has been recognised to be the pioneer of these developments way back around 1960s.

The second event which led to the discovery of this software is the testing of different designs via simulation. The utilisation of computer modelling in testing various products was initiated by industries like semiconductors and aerospace.

The third catalyst for this technological breakthrough is the effort in facilitating the flow from the design to the manufacturing procedure through the use of numerical control. It was this particular source that resulted to the linkage of CAM and CAD.

Up to these days, this phenomenal product is being continuously enhanced to suit the growing needs of many industries. Thanks to the birth of this brilliant solution, the society has already reached another level closer to a better and more productive living.

CAD Cam Software

Software Decisions: The Chicken and Egg Problem

Businesses are often faced with the purchase or development of major software systems. We often refer to major business systems as "enterprise software" or "workflow" or "process automation." There are many varieties of these big systems, but what they all have in common is that they represent unique challenges, especially to businesses which don't have their own software project teams (which most don't). We distinguish enterprise software from commonplace business applications, such as web browsers, email, and office suites, as well as from specialty applications such as CAD/CAM, video, animation, and so on. Both the commonplace and specialty applications are generally personal productivity tools or workstations. In contrast, enterprise software interconnects individuals and systems and orchestrates their activities. Unlike conventional applications, different users may have completely different experiences when they interact with enterprise software, as the tools, information, and capabilities they work with will be tailored to their roles and position in the larger process. Enterprise software almost always requires a custom perspective, and is therefore one of the most difficult for organizations to plan without expert guidance.

There is a gap in expertise that often happens when organizations plan large-scale software. (Large-scale is relative to the size of the organization, and even small companies can face these challenges.) If the organization lacks internal resources to develop the system, it will first identify, and then hire or purchasing from a software vendor or a consulting company. In some cases it will hire new employees or contract workers to staff the project. These are big decisions, with a lot at stake, and high expectations for positive results and return-on-investment. However, the organization may not have adequate internal expertise to perform the due diligence necessary to make the best decisions.

This is a chicken-and-egg problem, because the real expertise only arrives once the commitment is made, which is too late to help the business make the best choices when making this commitment -- and too late to ensure wise use of its internal resources in the planning stages. Often high level managers put in large amounts of time and effort in the preliminary system planning, and much of this effort may be wasted or only marginally effective - and worse, can result in very poor technology selection.

The traditional RFP (Request for Proposal) illustrates the problem. RFPs are often used to solicit proposals for big, custom jobs. Yet they are often of very poor quality, and may omit critical pieces. This is a recipe for a disgruntled client and a disgruntled consultant. Organizations may have technical people (such as an IT staff), but often they are not the ones putting together the RFPs. Instead, the department managers write them.

There is a technology professional we refer to as the Tech Advisor or Tech Advocate, who offers a genuine alternative, and can fill the gap. Tech advisors do not generally come in as total solutions providers - not because they are lacking in qualifications, but because they choose to do advisory work as their service. What's more, they can and will come in for a short engagement, before major planning is done and the big decisions are made. Since they typically only represent a small commitment of the organization's time, money, resources, they can usually be brought in without the extensive screening required of the ultimate solutions providers, who represent big budget items. The tech advisors can support the system and project planning, and make it both more efficient and effective. In fact the time and energy that high level managers can save because they have expert support will often more than pay the total cost of bringing an advisor on board in the early stages. Moreover, the tech advisor's role will ensure that the results of that planning are truly useful for the incoming solutions provider, and that the solution laid out in the plans will be an optimal fit for the organization's needs, goals and priorities.

A tech advisor is more than just a software expert. The profile includes a number of other characteristics, such as communications skills, project management experience, leadership abilities, enjoyment in working with a range of people, creativity, and a history of solving problems and thereby enabling companies to get out of precarious situations and move forward. Tech advisors generally have at least twenty years of experience in software, with diverse backgrounds spanning a variety of industries. They may work in teams, in order to cover a broader range of technologies.

Patrick D. Russell, Copyright (c) 2012

Founder, Russell Kennedy Partners

Russell Kennedy Partners designs innovative and powerful new technologies, and develops custom software and enterprise system solutions to automate processes and increase productivity. Our specialties include system architecture and design, artificial intelligence, computer simulation, process automation, web applications and systems, e-commerce, website design, and social network-based applications. In addition, we work with database design and development, as well as data synchronization and migration, and the integration of new and legacy applications.

We also offer technology advisory services to organizations who want to vet and evaluate technologies before making large-scale choices and commitments. These services are available to small, midsize, and large organizations, as well as to groups such as technology investors. These services can start out as brief conversations in a phone or conference call.

Please contact us:

PRussell@RussellKennedyPartners.com

http://www.RussellKennedyPartners.com

9 Tips for Designing a Small Business Network

1: Plan for the software you will require.

The most important consideration for designing a small business network is the software the business will use. Many businesses use vertical market software that has been developed for and customized to a specific industry's needs. For example: A retail business may need point-of-sale software, or a doctor's office may need medical practice management software. If you want to use a particular software package for your specific industry, you will need to plan your hardware and networking to meet the software's requirements. The cost of the systems required to support any software package should always be considered when selecting software.

Some vertical market software packages will require a database server and may only work with a certain types. If it will work with different databse servers, you will need to decide which one will fit your budget for hardware, software, and ongoing support and maintenance costs.

2: Plan for people.

You will need to know how many people need to use which software. You will have to plan for user licenses, storage requirements, network cabling and the devices each employee will require. You will also need to consider your customer requirements. Will they need to access your website or wireless network? Software licensing can be per server, per user, per device, for a number of concurrent users, or any combination of these.

3: Plan for devices.

How many desktops will you need to support now and in the near future? Will you support smart phones, tablets or wireless laptops? Will you need network printers, scanners, or fax? You will need to consider all of these questions in order to plan for network cabling, wireless access points or routers, and network switches.

4: Plan for remote access and telecommuting.

If you plan on hosting your website on your network or you have employees that will need to securely access sensitive resources on your network remotely, you will want to use a business class firewall and/or VPN access device.

Most small businesses do not host their own websites but, it can be done securely and may be a good solution for integrating a customer service or business application portal website with other locally stored data. This is an area where you will definitely need the help of an experienced professional! You will need to design for additional layers of security, use a business class firewall and set up alerts and monitoring.

5: Avoid consumer class hardware and software whenever possible.

Equipment and software designed for consumers is often used by businesses but can have limitations that will end up costing you more than if you started with business class products. Never use Home editions of Windows. They do not offer the security of Windows Professional editions and cannot join Microsoft Network Domains. A good 16 or 24 port, business class network switch will offer more performance and reliability than a hodgepodge of small home networking switches. Business class server hardware can be configured with auto-failover and hot pluggable disks, an important consideration for the next topic, #6.

6: Determine your requirements for systems availability.

Zero downtime will never exist for any system! The dream of many IT executives is 5 nines, or 99.999% systems availability. That only allows for 5.26 minutes of downtime per year! As I said, it is a dream. High availability is also expensive. However, there are many cost effective ways you can build fault tolerance into your network. To design your systems for the availability you need, you will first need to weigh the cost of downtime, with the cost of preventing it. You will need to plan for maintenance time as well. Maintenance will most likely be performed during non business hours, and you should be able to schedule for most of it. But expect the occasional need for unscheduled maintenance.

It will probably not be feasible to eliminate every single point of failure in your network but, you can plan for recovering all parts of your systems. Hardware is very reliable today but, it does fail. If you centralize all of your data storage onto one computer and require employees to store all business data there, a single employee's computer going down should not be a catastrophe, especially if you have a spare computer. If you have 10 desktop computers, a fully configured spare would only cause your desktop costs to increase by 10%. That's less than the cost of many extended warranties and maintenance agreements. PC warranties only cover the hardware. After the failed hardware is repaired, you will be responsible for re-installing all of the software and recovering the data. A spare PC is smart planning. I would also recommend you create disk images for all of your PC workstations and update them regularly. An image can be restored to a new or repaired PC quickly if needed.

Most systems problems are caused by software issues, viruses and accidents. Regular software updates and virus protection are vital for systems availability. Accidents will happen. Backup your data daily. Another good reason to centralize your data storage is that it will enable you to centralize your data backup system as well. This will increase your backup reliability and lower your costs for protecting your business' data.

7: Document document document!

Can you tell I think documenting is important? It will save you money, time and perhaps even your business! It will also increase your systems availability by reducing maintenance time and the time it takes to recover systems. Did you ever hear that you shouldn't write passwords anywhere? I have and it is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. You cannot repair, troubleshoot or operate any system without knowing or somehow recovering the password. You can reset some things to the "factory default", but "factory default" means no configuration and no data! Document your passwords! Just don't store them on the fridge door in the employee lounge.

Document all of the configuration information you can and always update it when system and configuration changes are made. Documentation should include, IP addresses, computer names, user names, software versions, configuration files, screen shots of configurations, vendor maintenance agreements, warranty information, support phone numbers, support customer and PIN numbers, software licensing documents and any thing else you can think of that you may possibly need.

I always tell my customers that I want to make it easy for them to fire me! Well, I really don't want it to be too easy but, if they can call a professional who has never seen their systems and they have access to thorough documentation they can get their systems back up in running in the shortest time possible.

8: Use at least one professional!

You need to find someone who knows networking and business software to help you plan and design your network. A pro can help design a system that will meet your needs today and be able to grow with your business. When I say, use at least one professional, I mean that you may also need a specialist to help you configure your financial or specific business software and train your employees. They may be technology savvy, but you will probably not have the experience needed to plan, design, install and configure your network systems. Hiring an experienced networking professional to help you with your planning, network design and configuration, will help you to keep your IT costs down and your systems up.

9: Business requirements always come first!

Technology professionals can get wrapped up in a lot of detail while planning and designing systems. It is up to the business to ensure that the needs and requirements of the business are considered throughout the planning process. A seasoned technology professional, will prompt, prod, and perhaps even aggravate you, to help them with capacity planning and growth estimates. They will want you to document your business processes and requirements. There is that documentation word again! They will schedule planning and project status meetings, and insist on reviewing plans with you. The technology supports the business effort. The business always leads the technology effort!

For more about Tom Ledford:

Tom Ledford, Owner

South Side Tech

http://www.southsidetech.com

3849 Wyndsong Trl

Lexington, KY 40514

859-577-2403

Blog: The Practical Computer - http://praccomp.southsidetech.com

Interactive Whiteboard Information

Interactive whiteboards can take many forms, but the most commonly used features are generally the following:

Ability to "capture" notes or drawings from the surface onto a computer or printout

Capability to project screen from a computer to the whiteboard surface

Control of a computer from the interactive whiteboard surface using proprietary software

These capabilities of interactive whiteboards are implemented in many different ways:

Infra-red touch

Resistive touch

Electromagnetic pen

Other: Wii-mote, IR/EM pen, etc

These types of boards lend themselves to education and can be found widely in classrooms and learning centers across the world. In addition to the ability to find use in a regular classroom there are many uses for online communication. With the capability of the teacher or presenter to move a "mouse" which can be seen by students viewing remotely, an entire course can be presented where the teacher's voice is broadcast while the student's computer screen shows what is actively happening on the interactive whiteboard.

Additional capabilities of interactive whiteboards are:

Create video files for use at a later time or online

Easier presentation of inherently graphical subjects (geography, 3D imaging, 3D+ mathematics)

Brainstorming

Diagramming

Group games

Google Earth

View and navigate the internet from the surface of the whiteboard

Watch movies

Group editing of documents

Newer boards support multi device input (resistive whiteboards)

With the large number of capabilities and amount of technology used in these interactive whiteboards there is a larger price to pay when compared to traditional whiteboards such as melamine, glass, or painted boards. Typical prices range in the $1000 to $3000 (U.S. dollar) range. There are also occasionally addition costs when purchasing an interactive whiteboard - a computer to run the software, a projector if not included to project the display of the computer onto the whiteboard surface, and various input devices.

Making the correct choice when purchasing an interactive whiteboard is very important due to this increased cost. Before making your decision you need to answer several questions:

Do I want to use my hands or a pen for input?

Will I be projecting onto this surface from a remote projector or do I want one incorporated into the board?

Will I be broadcasting online, and if so, do I need special software?

What is my spending limit for the whiteboard and accessories combined?

Answering these questions ahead of time will make your decision easier and ensure that you end up with a whiteboard that meets your needs.

Interested in more information and resources for large format whiteboards? Find out more at Large Whiteboards.

Laptop Encryption: Protecting Your Data

I am being asked more and more about how busy professionals can protect the business critical and often sensitive information they carry around on laptop and netbook computers.

The simple solution to this problem is to encrypt the laptop disk drive so that only the owner of the computer can access the data.

Most computers have a password which is used to prevent access to the software, applications and data in a casual fashion. Passwords, and particularly strong passwords are a vital component in preventing unauthorised access to information and applications. However, they only protect systems that remain in the physical possession of the owner.

Once physical possession is compromised, as in the case of a lost or stolen computer, then there are ways of bypassing the logical access controls imposed by usernames and passwords. Such bypass techniques can be as simple as using software to reset or brute-force the password, or even just removing the hard disk drive from the machine and plugging it in to another computer.

This can be a particular problem in the case of mobile computers and laptops, where the opportunity for loss or theft is far greater than machines protected by a secure physical environment.

Encryption of the hard drive can protect against the dangers highlighted above. It means that, in effect, if the computer is lost or stolen, the data cannot be accessed by the new owner without the password or pass phrase used to perform the encryption. In addition, where whole disk encryption is utilised, the system cannot even be started unless it is completely reinstalled - overwriting any data on the disk drive.

Encryption of the hard drive will also provide your organisation with significant protection against legal and regulatory compliance penalties should a computer containing sensitive business, financial or personal data be lost or stolen.

In the UK the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has the power to fine organisations who lose or have stolen computers containing personally identifiable information (PII) under the Data Protection Act.

Similar legislation exists across the European Union and in most US states.

So if you want to protect your mobile computers and laptops, or even your office based computers should you feel the need, then get your local IT guys to look at encrypting all of your organisation's laptops.

If they can't help you or you don't have your own IT team speak to a local IT services provider or IT security company. They will be more than happy to go through your requirements and help you decide on the best solution for your business.

Lee Hezzlewood is the founder of Secure Thinking, a UK company providing specialist services in Data Protection and Cyber-Security. For more information on information security for SME businesses take a look at our Managed Security Services.

Technical Support Specialists Need Business Skills to Excel

As the technology advancement continue to influence the global economy and the business world, the need for technical support specialists to take on more business oriented tasks in increasingly being felt. Unfortunately majority of IT workers are not abreast of the responsibilities or the business knowledge that is required to succeed in this role or to help their organizations meet their strategic goals.

According to market researches and surveys many companies in the finance sector saw their high level IT employees in the UK resigning to join other organizations in the year 2011. As a result these companies are rapidly promoting their existing technical support staff in order to retain talent. This transition requires the right balance of hard and soft skills for the high ranking IT officials to succeed.

Technical Support Specialist Skill Set

Ideally an IT manager's early career skill balance should approximately be 90% technical and 10% business skills. These business skills should comprise communication, presentation and team leading capabilities. However over the course of time the balance must shift to 50/50. Business acumen is of great importance for technical support specialists looking for career-building opportunities. The IT leaders should possess adaptable business mindset to be able to relate concepts to larger organizational strategy. An adaptable business mindset can be established by combining personal, operational, interpersonal and strategic- the four interconnected perspectives for successful IT management.

Technical Support Specialist Progression in Career

To begin with technical support specialists need a baseline for all of the tasks they are expected to execute. Basic understanding of the work practices and procedures and strict adherence to these processes on an individual level is required for the IT staff to perform as per the company expectations. To put it differently, technical support people need a personal and operational perspective of their work to sustain their job.

As they progress within their organization, IT professionals are expected to lead more complex projects, handle them properly to see them to completion. At this stage they need to be able to polish their interpersonal skill to communicate with others to take on the responsibility of planning and managing across functions, rather than concentrating focused solely on the technical solution. The growing responsibilities of the IT managers should be complemented by their interpersonal skills that will allow them to take projects from vision to reality.

Communication is an important part of the job for technical support specialists at managerial level. They need to be capable of identifying and communicating the appropriate information to team members. The strategic perspective of the business mindset is all about making effective connection with the team members to improve the overall performance and the productivity of the organization.

Conclusion

Developing and nurturing a business mindset is crucial for efficient IT project management. Fusing technical knowhow with business insight for making accurate business decisions requires proper view from each perspective. Support specialists should see the big picture and take into account the implications of their actions prior to taking them and convey their knowledge to subordinates and peers.

Claudia Dhebar, Expert in writing articles based on topics such as network backup, data center, Data Recovery, online storage, technical support and file recovery. To know more about Technical support specialists go to http://www.intelinetsystems.com/all_inclusive_IT.aspx

Essential Basics Of Thin Film Deposition Control By Quartz Crystal Monitoring

Thin Film Deposition is a vacuum technology for applying coatings of pure materials to the surface of various objects. The coatings, also called films, are usually in the thickness range of angstroms to microns and can be a single material, or can be multiple materials in a layered structure. This paper discusses the basic principles of thickness and rate control by use of quartz crystal monitoring.

One major class of deposition techniques is evaporation, which involves heating a solid material inside a high vacuum chamber, taking it to a temperature which produces some vapor pressure. Inside the vacuum, even a relatively low vapor pressure is sufficient to raise a vapor cloud inside the chamber. This evaporated material condenses on surfaces in the chamber as a coating or "film". This method, including the general type of chamber designs commonly used for it, is an excellent candidate for successful control of rate and thickness through the use of quartz crystals.

The key concept behind this type of measurement and control is that an oscillator crystal can be suitably mounted inside the vacuum chamber to receive deposition in real time and be affected by it in a measurable way. Specifically the oscillation frequency will drop as the crystal's mass is increased by the material being deposited on it. To complete the measurement system, an electronic instrument continuously reads the frequency and performs appropriate mathematical functions to convert that frequency data to thickness data, both instantaneous rate and cumulated thickness.

Such sensors and instruments are readily commercially available, including in an integrated package that not only reads and displays the rate and thickness data, but also provides outputs for other deposition system elements. It will have an analog drive signal to drive the source power supply in a closed loop technique based on the rate data and thus is able to maintain a preset rate during deposition. And it will have other outputs to interface with functions such as a source shutter triggered to close when the preset final thickness is achieved.

We will not go into the technical details of the instrument itself, or the algorithms that convert frequency to thickness. But it is useful to remember that the actual physical measurement is frequency and the rest is mathematical interpretation based on certain assumptions, one of which is that all frequency changes are due solely to film thickness on the crystal face, which is not necessarily true. Such things as transient temperature changes of the crystal can also cause frequency changes and be misinterpreted as film thickness. Such transients are generally of finite duration, though, and have only a small overall effect on the measured deposition in most cases. You typically have a graph display of rate vs time while depositing, and if you see a surprising transient it could be caused by this temperature issue rather than actual deposition, such as a blast of heat hitting the crystal when the source shutter first opens.

There can be numerous physical configurations of evaporation process chambers, but one of the most common will have the evaporant material source/heat source at the bottom of the chamber, with its vapor stream to rise above it and deposit from the underside onto a rotating substrate holder/tooling (often called a 'dome' for its typical shape). There is normally a movable physical shutter above the source between it and the substrates. When open, the substrates as well as the crystal monitor are subjected to the deposition. When the shutter is closed, at least the substrates must be shielded from the deposition, and usually the crystal is, too. The crystal, with its electrical cable, cooling water lines, and mechanical elements are securely mounted in a suitable location with the face of the crystal aimed at the source.

Quartz crystal rate controllers typically allow you to program in a desired heat profile (in terms of source power rather than actual temperature as such) to pre-condition the material prior to opening the source shutter and beginning actual deposition. This profile is experimentally determined by the user for each source/material, and in the controller is normally formatted to have two separate sequential ramps of power to some 'soak' level and be held there for some time.

The first ramp up is usually slower and stops at some level just below vaporization and holds it to achieve an acceptable degree of equilibrium before making the second ramp up to vaporization. The latter should ideally be the actual power level for the desired deposition rate, and in most cases, since you will now be consuming material and coating the bottom of the shutter, this second ramp and soak is made fairly brief. But those details are user choices. The controller lets you decide how you want it.

Once the final soak is complete, the controller will open the shutter and transition to closed loop power control to hold the programmed deposition rate and continue until final programmed film thickness is achieved. At that time the shutter closes and the controller executes a user programmed cool down profile similar to the heat up one. The closed loop control is usually a PID controller with user control of the parameters including the option of not using all three - depending on the characteristics of the power source, P alone might work, for example. As mentioned earlier, the instrument usually offers a choice of data displays, the most popular being rate vs time.

There can be various other options in such controllers, such as establishing closed loop control at some deposition rate in angstroms per second, and then, remaining under such control, ramping the rate up (or down) to a new rate and continuing from there, still ultimately going to the final programmed thickness with potentially several different controlled rate segments along the way.

A crystal has details to attend to, such as calibrating its thickness readings. It can, of course, only "see" the deposition that lands directly on itself, which is not what a user wants to know or to control. The user wants to know what is on the substrates, so physical measurements need to be made to compare to the crystal reading and a calibration factor (normally called "tooling" factor) needs to be calculated, programmed into the instrument, and then verified.

Another important point is that crystals do not last forever. A new crystal will have an initial operating frequency (most commonly 6.0 MHz), which will drop as material is deposited on the crystal. The oscillator has a lower limit of frequency at which it can perform, which is definitely one way for a crystal to fail. But it is not at all uncommon for a given crystal in actual use to never make it that far and to fail earlier from noise issues or other reasons.

To resolve angstroms of deposition, the oscillation has to be very good, and very stable and it does not take too much for the instrument to reject one as "failed". So make sure to order a supply of these vital consumables, and remember that the substrates inside being processed are undoubtedly much more valuable than a crystal so don't try to push for maximum life on a cheap crystal and risk scrapping a load of valuable product.

There are too many other aspects and options to cover them all in this essential basics article, but these quartz crystal rate monitors/controllers are used on virtually all evaporators, either filament/boat type or e-beam type. A major reason is the variability of deposition rate vs source drive power in most such systems - with these controllers you can better hold a rate and a thickness in spite of any such variation.

While it is possible to use this same crystal monitoring and control technology in a sputtering system, it is actually rarely done for several reasons, one of which is that deposition rate vs cathode drive power is usually adequately stable for process control in sputtering. Also, typical sputter chambers are less amenable to positioning crystals, and plasma can interfere with them.

Norm Hardy is a Process Engineer at Semicore, a worldwide supplier of high performance thin film deposition equipment and Vacuum Engineering. To learn more about Semicore's physical vapor deposition equipment, circular and linear magnetron sputtering systems, please visit http://www.semicore.com

How To Filter Your Emails Safely

Organising your email can be a tedious affair when much of it is unsolicited, or, worse still, just plain spam. Some email users will receive so much spam that spam filters will be unable to cope. This can result in important emails being put in a spam folder, with the risk that they disappear without being read.

Nobody wants to take the time of having to look through all the subject lines of every email we receive. This course of action will often be necessary, though - if emails are inefficiently filtered.

Ways of Filtering Emails

The different ways of filtering emails vary in their effectiveness. Blocking an individual email address is straightforward enough, but blocking messages, based on what is in the subject line, can be more difficult. For an individual who gets pestered by dubious health products, he or she may find various different names crop up in the subject line of the emails. Some of these types of emails will have a recurring word, which makes blocking them not so time consuming. Other email users will not be so lucky.

When blocking emails based on text in the subject line, try and make sure that it is a word that is unlikely to crop up in emails sent by friends, loved ones, or colleagues. Emails can be filtered by what the actual content in the body of the email is, though this is not advisable. For instance, if you are blocking certain subject lines, as well as certain content, then you could end up not seeing an email from a friend. The friend could merely be warning you of a dubious email doing the rounds, i.e. one with a subject line you have already deemed necessary to block.

Blocking Headers

There is another option, which is to block email headers. Email headers give detailed information about the email and not just who sent it. These include basic information such as date and time, but also details of the email servers. With spammers becoming increasingly smart, information revealed in headers can be illuminating. Spammers will often not use the To field and will hide their own email addresses amongst many other addresses in the Bcc field. Consequently, blocking IP addresses or domains of proven spammers should put a stop to their unwelcome emails.

A lot of unwanted email has a similar boring pattern with predictable phrases and so is easy to filter. There will always be more clever spammers, and phishers are clever in how they pretend to be a legitimate bank. With emails of this type, roll your mouse over the link provided and you will normally see a link that doesn't correspond to any bank at all. Check the header of the email, and then take the appropriate action.

Saving Time

Effective filtering will save you a lot of time in the long run. Initially, you should test out how effective your filtering is, as you don't want to mistakenly delete important emails. Begin by creating a folder marked 'possible spam'. If you are satisfied with how your filtering system is working, then move on to marking the messages as spam.

Christopher Joseph Smith is writing on behalf of Extra Vision Providers of Comprehensive Email Marketing Services