Salaried & Self-Employed

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The vast majority of Americans continue to work for established companies, yet there are many reasons which may lead you to consider becoming self-employed. First, there is no worry about all the stress and consternation which a boss may entail; you simply report to whoever you're doing the job for. Second, as a self-employed individual, you will enjoy working totally flexible hours which can be altered to accommodate any needs you might have. Third, you will find that most self-employed individuals have a greater level of experience than those who work for businesses because they encounter more scenarios where they have to employ and hone their problem solving skills. Fourth, you can often earn more satisfactory pay by running your own business than the majority of lower end formal jobs if you prove your competence to those who hire you. Lastly, during rough economic times, working for yourself in the trades arena can lead to better job security than being employed by a company which might be going under unbeknownst to you. A strong work ethic and a reasonable level of problem solving skills are required to become self-employed, but the efforts you invest now will abundantly pay for themselves as time passes.

Cards & Cash

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Cash, the age-old symbol of monetary transfer is slowly being replaced by the “plastic” money of today's digital age. First, debit cards are able to become far more complex than ordinary cash and, through computer manipulation, allow for greater flexibility in usage. Second, neither cash nor card forms of money are worth much as a physical object, but the debit card is inherently more economical because it can be used so frequently in the place of various currencies. Third, plastic debit cards are also able to withstand greater physical abuse than their equivalent in paper currencies and therefore retain longer usable life spans. Fourth, cash used to be the most widespread means of payment for labor, but debit cards, with their automatic scheduling and reporting, are quickly overtaking cash. Fifth, debit cards are much more accessible than paper currencies because you only need to carry around and keep track of one item. Cash, in various forms, has withstood millenia of use and abuse, but its new counterpart, the debit card, is quickly replacing it as the mediator of monetary transfer.

Ubuntu & Windows 7

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Ubuntu is an up-and-coming open source operating system that is very user friendly, yet it faces tough competition from the long-time champ: Windows, particularly Windows 7. Although both systems pack a powerful and intuitive graphical user interface, Windows enjoys greater integration due to the amount of time programmers have had to familiarize themselves with the system layout. Windows is more often chosen as the operating system of choice because of its overwhelming popularity with PC users – around 90% of the market – and because many people are computer trained using Windows. Ubuntu, though, is able to challenge the seemingly indomitable Windows with its more lively support base: the Ubuntu Forums is an excellent area to request help or research answers to a problem. Ubuntu also brings up the element of security, the code that was used to write Ubuntu is much more secure than that of Windows which is known for its susceptibility to malware. Lastly, the cost to purchase Windows 7 starts at about $200 and then increases; whereas, Ubuntu is and always will be completely free. Both operating systems have benefits and disadvantages, so it is up to the end user to determine their needs and then make their own personal decision.

Being Involved With A Church

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Christ's church should be a part of every believer's life for a multitude of reasons. First, we are commanded in Scripture not to forsake the gathering together of believers, so being uninvolved with the church would invoke the displeasure and discipline of God. Second, we should regularly attend church in order to hear the preaching and teaching of the Word and in order to know the Scriptures more fully. Also, church should be a part of our lives because of the fellowship and time with other believers that we can enjoy there. Fourth, as we join together and share our lives with other followers of Christ, we should become more accountable to each other in our personal areas of weakness. Lastly, Christians should subject themselves to the authority of the church for the spiritual security and strength which the leaders provide. Christ had reasons for creating the church and those reasons have not lessened in two thousand years – if anything, they've grown more critical – and so we ought to join ourselves to the local embodiment of Christ.

Saving Regularly

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Saving your money on a regular basis can have far reaching consequences in the future. First of all, it builds a constructive habit and provides a definite goal for your funds. Second, it creates both stronger character and greater personal discipline as you ration out the money you receive. Third, it puts a check on impulse spending as you try to make sure that the finances go toward their designated purposes. Fourth, habitually saving money is good for children because it prepares them for managing their income in the same way they will need to when they have bills later in life. Lastly, it creates an emergency fund from which you can draw if hard times come and you run out of cash. As stewards of the possessions that God has given us, I think it is in our best interests if we teach ourselves to save money on a regular basis.

Car Wreck

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Driving a car is a great responsibility and there are many factors which might lead to a wreck while you are driving. Inclement weather is one reason, since if you are not able to see the road ahead and the cars around you, then you will be at a greater risk for an accident. Also, texting is a major cause of many accidents because it distracts you from paying attention to your surroundings. Another possible cause for accidents is talking to other people who are in the car behind you as you will generally turn around at times in order to see them. A fourth reason might be driving while under the influence of alcohol; drunk drivers cause many fatalities and injuries. Lastly, a sudden tire rupture can cause you to lose control while driving and hit something before you are able to regain control of the vehicle. Though there are many things which might lead to a wreck, if you stay alert, attentive, and watchful, you can avoid the majority of car collisions.

Mouth & Speaker

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Over time, men have succeeded in being able to create a modern speaker as a replication of the human mouth. Both the mouth and the speaker are used to communicate between different people as well as with animals. Also, the funnel shape has become a common denominator since this is the shape best suited to resonating sound waves. Third, sound waves are created by vibrations; the human mouth utilizes the larynx and speakers use what is known as a cone or diaphragm. Fourth, these vibrations can only be made when there is tension since sound is made from high frequency vibrations which require tautness. Lastly, both the mouth and the speaker require a sound medium – most often air – to vibrate, which can then in turn transfer those vibrations to our tympanic membranes in order to create what we percieve as sound. Although still remarkably simple, the modern speaker has made great progress in its imitation of the human mouth.

Brain & Computer

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In many ways the computer strives to parallel the brain in its capabilities. Both the computer and the brain have a means of input or a way to obtain information from outside sources such as a mouse and keyboard or the five senses. Over time, as this input is gathered, they are also able to progressively learn and develop based on the data they compile. The computer and brain also are able to process information at astoundingly rapid rates; the computer's processing capabilities are measured in GHz and the brain's in IQ. As this database of information grows and is processed there has to be a way in which to store it, and this is accomplished in the computer by the use of a hard disk drive or solid state drive and in the brain by its natural memory. Lastly, both the computer and the brain are finetuned micromanagers; in order for each to be able to carry on their directive duties, the computer must be minutely programmed and the brain must be fearfully and wonderfully made. Despite these amazing accomplishments in technology, man is still nowhere near God in his ability to design and create a human brain.

Preparing A Meal & Preparing A Speech

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There are many ways in which preparing a meal and preparing a speech are similar. When you are readying a meal or speech, you must have a clear idea of who – the president versus a toddler – your recipient is. Second, there must be a goal or a purpose in both the recipe and the speech; there should be a specifically identified and anticipated objective. Third, there are ingredients or segments which you must compile in order to produce your product. Also, there should be a sort of flow or movement throughout the work; for example, you make batter before you attempt to cook a cake and you outline a speech before you write it. Lastly, both must be presented well because there is nothing quite like a dishevelled appearance to destroy a speech or a sloppy icing job to ruin a cake. Both processes require attention to detail and purposeful intent from the outset.

Receptacle Replacement

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Replacing the common receptacle/wall outlet is a task which daunts many homeowners, yet is surprisingly simple. First, you must prepare for the job by grabbing a screwdriver and cutting the power supply, which you can usually do by turning off the power at the breaker box. Second, you will have to uninstall the existing receptacle by removing the cover plate and the two screws which hold the outlet in place. Third, you have to switch the wiring: just loosen the old terminal screws on the sides of the receptacle, swap the wires to the new receptacle, and tighten the new screws. Fourth, install the new receptacle by securing it with the two screws that it came with and then reinstall the cover plate or replace it with a new one. Lastly, restore power at the breaker box, return your screwdriver to its home, throw the old receptacle away, and sweep the floor. Replacing a receptacle is really not as hard as it seems if you are just willing to give it a shot.

Removing Carpeting

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Removing carpeting is not a complicated process although it does require both a strong back and healthy knees. First, you have to remove any thresholds which overlap the carpet. Then, pull the edges of the carpet up off of the tack strips that are underneath the carpet and encircle the room. Next, you have to remove, of course, the carpet and foam padding (you can do this by cutting them into manageable sizes with a utility knife). Fourth, you must pry up all of the tack strips being sure to not miss any nails and then sweep the floor. Lastly, remove any staples that may have been used to secure the foam underlayment and thoroughly vacuum the entire room. If you are in good health, can follow simple directions, and wish to remove carpeting, then go for it!

Table Setting

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Setting the table is a mundane process which adults appreciate and children are obligated to. First, you have to find out what the meal is going to be -- for the purpose of determining whether you will need plates, bowls, or both. Then, you have to set out chairs based upon the number of expected meal participants and clear the table of any accumulated paraphernalia. After that, you must arrange the plates or bowls and cups around the perimeter of the table in front of each chair. Lastly, add a napkin to each place and set the silverware on top of it. Setting the table is a very easy process that many people do not think through very often.

Work

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Work is an everyday term, we all use it, so let us look at just what exactly it really means. One of the best ways to define a word or concept is to point out what it is not. Work is not resting or relaxation; you do not sit at leisurely repose while engaged in the activity we call working. A couple of words that do, however, convey the sense of the word work are labor and toil, which are the acts of striving toward an end goal. The idea of exercise is also similar to work, but it differs in that it loses the enduring sense of time that work captures. Struggling is also like working, only it does not bring the reward or recompense commonly associated with work. The classic example of work is that of the father providing for his household; he is laboring for someone else with the expectation of payment which he can then use to provide for his family. All believers ought to work toward growing in their spiritual lives since they will be amply repaid in the life to come for their efforts now.

Poverty

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Because poverty is a topic of many conversations and the motivation of many charities, I think that it would be good to examine what sort of meaning the word poverty conveys. Poverty is not bounteousness or opulency, it is not a state of sufficiency or of bounty, and it is not a luxuriant lifestyle free from earthly wants. Words like exigence and deprivation more closely communicate the concept of poverty: this idea of living in a destitute condition with many needs. Similar words might be starvation and famine, but these are not equal to poverty since they deal only with a need for nourishment; whereas, poverty encompasses all of the basic needs of life such as food, shelter, and clothing. Poverty often connotates such ideas as: dirtiness, hunger, sadness, neediness, a lack of housing, and a lack of sufficient clothing. One of the most widely known personifications of poverty is the lower, common class of people in what are known today as third world countries. Let us heed the words of the Proverb which say, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Honesty

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     Honesty is a common concept so let us take a look at what it really means. First off, honesty is not deceitfulness or untruthfulness; it is not a magnetism to slyness or to the invention of ways by which to circumvent truth. Honesty means the same thing as integrity or veracity because these also imply a commitment to the truth no matter what consequences may follow. A couple of concepts similar to honesty might be good faith and sincerity, though these differ slightly in that they connotate an emphasis primarily on a person's intentions rather than on the literal truth. Honesty can also be thought of as a truthful and kind type of character which is without vices such as lying and cheating. It is the habit of speaking the truth even when it may impact you negatively. Everyone is an example to someone else and so we ought to strive to be more honest ourselves before we require it of others.

Acoustic Guitars

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      The acoustic guitar is probably the most popular instrument on the market today due to its great adaptability. There are several types including, but not limited to: classical, steel-string, archtop, and twelve-string. Acoustic guitars also come in a wide range of sizes beginning with the miniature requinto guitar and moving up to the Mexican guitarro'n which surpasses the cello in size. The two most common materials employed in the construction of acoustic guitar bodies are laminate and solid wood. Blues, country, flamenco, folk, jazz, and pop find their way in among the great array of styles played by acoustic guitarists. Music today has been greatly influenced by the widely diversified acoustic guitar.