Solar News on Yahoo -- Holy Hot Hello

I was pleased to catch a note going past on my Yahoo news last week about the Vatican setting up solar equipment on some of its buildings. According to this post by Matt James, the first building to become solar effective will be the Pope Paul VI auditorium. That is just the way things ought to be.

Then, this morning there was a note from Hank Green about the world's first solar cell phones. A company named Hi-Tech Communications, ltd located in St. Albans, Hertx, UK is releasing a solar cell phone for $510. Kind of pricey, but we all know how the market works -- demand and production can change that.

My grandkids got those little crank-up flashlights in their Christmas stockings.

I was so impressed with the news about the One Laptop Per Child (http://www.laptop.org/) program being promoted by Nicholas Negroponte. "Our goal: To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves."
Darn, I want one of those little green crank-up computers!

Read more at the other http://barjdcommunications.wordpress.com/

Copyright Infringment is Lazy and Dumb.

I wrote a post describing how to refer to someone else's work at the Active Rain network.

The post How it Goes 'Round at the Copyright Mulberry Bush for a Dipsy Doodle was written in response to a post written by Lenn Harley, outlining the laws around copyright infringement and information on how to avoid it. Lenn's comments were applicable to Active Rain members and other situations where people cavalierly use the content on the Internet created by someone else. Often the content is passed off as that of the copier.

Read more here: Eight-Twenty-Two

Revolving in the Revolution

A couple virtual whizzes, Heather Jacobsen and Becki Noles got together with an idea that would be a strong resource for virtual assistants and other admin. professionals, with the emphasis on VAs. This Big Idea grew into the Virtual Assistant Revolution (the REV). The Big Idea -- the REV is so important to me that it has it's own RESOURCES page on my website.

The logo for the Revolution speaks volumes! We are Revolutionary in our concept for developing our virtual assistance businesses. We Revolve around the idea of building strong, productive businesses and relationships through "the Rev."


Heather and Becki wrote out a program that is incredibly pro-Active for the membership. They accumulated information resources that are part of the membership and available to all members from day one. The entire membership si committed to sharing what they can with other members either through an outright donation of their information or some fine discounts for members. Members are go-getters with an accumulation of information and experience to share with one another or new people who are developing their history.

I gain regularly from an excellent, informative, to-the-point newsletter from the REV. I gain from seminars and indepth training sessions scheduled for members. To accommodate time zones and WORKING ( working is the foundation of what we do), access to most, if not all, of the educational and informative workshops and seminars are provided through transcription of recordings or notes.

Virtual Assistant Revolution members offer comments on questions and information in a courteous, professional manner that includes a healthy dose of humor. The entire atmosphere is charged with pro-active energy for the development of virtual assistant businesses. No one can do it for someone else, but an energetic network is healthy stimulation for me or you to pursue and achieve goals. I appreciate this 'working' atmosphere on the REV. I enjoy the give and take of a frothy network as much as anybody, but I find that my time and energy has to be aimed at the benefit of my business most of the time. I recommend membership in the Virtual Assistant Revolution to meet this need.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about the Virtual Assistant Revolution or need help with your subscription.

Leaping Lizards - or -- The Life of a VA

And how sometimes support people get tangled up in the turning world. Support people are a wonderful resource. I prefer some with a sense of humor, who know what they are doing, who don't assume that I am making up my problem. This isn't a demand from me -- support people must have eternal patience. When we were first getting on the Internet, the frustration of getting a connection led almost everyone I knew, including ME to sessions of meltdown. I observed that when getting an Internet account, one had to fight, fight, fight, scream at the support people, weep, fight, fight, fight, then the thing would just work on its own without any clear understanding of what changed.
This week, I spend many hours on Monday with multiple support people on a popular contact management service. I was so tired and getting grumpy. When DH wanted to go visit some other people, I said I just wasn't up to it and stayed here in the office, calling Support. Fortunately, I did that and also I changed to a roam phone so I could pace the floor while talking to Support.
The dog, an eighty to ninety pound bundle of terrier intentions, experienced a broken collar which left him just having to run about checking things he ordinarily must leave be. Checking the areas around my small tomato plants in small pots awaiting the garden. Checking like getting ready to toss them from hell to breakfast.
While Support is doing his IT stuff, I am on the porch, snarling at the dog. " Come HERE! Duke! Stop That, Get out of there, Come HERE." Oh good, I caught him and can haul him into the house. Support is still sort of the edges of this call. Duke heads for his digs in the laundry room and releases the lizard he had caught around the plants. A lizard somewhat the worse for wear. Support cannot be left out of the scene now because I'm trying to get ahold of the lizard with a shopping bag glove to get rid of it. competing all the while with Duke who wants to chase that lizard. But, lizards have little claws and I'm goosey. I dropped it.
I just kept trying to kick it away from Duke, while I learn that nothing like this has ever happened to Support during a call! His question, after I told him how big the dog is, was is the lizard big too? Fortunately no.
I really like having the lizards in the hostas and didn't plan to harm this one. Duke has no judgment and no conscience. The lizard kind of came apart. Now, I'm thinking Support is going to have expanded experience of me throwing up because that tail squirming on the kitchen floor just grossed me OUT! I had to have the conversation take a break while I got my shopping bag glove lined up so I could get ahold of the pieces and toss them outside because it was just making me sick.
Support and I finished our testing, did not solve our problem and said good night. Just another day when you live in your office with big dogs and wildlife.. Lizards have a weird smell.

Bringing your Computer into Daylight Savings Time Earlier

How will your office address daylight savings time at several weeks earlier than usual? Does the time change affect your work hours, or do you work by the Sun?
Daylight savings changes and your computer are entwined in decisions you need to make in the next few days. Getting ready isn't as much of a challenge as you might think.
If you bought a new computer with Windows VISTA installed, the March date for daylight savings time to take over is covered.
Systems using Windows XP and 2003 systems can go to Microsoft to get a patch which will set your machine up to work with the new dates. If you have automatic notices for downloads, this patch has already come to you. Automatic downloads and install have it working for you already.
I do not care for automatic downloads and install, but when I was snooping around about information on Vista, somehow, my computer got switched over to automatic anyway. I've been kind of distracted and haven't gone in to change that. I just want to look at the downloads. Some of the patches for better gaming, etc. aren't anything I need on my system because they don't apply, for example.People using older systems, such as Windows 98, will have to make the changes themselves.
MAC users, you can learn details about many operating systems at the Apple site and these Documents. The Daylight savings time changes are on systems released in Feb of 2006.
I do not care for daylight savings time. I know clocks are a concept of mankind and government, but REGULAR time is my time. When I have to leap ahead that hour and lose the sleep, it takes longer every year for me to balance. DH says leave it just the way it is, one way or another. I would prefer to stay with REGULAR time. I just feel better when the FALL BACK day comes and I can get to MY time.

Marketing for Small Busineses with Paul DelFino and Mansfield Chamber

It's a New Ball Game in Every League -- Mansfield Chamber of Commerce Marketing Luncheon

Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a winter (indoor) picnic luncheon on February 14, 2007. The program was a marketing presentation by Paul Delfino. Business/members which were directly involved in production included Mansfield Community Center catering team, Engrave-A-Crete and Xanadu Games, LLC.

• 
  Paul Delfino, of Opportunity, Inc presented models for marketing to give businesses specific tactics that are available for marketing
  
• media advertising
• visability
• understanding the need of the target market
• layered marketing to provide more than one product or service to an already satisfied customer
• WORD OF MOUTH -- currently the most effective and valued resource for information (That's marketing)

The statistics for success and ideas for application were part of the peppy program.

Delfino is a good presenter. He got his point across concisely and clearly; kept the audience attention, but didn't race ahead of their comprehension.

Not all of the tactics will apply to every business, but every one took something away that had possiblities for application in that business's marketing program.

The primary media focus for Wednesday's presentation was the Internet and technology available for businesses to use when marketing their product or services either to the local customer or to the long distance client. Internet tools such as a website that benefits the visitor, blogging (weblog) for comment and elaboration on the product or service, using online news releases, RSS feeds and podcasting to deliver information, email newsletters and advertising material.

For tangible tools that can be useful to businesses, DelFino demonstrated the value of a disk to take presentation material away for future reference. He had CDs of the program and extra information prepared at Xanadu Games, one of Mansfield's newest technological businesses. Delfino used the marketing freebie of a special date to present a long stem red rose to every lady in the audience--a Valentine gesture to remember.