Author: Oliver

Why it’s great to drive a new car

Posted on by Oliver

Most of us would love to drive a brand-new car but many of us cannot afford this luxury. If you’re tired of always buying used and second-hand vehicles then there is another option you should consider which will give you the chance to drive a brand-new car every year. What are the benefits of driving a new car?

Warranty

One of the best advantages of driving a new car is the manufacturer’s warranty will still be in place. If there is a problem with your vehicle during the first few years, the cost of putting it right will be met by the manufacturer. Whilst there are extended warranties available on used cars, these tend to run out after 10,000 miles or will have an excess to pay. You can have great confidence that your car won’t break down and if it does, the problem can be taken to the manufacturer. When leasing a car, the warranty will usually cover the period of the lease meaning hassle-free driving for you.

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Leasing

As soon as you buy a new car, its value begins to depreciate. There is a saying that goes ‘if it appreciates, buy it but if it depreciates, lease it. Leasing gives you the opportunity enjoy the benefits of driving a new car that might otherwise be completely out of your price range. You might also find that road tax is included in the terms of the lease, giving you one less thing to worry about. For Car leasing in Leicester, visit http://leasing.totalmotion.co.uk/

Imagine being able to drive a brand-new car every couple of years with all the benefits of the latest technology, fuel economy and improved performance that new cars offer. Well, this is all possible when you consider car leasing.

Safety

Vehicles today have strict safety guidelines and requirements set by professional organisations to make them as safe as technology can currently manage. Crash tests and tougher passing grades for safety testing has resulted in new cars that are more robust, have more safety features and offer greater protection than ever before. Leasing a new car means you can benefit from these advanced safety features as well such as collision avoidance, rear cameras and automatic braking.

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Technology

Newer cars come with a greater range of technology to make driving a smoother and more enjoyable experience. You could be driving a vehicle with internet connectivity, voice-texting, access to social media and advanced infotainment systems. If these are add-ons that appeal to you, then leasing can give you the opportunity to enjoy such benefits without the huge expense of buying a vehicle.

Fancy a change?

If you enjoy change and trying new things then buying a car and keeping it for years might not seem a very attractive prospect. The great thing about car leasing is that you don’t need to get bored but can change your car as often as your mobile phone! You get to enjoy that wonderful new car smell and experience the rush of excitement at having a shiny new vehicle to drive.

Common Ice Maker Problems In Modern Brands

Posted on by Oliver

The ice maker on a refrigerator is one of the home’s little talked about blessings. A cold beverage after a hot day of mowing, a backyard barbecue, or a long walk around your block means a lot to the average family member. It’s important to make sure that the ice maker is always working properly and to recognize signs that it might be struggling to do its job.

Companies like Sub Zero and their Sub Zero ice maker repair services are proof that the ice maker is an important part of today’s daily luxuries. When you invest in a fridge with an ice maker, you want something a bit beyond an average fridge. Your family depends on that ice maker for their cold beverages. When something goes wrong, it can feel like more than a minor inconvenience. You’ll immediately want a good company to step in and get your ice maker back into tip top shape so that the cool drinks can keep coming.

Common problems with today’s ice makers

No matter how well you maintain your ice maker, it will inevitably at some point experience some troubles. It’s just the signs of age. Other ice makers may be defective from the time you plug the fridge in. A good ice maker repair service will be able to examine the unit and decide if it’s a matter of a defective ice maker or something external that is causing the trouble, such as an aging ice maker.

The water fill system sometimes develops issues over time. A repairman will inspect the fill tube and fill cup during their inspection. They will also inspect the inlet valve and check for any drain clogs that might exist in the unit. Sometimes it can take more than a first inspection to determine what the problem is. In some cases, you’ll need replacement parts for the ice maker and in other cases it will be a matter of cleaning out the system and being on their way.

Your ice maker plays an important part in bringing refreshment and smiles to your household. Make sure that you have it repaired the moment it begins to show signs of struggling. When you do regular maintenance on the unit, you’ll save money in the long run and keep it running smoothly over the course of its lifespan.

Is Cloud Creep a Problem for Your Business Cyber Security?

Posted on by Oliver

With companies across all industries increasingly taking advantage of the so-called digital revolution to improve their workflow and efficiency, many are turning to cloud-based solutions rather than taking on the task of hosting their own storage and services. The convenience and flexibility of the cloud cannot be denied, but it comes with a host of hidden security concerns that are only now, years after the popularisation of cloud-based services, becoming apparent. So what are some of the pitfalls of cloud-based solutions, and how can you protect your business?

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What is Cloud Creep, and Why Does it Matter?

There are two related issues here. First, cloud creep, which refers to a business intentionally or unintentionally taking on an increasing number of cloud services, means data which should be kept private or secure ends up in a nearly uncontrollable number of places. This generally occurs not because of business-wide adoption, but because of workers using cloud storage solutions privately to facilitate flexible working solutions, which are in themselves becoming more popular.

While cloud storage solutions are mostly secure, the issue appears because the business is still responsible for the data, so a breach on any number of services could cause a breach for the business, which the business would be held accountable for under new EU and UK data security regulation. Under these regulations, companies could be fined up to 4% of their global turnover or £17 million for data breaches – any fragmented cloud services leave businesses without control of their own data security.

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Protecting Your Business

The first step to protecting your business is ensuring general IT security best practices, such as maintaining up to date software and software security solutions, including firewalls, virus scanning software, and file integrity monitoring such as https://www.promisec.com/file-integrity-monitoring-software/. The majority of data breaches come from simple opportunistic attacks, so maintaining best practices is mandatory.

Protecting your business from cloud-related issues is more difficult. Using a minimum of services and also providing an easily integrated solution to employees is probably the best first step, but it may be impossible to amalgamate all services on a single cloud provider.

The cloud is certainly convenient and generally cost effective, but with potential security issues as well as problems surrounding the location of data, the risks and potential associated costs are only just beginning to appear.

A Nation of Animal Lovers

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Britain is a nation of animal lovers, there can be no doubt about that and we have a reputation right across the globe for our pet-loving nature. So, what makes the UK stand apart from other nations for being known as such avid animal lovers?

Britain was the first country to start an animal welfare charity and this concern for the well-being of all creatures great and small gave rise to the creation of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This charity received royal approval from Queen Victoria in 1840.

British homes have over 6 million dogs and more than 7 million cats with more than half of all homes being home to at least one pet. There are also a staggering 18 million Goldfish in homes up and down the country.

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Another key indication of our love for animals is the huge media attention that occurs when animal stories appear in the press. Stories about animal rescues and cruelty always receive far more attention and public comments than any other news stories. Recent studies have also revealed that Brits are more likely to have pet insurance than health insurance.

Brits spend around £3.5 billion per year on pet products and the amount spent on toys, food and vet bills has risen by a quarter in the last five years. It is not unknown for pet owners to fork out thousands on vet and medical care. Our pets can now visit professional groomers, have their teeth looked after and even be fitted with special animal contact lenses.

Increasingly, we like to treat our pets to some serious bling as well. Flashing collars with rhinestones, specially designed water-resistant coats for dogs, ramps for poorly, old or overweight dogs and even doggie treadmills for a little home exercise. While you have your annual holiday, you can now treat your pets to a vacation at a special Pet Hotel complete with jacuzzi and gym.

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It is now possible for your sick pet to receive an organ transplant. This has been happening in the United States for quite a long time now with many organs coming from strays. The pet’s family is normally expected to take in the donor animal and care for it as well. This proves how much we feel for our animals and the lengths we would go to in order to keep them alive and healthy. If you want to immortalize an animal, think about Bronze Wildlife Sculptures. For more information, visit http://www.gillparker.com

We no longer send our dogs out to live in kennels, unless they’re farm pets. Instead our dogs are lavished with toys, organic food and orthopaedic beds. Most pet owners also admit to buying their pet a present for Christmas and 66% have purchased a birthday present for their pets too!

In fact, such is our devotion to our animals that some now call pet owners ‘pet parents’ instead. A huge amount of pet parents spend money on buying their animals specialist or organic food and vitamin supplements. Many pets receive monthly grooming trips and thankfully, a huge majority of pets also get taken to the pets for their annual health check-up and vaccinations.

Lancashire Care Tops Research League Table

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Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has been placed top of a national league table for the amount of clinical research it carries out. The Trust has been involved in what it describes as cutting-edge trials into Alzheimer’s, severe depression, and learning disabilities.

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Lancashire Care

The research facility is located at the Royal Preston Hospital, with staff from Lancashire Care, Lancashire Teaching Hospital and Lancaster University working together to give more patients the chance to participate in studies.

Taking part in clinical studies can give patients access to treatments that they would not otherwise receive, but as Director of Research and Development Andrew Pennington said, sometimes all participants need to do is fill out a questionnaire.

Although units such as Lancashire Care are able to recruit from their patient base, there are times when participants are not available. When that happens, study organisers would need experts in patient recruitment services such as http://www.richmondpharmacology.com/patient-recruitment.php to fill vacancies.

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League Tables

The league tables were compiled by the NHS National Institute for Health Research, and they ranked Trusts across the country by the volume of research they were carrying out. This research is then used to improve patient care, and assess new treatments for effectiveness.
Research is vital, as the health needs of the nation change and new treatments are developed, the NHS must evaluate them to ensure that it is getting the best care and value for money from already stretched budgets.

Neighbours

Nearby Trust, the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) are also investing in research, with a 10% increase in the number of patients enrolled on trials in the last year. Their Clinical Director for Health & Research said this could only be good news for the country. ELHT carried out almost 100 studies including cardiovascular disease, women’s health and diabetes.

NHS acing Crisis

The NHS is suffering a major funding crisis. With life expectancy increasing and chronic conditions increasing, there is a need to not only improve patient care but to drive down costs. For over three years, senior figures in the NHS have been warning that the system is under stress, so research into long-term conditions is necessary to preserve the services that we have.

Although the healthcare situation can seem impossible to resolve, Trusts such as these, prioritising research, give hope for the future of the NHS.

How Does the Weather Affect Your Car Battery?

Posted on by Oliver

The answer is – probably not in the way you think. We tend to think of battery problems as a winter phenomenon, as we fruitlessly turn the key and hear that disheartening click instead of a cheery engine start.

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But that’s probably because a dead battery is worse in winter, as we sit shivering in the car waiting for the AA. Both hot and cold temperatures can kill a battery, yet most people never give a thought to battery maintenance. Although a lead acid battery is designed to work in both heat and frost, the battery’s capacity goes down to about 20% of normal in ice, snow and frost.

So does hot weather increase its capacity? Actually it does, by as much as 12%, but that capacity increase reduces the life of the battery. In a temperate climate, the battery will last 50% longer than in a hot one.

The school run is also a likely culprit, with short journeys drawing on the battery, which never gets a chance to recharge.

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Why Winter Demands More of Batteries

The starter motor needs a good whack of amperage from the battery, but in winter, cold weather may affect the battery’s ability to handle this demand. As the oil in the car thickens in the cold weather, the battery needs even more amps to get going.

Then you set off with the headlights on, the windscreen wipers going, back and front demisters on full blast, heating at max, a nice radio station on loud to cheer you up – pity the poor battery.

Don’t forget that a weakly charged battery is much more likely to freeze than a fully charged one. So one thing you can do in winter, is to keep the battery topped up, especially if the forecast is for icy and freezing conditions.

Maintaining Your Battery

The AA says that “undercharging” gives rise to “sulphation” – the lead plates in the battery harden and it is no longer able to hold a charge. Not to worry, there are solutions. As well as the great selection of car batteries online from stockists such as http://www.grovesbatteries.co.uk/, you can get an “intelligent charger” battery conditioner.

You can leave the battery connected to it for lengthy periods without the battery getting damaged – a great investment.

impressive islands in Honduras

The five most impressive islands in Honduras

Posted on by Oliver

Honduras is not a very popular vacation destination, but it certainly has a lot to offer its travelers. Honduras has an incomparable natural beauty, paradisiac beaches, virgin nature, archaeological remains … One of its greatest attractions are its islands, and we have chosen the five most impressive islands of the country, do not miss it! Continue reading “The five most impressive islands in Honduras” →

How much should I spend on my website?

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Balancing the books when building a website is no easy accomplishment, especially if your budget is tight. So how much should you allocate for development costs and what should you expect in return for your investment?

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Valuation variables

The truth is that there is no easy answer to this question, because no two clients are going to want the same thing from their site. The worst thing you can do is assume that your requirements are basic and will be inexpensive to fulfil. Sites with fewer pages are not necessarily going to cost less to create than those with many, for example.

Cost will often boil down to the type of features you want to offer. A ‘basic’ site with a handful of pages populated with text and a few images will be less taxing to produce than one which seeks to integrate more complex elements, whether that be in terms of interface or the addition of multimedia and other experiences.

False economies

Different developers will charge different amounts for building a website of the same size. It is safe to assume that if a quoted price looks too good to be true, it probably will be.

Partnering with a respected web development company in London, such as https://www.redsnapper.net/web-development-services-london, will give you access to a talented team and competitively priced packages. Opting for a bargain basement alternative will be cheaper, but the shoddy results will reflect your meagre investment. With mobiles overtaking desktops as the browsing platform of choice, a poorly optimised site will not suffice.

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Managing demands

If you agree a pre-set fee with your developers, be aware that there may be other costs to bear if you suddenly decide to bolt on more features or change direction half way through the process.

You should see website building as a collaborative process, but be wary of flip-flopping on important decisions and avoid the temptation of getting too involved, especially if you have little prior experience. This will only lead to hold-ups and higher costs in the long run.

The big picture

The upfront cost of web development may seem daunting, but this should not be seen as money down the drain. Instead, it is an investment that will continue to pay dividends over the years, easily justifying itself in time.

Best Action Actresses

Empowered and Dangerous! The 13 Best Action Actresses

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‘Atomic’ starring Charlize Theron has once again reminded us of a concept that, although it seems current, is actually almost as old as the movie itself: that of actresses who, Or charismatic cohorts of the expressive gorilla of turn, distribute stoppage, handle heavy armament or string choreographies as effectively and forcefully as their male counterparts. Continue reading “Empowered and Dangerous! The 13 Best Action Actresses” →

Three Strategies That Can Keep Women Healthy And Fit

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Many women dream of waking up with a ton of energy, feeling strong, and experiencing no significant pains or discomforts within their body throughout the day. Yet most women do not attain all of these signs of health. Luckily, you probably can if you’re willing to put in the effort that results from making long-term behavioral changes. Below you’ll find three behavioral changes you can implement to stay healthy and fit:

1. Keep Your Teeth In Great Condition.

One step you can take to get really healthy is paying close attention to the condition of your teeth. This step is important because failing to clean the teeth properly will make you more susceptible to unwanted conditions. These conditions can be minor and major, and you don’t want to experience either type. If you’re looking for a dentist Charlotte NC residents can rely on to offer multiple teeth-optimizing services, the professionals of Charlotte Dental Partners can assist you.

2. Learn More About Vitamins.

Most Americans lack basic knowledge of nutrition, and this is one of the reasons why they remain confused regarding what they should be eating to feel their best. With this reality in mind, make sure that you take the time to learn more about what vitamins are and which ones can be found in certain foods. One vitamin you’ll want to become familiar with is B6, or pyridoxine. This vitamin aids in the metabolism of protein and also helps build body tissue. It can be found in whole grains, avocados, bananas, prunes, and dried beans. Another vitamin you should learn about is folate. This vitamin plays an integral role in red blood cell production. Note that this production process is immensely important because the red blood cells contain hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen. Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and wheat germ.

3. Commit To Exercise.

Many if not most Americans will sporadically exercise. However, most will not remain consistent in their physical activity. This is a big travesty given that adherence to an exercise program generates great health benefits like cardiovascular health, weight loss or weight maintenance, improved metabolism, and sounder sleep. To obtain these benefits, make a commitment to exercise regularly throughout the course of your life. You may want to find a walking buddy to help you stick to the program.

Get Healthy And Fit Right Now!

Three steps you can take to get healthy and fit include keeping your teeth in great condition, learning more about vitamins, and committing to exercise. Start using these tips now to get the great results you want!