January 2009 - Posts

Eco Friendly
Thursday, January 01, 2009 9:23 AM



Save energy at work

We can do our part to save energy, even in the office. No, the financial benefits don’t necessarily affect us individually, but the energy reduction on our environment and strain on natural resources should be beneficial in itself, not to mention the cost savings on corporate accounts which possibly could trickle down to employees.

Here are some simple tips we should adhere to in order to save resources, office equipment and in the long run, increase corporate bottom lines.

  • Turning the thermostat down by just 1°C can knock 10% off the cost of heating your office and you'll be unlikely to notice any difference in comfort
  • Switch off all non-essential office equipment (computers, monitors, business machines and lights) and share printers
  • Regularly turning a PC off not only saves energy but also extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear
  • Activate your PCs power saving modes
  • Don’t switch on computers and printers until you need them
  • Close all windows overnight
  • If it gets too hot in the winter, don’t open a window, try turning down the thermostat first
  • Don’t leave doors open between areas of a different temperatures
  • Keep doors and windows closed in air-conditioned areas
  • Try to use as much natural light as possible
  • Switch off lights whenever you leave the room
  • Between your colleagues, security, cleaning or maintenance crews, make sure the last to leave in the evenings is responsible for turning off all lights 
  • Switch off a typical fluorescent light for one hour each working day
  • Ensure radiators are not blocked by furniture or files, as they will absorb the heat
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Just like in our homes, we all can look around the office for ways to save on energy consumption. Tell your coworkers too. Do your part each day to make it a habit to conserve energy and resources—Mother Nature is depending on us!
by Katie | with no comments
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Trend Setting
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:22 AM



Anti-aging skin care –
How well does it work? 

A Fountain of Youth has yet to be found, but until then there are skincare companies that believe they can help. While getting a facelift or skin injections may be the first choice for some people, others may want to take a less invasive route to looking younger. For those afraid of going under the knife or getting frequent injections, anti-aging skincare creams may look quite appealing. But the question is, do anti-aging skincare products really work?

 

The answer is simple. You can’t expect the exact results of a facelift with the use of anti-aging creams, but you can minimize the signs of aging. Ingredients found in many products are collagen-boosting peptides. The more collagen in your skin, the plumper it looks, thus decreasing wrinkles. The peptides in many products help to boost the production of collagen in skin.

 

There are additional benefits to skincare creams. Anti-aging skincare products can make the skin look and feel better because many of them contain other ingredients that do things like exfoliate and hydrate the skin. Vitamins and minerals found in many of the products also help to prevent signs of aging.

 

The key to using anti-aging skincare creams is to keep using them. While facelifts and skin injections are more permanent, creams can lose their effect if they aren’t used regularly. It’s also never too early to start thinking about skincare since what you do early in life can reflect in your skin later. Sunscreen and drinking water are important for skin health and can also prevent the signs of aging.

 

So, do some research and consider your budget. The price varies between different creams, but most products have similar ingredients. Try different products and see which you like best for your skin.

 

What anti-aging secrets do you find work the best? 

by tinadh | with no comments
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The Welcome Mat
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:20 AM



Cure your cabin fever – 
How to enjoy the winter months 

Have you ever experienced restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness or found yourself sleeping excessively?  If so, you may be suffering from a case of cabin fever. The term was coined in 1918 when settlers were snowed into their log cabins during the winter months and had to wait for the spring thaw to travel to town. 

 

If you find yourself exhibiting symptoms this winter, here are some suggestions for overcoming your bout with cabin fever:

 

Develop a hobby

When you just can’t bring yourself to brave the cold, it’s a great time to start that new project or complete an unfinished one. 

 

Catch up on your reading

If you have wanted to finish or start a good book, use this time to your advantage and catch up on some reading.

 

Create a workout regimen

Brush off that treadmill or other exercise equipment and use the winter months to get back in shape. When the weather breaks, you can unveil the new you.

 

Entertain friends and family

Turn your cabin fever into an opportunity to invite friends or family over for lunch or dinner. This is a great way to catch up or stay in touch with people you haven’t had the chance to visit for a while.

 

Get out and enjoy the scenery

The best way to overcome feelings of cabin fever is to get out and do something. Take a walk or go to the library or a museum. Meet with friends at your favorite coffee shop or restaurant. Just be sure to bundle up!

 

The important thing to remember in the winter months, when you’re feeling a little confined and you feel a case of cabin fever coming on, is to remain active. Before you know it the weather will be breaking and the birds will be chirping again.

 

What is your best remedy for curing cabin fever?

by tinadh | with no comments
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Supply Cabinet
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:18 AM


Printer security –
How networked printers can leave you vulnerable 


Thanks to modern firewalls and password technology, managers at large companies can sleep soundly at night, reassured their data is secure, right?

 

Two trends are making today’s multifunction products (MFPs) the focus of enterprise security. First, they offer more data-handling features than ever, including hard drives, making them as sophisticated as many PCs. Second, companies typically connect MFPs to networks, which give them all the flexibility and security vulnerability of any computer on a network. The biggest threat is that the printers are inside the network and are a more trusted launching pad for attacks.

 

Most companies use multifunction networked printers. These printers allow many users to share one centralized printer, saving the company money, space and supplies. While they are very beneficial for the users, they also pose a security risk to the company.

 

“Without a doubt, security is of the utmost importance in today’s business environment,” says Kay Fernandez, director of Product Marketing for Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. “While many companies have taken extensive measures to protect corporate network infrastructures, one of the most overlooked areas in establishing a security strategy is the document production environment,” she adds. "Stop treating them as printers. Treat them as servers, as workstations.”

Here’s what to look for to manage and secure MFPs:

·         Control access and track usage. Choose MFPs with central control panels that require employees to enter pass codes or network user names and passwords. This keeps unauthorized people from printing, copying or faxing sensitive data from MFP hard drives.

·         Use data encryption. Data-encryption technology can protect MFP hard drives as thoroughly as if they resided in servers and workstations.

·         Overwrite data and don’t forget to thoroughly clean hard drives of data when it’s no longer relevant.

 

Printers should be part of a company's patch program and be carefully managed, not forgotten, by IT.

 

Information from documentsecurity.com, smallbusinesscomputing.com, okidata.com, documentsolutions.techweb.com, schneier.com, itbusinessedge.com

by tinadh | with no comments
Filed under:
Media Mix
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:16 AM

Bolt –
Disney’s latest animated feature 

With almost as much action as The Incredibles, Bolt delivers lots of laughs with striking artwork. The scenery is so realistic that it often looks like photography until a Pixar-esque character seamlessly comes into view.

 

Bolt (with the voice of John Travolta) is a small white German Shepherd who has lived all his life in Hollywood as the star of a popular TV show, portraying a superhero dog. At the end of each episode, Bolt saves his owner Penny (played by Miley Cyrus) from certain peril. The clips of Bolt’s show will keep you on the edge of your seat! At the end of each work day, Bolt sleeps in the on-set trailer, believing he has saved the day once again.

 

However, when the ratings start to fall, the show’s creators decide to have a cliff-hanger episode and leave Bolt alone in his trailer believing that Penny is still in danger. He escapes to go save her and is accidentally shipped to New York City where he meets a world-weary alley cat named Mittens (with the voice of Susie Essman). They embark on a wild cross-country journey to save Penny. Along the way they pick up a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino who is an extreme Bolt fan. Rhino’s over-the-top enthusiasm for helping his hero provides some of the funniest moments in the movie. There are also lots of laughs as Bolt continues to believe that he has superpowers.

 

The plot is a little predictable and doesn’t have the social commentary of Wall E. Still, it’s action-packed, laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes poignant. It’s definitely worth seeing.

 

Have you seen Bolt? Tell us what you thought!

by tinadh | with no comments
Filed under:
Healthy Living
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:14 AM



Breakfast benefits –
The importance of the most important meal

 

Mornings are hectic enough. There’s the waking up, the showering, the figuring out what to wear and the running around getting your gear together all so you can make it out the door and get to work on time. Who has time for a meal? It may seem like a harmless piece of your morning to skip, but Mom was right—breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

 

Your car is not the only thing that can’t run on empty. Your body also needs fuel to stay up to speed. If you last ate at 6pm, skipped breakfast and didn’t eat again until noon, you’ve essentially been fasting for 18 hours. Breakfast is meant to literally break the fast.

 

Glucose is the body’s fuel. It keeps our brains and nervous systems working. So, functions like walking, talking, typing and stretching all require glucose to keep going. Feeling groggy and cloudy at work? A little fuel first thing in the morning will get your day off to a much better start.

 

Dieting? Don’t cut your calories at breakfast, which can actually lead to overeating later in the day. Also, while you’re not eating, your metabolism is plummeting. The last thing you want to do is keep your metabolism at this lowered state. Keep it up and working by eating!

 

Eating breakfast also helps your ability to think, which really comes in handy at work. According to a study published in the November 2001 issue of The American Journal Clinical Nutrition, eating breakfast improved participants’ performance on memory tests.

 

What you eat for breakfast is just as important as making it a part of your morning routine. Slamming down a donut and soda is not the kind of fuel your body needs. Sugar will give you a quick boost, but will cause you quickly to crash, making you feel even worse. You want to eat foods that sustain energy, like oatmeal and fruit. Try spreading peanut butter on fruit or whole-wheat toast, or cream cheese on a wheat bagel. A yogurt and a Nutri-Grain® bar also make a great breakfast. Stay away from simple carbs like white bread, regular bagels and many cereals. These are too easily digested and will make you feel hungrier sooner.

 

Tell us about your typical breakfast routine – do you have any suggestions for those breakfast skippers out there?  

by tinadh | with no comments
Filed under:
Etc...
Thursday, January 01, 2009 12:12 AM

E-security scams –
Internet thieves come in many guises  

Every day, people and businesses fall victim to scams that compromise their electronic security (e-security). With new scams being created regularly and old scams still working their way through the Internet, one can't be too careful. Having a good anti-virus program with firewall, spyware and virus protection is a good start, but e-mail scams and hoaxes are sometimes cleverly disguised as legitimate offers and e-mails.

 

A common e-security scam is known as phishing. This is often an e-mail disguised as an official message from a trustworthy source such as your bank, eBay or PayPal. Messages like, “Your account information must be confirmed, failure may result in account suspension” or “A large sum has been debited to your account, provide your account details to confirm that the charge is incorrect” create a sense of urgency and are often followed by a link that will take you to a fake Web site designed to look identical to the legitimate one.

 

Usually confirming your information includes account numbers, passwords, security phrases and PIN numbers, making your account entirely vulnerable. Instead of following a link in an e-mail, type the Web site's homepage address directly into your browser before filling out forms with account numbers and passwords. Often, phishing e-mails will be littered with improper grammar and poor spelling. Subject lines containing all caps and misspelled words are also a good way to identify phishing. When in doubt, the way to confirm a possible e-security scam is to call and confirm that there is a problem with your account.

 

Another scam commonly known as the Nigerian Bank Scam can originate from a variety of different countries, but the method is exactly the same. A person promises large sums of money, sometimes unclaimed inheritances or lottery winnings or a reward for helping them transfer money out of Nigeria. The outcome is always the same. Before you can claim millions, you must first send thousands of dollars to get the money transferred or for required paperwork. Of course after you've completed your end of the bargain you'll start hearing excuses as to why your money is being delayed and then you'll never hear from them again.

 

The Internet is crawling with a variety of ways to part you from your money. Just remember, be skeptical and don't believe everything you read. If it's too good to be true it probably is!

by tinadh | with no comments
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