Ravi’s Gadgets

Why is it not such a good idea to try an insurance broker these days? Quite frankly, the only way the broker can get the same range of quotes that you can is by going online.

In fact, to get them to do what you want, you would need to tell them that you want to be able to choose from the best quotes, but they will give you quotes only from firms they deal with. This is how brokers operate: by finding insurers who give their customers value and pay them well. Obviously, they will not deal with an insurer that pays them no commission or a very small commission.

Some auto insurance companies deal direct with the customer, so if you ask a broker, you will not get quotes from them. And they are often the cheapest, and can be the best. This is why I do not recommend using a broker except in certain cases, but favor online auto insurance quotes.

Get online auto insurance quotes – I do

I have been getting online auto insurance quotes for years, and it pays off. In some cases, you may get only five or six companies that quote, because this is they way the web site is set up. However, there are some places where you can get quotes from just about every insurer that provides the sort of insurance cover you need. They will take into account your age, the type and age of car, where you live, how many people will drive it, and so on.

Mind you, if you have had three or four claims in the past few years, and have some speeding tickets on your license you might need to go to a broker. Even so, I would try getting online auto insurance quotes first because you can reach some small specialists whom you may never have heard of. They may be able to cover you at a reasonable cost.

These days, the internet is huge, and the search engine results are not always what you might expect. If you just search online for auto insurance quotes you will find many pages that do not give you what you are looking for. You will find some quite odd sites if you use Google for quotes, which will waste a lot of time.

For this reason, I think the best answer is to find a website that will give you quotes from all the leading firms, and some specialists, in one simple operation. You just put in your details, and you will get plenty of quotes in one go.

Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation or your family reunion, it’s going to be a special time. When we think of trips we’ve taken, we tend to remember them best with photographs. Here’s some ideas to enhance your vacation as well as your memories of them.

Location Preparation

Since you know where you’re going (that’s a minimum requirement), doesn’t it make sense to check out the location before you get there? Create a list of attractions, accommodations, special points of interest, amusement areas, shopping, etc. A good source to help you do this is: the Places and Travel section of msn.com ( http://groups.msn.com/Browse?CatId=179)

Figure out the photo opportunities for each appropriate venue. Anyone can take a “that’s nice” picture of the kids at an amusement park. Wouldn’t you rather capture a “WOW” photo that could be hung over the mantle?

Depending on the location you’re traveling to, you can see what books are written about them that highlight the best photo opportunities for the entire area

If you’re cyber-savvy, start at www.google.com and search using different combinations of: your destination, best photography locations, for images of the location, scenic spots, etc. The options are endless.

If you’re off to a non-big city area, scout out the national parks in the area. The great thing about national parks is that the scenery is usually so breathtaking, that a so-so shot looks outstanding, just because of the subject. Once in www.nps.gov, do a search on photos and you will be presented with terrific shots of all the parks

Photography Preparation

OK, you’re either traveling through or you’re at a wonderful location full of photo opportunities. You began this leg of your trip at the crack of dawn and as you’re pulling into the most scenic overlook for 400 miles, the sun is just starting to crack the horizon.

You instinctively pull the car over, grab your camera and your tripod, and look for the best spot to set up. Just one tiny little problem… YOU FORGOT YOUR TRIPOD! Rather than smack yourself on the forehead then, why not plan these things now, before you leave?

Your list should include AT LEAST the following consideration…

Do I need to repeat – BRING YOUR TRIPOD? It doesn’t take up much room, and as explained at www.best-family-photography-tips.com/tripod-photography.html, tripods allow you to capture entirely new categories of photographs that won’t be possible without one

Memory. Of course, bring all the memory you have, but also pack your portable storage device such as an sd card.
If your camera has a hot shoe, bring your external flash, and any additional equipment that can be used to help with bounce flash

Remember your external shutter release cable for those long exposures. How else are you going to get that “angel-hair” look of the waterfalls?

Don’t forget the basics like: batteries, battery charger, camera bag, and additional lenses and filters (if applicable on your camera)

And just in case you need it, bring the manuals for your equipment.

Finally, don’t get so wrapped up in taking perfect shots that you don’t enjoy the trip. Remember to use the tripod so that you’ll be in at least some of the photos.

Article courtesy of www.best-family-photography-tips.com, where you can see some sample pictures including more photography tips.

Το iPhoneHellas.gr σας παρουσιάζει με ιδιαίτερη χαρα τη πρώτη (από όσο γνωρίζουμε) ελληνική εφαρμογή στο AppStore! Πρόκειται για την εφαρμογή iEarn η οποία απευθύνετε σε ιδιοκτήτες ιστοχώρων οι οποίοι χρησιμοποιούν το Google AdSense για να καλύπτουν τα έξοδα του Hosting.

Μπορείτε να το βρείτε στη κατηγορία Business και Utilities η να κάνετε αναζήτηση με τις λέξεις iearn.

iEarn features:

- Display Google Adsense™ earnings with one click.
- Displays today, yesterday, last seven days this month and last month earnings.
- Displays your earnings in USD and EUR based on current exchange rates.
- Update time ranges between: 30 seconds (WiFi/ADSL), 1 minute (3G) and 2.5 minutes (GPRS)

O ιστοχώρος του προϊόντος βρίσκετε στο http://iearn.anxer.com, η μετάφραση στα ελληνικά θα είναι άμεσα διαθέσιμη μόλις η Apple διαχωρίσει το ελληνικό κατάστημα.

Η τιμή της εφαρμογής έχει οριστεί στα 1.99 USD  ή 1.58 EUR

Ευχαριστούμε τον user coder του iPhone Hellas forum για την ειδοποίηση!

Η συζήτηση συνεχίζεται στο forum: iEarn

Google calls Sitemaps ?an experiment in web crawling?. In general, you place a sitemap on to your web server. This helps the crawlers identify the pages you have and add it to the search index. And when you update your site map (after changing a page or adding new content), it also marks the pages you?ve changed and makes a note of what order to review it.

It?s a lot more systematic and efficient than random crawling, where there are no guarantees that the web crawlers will pick up on the most important pages. So even if it requires an additional step for web developers, it?s greater assurance that all the hard work you put into your content actually shows up in the searches.

Google Sitemaps was developed partly to resolve the problem encountered by big websites, wherein web crawlers would skip over some pages and fail to index some of the content. Considering the effect this can have on your search engine optimization efforts, that glitch can have a big impact on your ranking. And for websites that regularly change content (like product sites), you?d want your new stock to actually register?especially when you?re promoting a hot, trendy item.

So in short, to get your site into Google, you?ve got to make it easier for Google to find you?via their map. It?s not as complicated as it sounds. You just need to use a software tool to create a sitemap in Google?s chosen XML format, upload that to your site, and then send a URL notification to Google. And since you?re doing that anyway, make an HTML sitemap for the other search engines (Yahoo, MSN, etc.) and then include a link to it in an unobtrusive corner of your website. Many of those software tools can do that for you.

Is it expensive? Not really. For smaller sites (less than 500 pages) you can find several free Google Sitemap Generators. Look for those that allow you to restrict the directories that are being searched, and give instructions as to which files to index and which to avoid. This can be programmed through the filters and settings. For your convenience, you?ll also want one that lets you include PDF, .doc, .xls, and .zip documents.

Larger sites may require a trained webmaster, who can install a program on the site to help you index it and generate a sitemap. Of course, you can do it on your own (and again, you?ll find many XML sitemap tutorials and software on the Internet), but with 800 pages to handle you probably have other web administration worries to think about. It?s just easier to pass it on to a professional. Or at least, invest in a very efficient XML software that will take care of most of the details and has several tools and functions at its disposal.

Once you?ve chosen a program (or hired someone to set it up for you), you?ll have to create a Google account. They don?t charge for the service, and you?ll want to get features like tracking the status of your Sitemaps and reviewing the diagnostic information for your sites.

Now, you?re ready to conquer Google.

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