Home And Family

Archive for May, 2010

When you’re reading through the homes for sales, the descriptions commonly refer to various architectural or structural descriptions that are not always explained. Here is a list of some of the more common terms to help you get a clearer picture of what you’re buying.

Foyer: A foyer in a commercial building such as a theatre is a large gathering space next to the main auditorium or seating area. This would be the area commonly occupied during intermission for instance. In a house, a foyer is generally the front entry area where guests arrive.

Transom: Either one long rectangular window over a door or window, or a series of small windows. Some are opening, but most are fixed and simply allow for extra light.

Dormer: An upstairs window with wooden peak that juts out from the roof line, and allows for windows in upstairs rooms. Usually they appear in multiples of two or three, and are common in cape cod style homes.

Sidelights: These are narrow windows bordering the outer edges of entrance doors. Some run the full length of the door, others run only part way and are filled in at the bottom.

Bay: A bay window projects out from an exterior wall creating added space in a room and adding to the appeal of the outside of the house. Often a seat or ledge is created inside to provide a sunny window seat.

Wainscoting: This is a type of wood paneling found on the lower part of the wall, running up about three to four feet. It is often painted or stained in a contrasting color and adds interest to a room.

Chair Rail: This wooden feature usually appears at the top of wainscoting, or can be a decorative trim on its own bordering a room. Commonly found in the dining room, a chair rail protects the wall from chairs being pushed away from the table. It also adds an accent to a plain wall or creates a divider between two decorating schemes such as paint and wallpaper.

French Doors: These are two doors hinged on the outside edge, allowing them to swing open in the center. Often made of paned glass, they can be used to separate two rooms such as a living and dining room, or often as exterior doors leading to a deck or patio.

Coffer: This is a ceiling with small indented wooden panels. In older homes these are constructed solely of wood, but newer models reconstruct the same look by creating a wooden drop ceiling or by bordering a textured drywall ceiling with decorative trim or molding.

Gables: These are the triangular end walls formed by a sloping roof. They can be at the front, side or back of a home, over dormers and bay windows.

Claw footed tub: These are the old style tubs supported by legs with claw shaped feet, similar to those found in furniture. They stand alone, unlike most tubs which are built into the walls. Today, most tubs are modern reproductions of the older versions.

Loft: This is an area usually on the second floor, at the top of the stairs overlooking the lower floor. It is generally bordered by a railing for safety, and creates an open, airy look in a home, allowing those on upper floors to view the activities below.

There are numerous Universities and Libraries now researching how to revolutionize the way people read and study. The eBook Reader, an electronic device that can easily be carried with an individual like a traditional book, is an integral part of this cutting-edge technology. The Reader is typically smaller than a basic book and reads any documents that you might normally read from a computer. The eReader can hold multiple documents and therefore would totally eliminate the need for students to carry around multiple textbooks at one time.

In addition, students are often working with a number of electronic documents for research projects and this would eliminate the need to access a computer to review the documents. Handouts, term papers, forms, spreadsheets, and a number of other documents are often carried around from place to place by the student. Almost all of the weight of the textbooks could be lightened and almost virtually eliminated by the eReader. They typical machine weighs about 10 ounces – less than one college textbook.

Asked for his views on eBooks in education, Keir Graff, Senior Editor of Booklist Online responded “How long do you have? Personally, I think they make great sense for school and for reference.” (Direct Contact PR)

Listed below are 7 reasons why the Universities should consider converting textbooks to eBook Readers:

Elimination of Certain Health Problems
Back problems are becoming more and more prevalent in young adults and many people in the medical profession are attributing this to book bags. Years of carrying heavy books on one’s back can certainly take its toll – even on the younger, more healthy individual. This could be virtually eliminated with a Reader. Any one who has carried a heavy load for hours at a time can certainly empathize with the desire to lighten one’s load.

Ease of Use
Many people jump to an area of interest in a textbook or a specific assigned chapter. This is not an uncommon practice and is something that would not be prohibited when using a Reader. Current Readers in the marketplace provide great simplicity when searching for a specific topic or scanning for a topic of interest.

Read To Me Feature
Many of the newest machines have a read-to-me feature which offers many advantages to the student of today. If the student is traveling to and from class or simply cooking dinner or doing activity that permits listening, the specific document, lesson, or information could be read aloud to them which would allow for multi-tasking and more production. When traveling long distances in a car, this benefit could be even more effectively utilized.

Great Storage Space
Many of the most popular Readers provide storage space to accommodate around 1500 books. This would allow the student to have textbooks, term papers, research documents, and even novels for pleasure reading all in one simple location. According to the article “An Introduction to Popular E-book Readers”, with the ability to keep battery power for thousands of page turns or several hours, these e-book readers can be regarded as portable libraries (Digital Book Readers).

Sense of Familiarity
Although some baby boomers seem to want to touch and feel the real book, the generation of today, is far more familiar with holding an electronic device in their hand. Thus, the eBook Reader would not only be comfortable but familiar to the college student today.

Create Space in the Dorm Room or Small Apartment
Any student who is trying to figure out how to create more living space in a dormitory or small apartment would certainly appreciate the benefits of a Reader. No longer would students sharing an area have to find a place to locate all those textbooks, papers, and documents when space is already at a premium.

Cost
By producing eBooks, the university could reduce their overall cost. Ebooks would not wear out like textbooks, nor would the university have to be concerned about books being sold back or leased books returned. This cost savings could be passed down to the student.

Although there are still a few issues to be worked out with having eBook Readers for college students, the pros probably by far outweigh the cons. One issue that is being considered is how one might be able to simulate highlighting or writing in certain areas of the eBook. Many users would find that appealing since it is a study technique that has been utilized for many generations.

Another issue is of copyright and lending from university libraries. The Harold B. Lee Library, the main campus library of Brigham Young University, has acquired Amazon Kindles as a pilot for lending to students. One of the problems is that Amazon states that it is not permitted to lend them, and although Amazon reps have verbally given the nod, this was not put in writing.

According to John Biggs, Technology Writer for The New York Times, “eBooks are the future. The Kindle and devices like it will replace printed text in the next 30 years.”

Only time will tell whether John is right, and whether or not the universities are willing to totally implement cutting edge technology such as the eBook Reader. Their terms of use could be key in their decision. One thing is for sure, however: the changes it would provide for the students are immense and vast, and certainly worth consideration.

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Of those who are caring for aging parents, not all of us have the good fortune of living within a few blocks of our parents. Most of us either live half a town across or maybe in a different state altogether. This makes caring for aging parents and providing for elder care solution quite challenging. If we keep a few points in mind, being away would not really affect the quality of elder care solution:

1. Opt for home based quality of elder care solution: If you are caring for aging parents and are not in a position to physically check in on them, you might want to consider home based quality elder care solution. Professional wellness nurses will visit your parents as many times as required checking in on them. They will make sure your parents are in good health and report back to you.
2. Keep vital information handy: If you are caring for aging parents, it might be a good idea to keep vital information handy in your digital diary, PDA or mobile phone. This information could include the doctor’s phone numbers, phone numbers of people who live near your parents home, phone number of the case manager or social worker or company that is providing quality elder care solution to your parents and so on.
3. Keep case history at hand: If you are caring for aging parents, it might be a good idea to keep your parent’s medical history papers handy. This is especially useful if your parents are admitted to a hospital and you need to talk to the doctors. It might also be a good idea to forward a copy to the elder care solution provider. In the event of an emergency, in all likelihood, the elder care solution provider will be the first on the scene.
4. Modern Technology: As a person caring for aging parents, you might want to consider using modern day technology. From independent IP based video cameras to auto pill dispenser’s technology to timers that switch on and switch off devices automatically, modern day technology can be a great part of your elder care solution. All you need to do is familiarize your parents with the basic function of any device you install. Allow them time to adapt to it. Once they realize just how useful such devices are and begin using them, there will be less anxiety all round.
5. Maintenance: As part of your caring for aging parents, you might want to enter into a contract with a local maintenance service provider. These service providers usually send out an inspector to inspect your parent’s house and make sure everything is working as it should. These are usually monthly visits. Typically, the inspector will inspect the gas lines, heating, air conditioning, plumbing and various electrical gadgets. He can also arrange for furniture repairs and repairs to the house.