Like an opening act for a play, the telegraph, telephone, and radio all took a part in introducing the World Wide Internet. The Internet had no problem taking over and crashing many predictions about whether or not it would be successful. It has no boundaries and pays no attention to international limits or geographic locations. Instantly you are connected to scores of businesses and people all over the world.
With its origins dating back almost 50 years ago, J.C.R. Licklider at MIT recorded the first description of the communications that could be performed through networking. Between him and a host of other individuals with brilliant forward thinking, the idea of the Internet was conceived.
The first email made its appearance back in the early 1970’s as a way for the developers to communicate with one another. By the mid-1980’s the Internet was being used by various developers and researchers as well as being tried out by many computer businesses. It finally was given a name in October 1995.
The Internet became a vital part of today’s economy. Many companies regard it as a critical part of their daily activities. Individuals rely on it for their communication to the outside world. Bills may be paid, homework research accomplished, books read, Christmas shopping accomplished and you can buy literally anything on it, including fully synthetic oil music downloaded and personal relationships established through their access to the Internet.
Although it may not seem so, the Internet has changed greatly in the last 2 decades since its birth. Through file sharing, remote login, resource sharing and electronic mail, it has definitely kept up with the fast-paced computer industry. Expect nothing else through the future.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Friday 15 January 2010
Using Drills At Home
Lets start with the basics, you need a clean solid work surface such as a bench, table, or desk, you will need a vise which will hold the various lures for drilling, filing, bending, and other operations. Almost any bench vise of good size will serve the purpose. Unless you have a permanent workbench, this vise doesn't have to be fastened to the table or desk until needed.
A small anvil is also useful if you plan to make many metal lures or parts for such lures. It is used for cutting, bending, punching, and riveting. However, if you get a big bench vise of the machinist's or utility type you can use the anvil surface found on such vises. Or you can use a small block of iron with a smooth surface as a makeshift anvil.
A hammer, of course, is a basic tool for any kind of work, and for making fishing lures, about two or three hammers will suffice. If you already have a claw hammer, you can use it for many lure-making jobs. However, you should also get at least one ball peen or machinist’s hammer which can be used for shaping metal, driving punches, cold chisels, and other uses. A 12-ounce ball peen hammer is a good size for all-round work. Another type of hammer which is good to have is a soft-faced hammer. These are made of plastic or have rawhide, fiber or lead faces. The soft-faced hammer is used for bending and shaping metal and leaves no tool marks. A wooden mallet is also needed if you plan to shape your own metal spoons or spinners.
At least two saws will be needed. If you already have a hand saw, it can be used for working with wood. Since most lures are small, however, a back saw which has a thin blade and fine teeth is even better than a large hand saw with coarse teeth for accurate cutting. The other saw which is needed is a hacksaw that is used for cutting metal and other hard materials such as plastics. There are many types of hacksaws on the market, but the adjustable frame with a pistol grip is best. You will also need several kinds of blades to use with the hacksaw. These blades have from 14 to 32 teeth to the inch and come in all-hard or flexible tempers. Each type is best for a certain job, depending on the metal or material you are cutting. If you have one or two blades of each kind you'll be prepared for any cutting job.
Some kind of drill is needed for drilling holes in wood and metal. If you have a home workshop with a drill press you can use it for most of the work to be done. Use a portable petrol generator to power your drill. It is especially useful when drilling holes in metal. A portable electric drill is also a big aid when drilling, metal, especially if you have to drill many holes. However, when making fishing lures most drilling is done in wood or softer metals such as brass and copper. Here an ordinary hand drill will serve the purpose. Such a hand drill will usually take drills up to ¼ in. in diameter. When buying a hand drill it's a good idea to get the best you can get. A cheap hand drill may not work properly or will soon break or wear out.
You also need a set of twist drills to use with an electric or hand drill. The same when buying your portable generator for sale For the drill press or electric drill you will need a set of high-speed drills. The high-speed drills can be used for fast drilling without losing their temper. For drilling wood or soft metals, carbon drills which are cheaper than high speed drills can be used. You should get a complete set of drills up to about ¼ in. in diameter. The smaller sizes are the ones you will use most often. It's a good idea to buy two or three twist drills of the same size in the smaller sizes so that if you break one you'll have a spare.
A small anvil is also useful if you plan to make many metal lures or parts for such lures. It is used for cutting, bending, punching, and riveting. However, if you get a big bench vise of the machinist's or utility type you can use the anvil surface found on such vises. Or you can use a small block of iron with a smooth surface as a makeshift anvil.
A hammer, of course, is a basic tool for any kind of work, and for making fishing lures, about two or three hammers will suffice. If you already have a claw hammer, you can use it for many lure-making jobs. However, you should also get at least one ball peen or machinist’s hammer which can be used for shaping metal, driving punches, cold chisels, and other uses. A 12-ounce ball peen hammer is a good size for all-round work. Another type of hammer which is good to have is a soft-faced hammer. These are made of plastic or have rawhide, fiber or lead faces. The soft-faced hammer is used for bending and shaping metal and leaves no tool marks. A wooden mallet is also needed if you plan to shape your own metal spoons or spinners.
At least two saws will be needed. If you already have a hand saw, it can be used for working with wood. Since most lures are small, however, a back saw which has a thin blade and fine teeth is even better than a large hand saw with coarse teeth for accurate cutting. The other saw which is needed is a hacksaw that is used for cutting metal and other hard materials such as plastics. There are many types of hacksaws on the market, but the adjustable frame with a pistol grip is best. You will also need several kinds of blades to use with the hacksaw. These blades have from 14 to 32 teeth to the inch and come in all-hard or flexible tempers. Each type is best for a certain job, depending on the metal or material you are cutting. If you have one or two blades of each kind you'll be prepared for any cutting job.
Some kind of drill is needed for drilling holes in wood and metal. If you have a home workshop with a drill press you can use it for most of the work to be done. Use a portable petrol generator to power your drill. It is especially useful when drilling holes in metal. A portable electric drill is also a big aid when drilling, metal, especially if you have to drill many holes. However, when making fishing lures most drilling is done in wood or softer metals such as brass and copper. Here an ordinary hand drill will serve the purpose. Such a hand drill will usually take drills up to ¼ in. in diameter. When buying a hand drill it's a good idea to get the best you can get. A cheap hand drill may not work properly or will soon break or wear out.
You also need a set of twist drills to use with an electric or hand drill. The same when buying your portable generator for sale For the drill press or electric drill you will need a set of high-speed drills. The high-speed drills can be used for fast drilling without losing their temper. For drilling wood or soft metals, carbon drills which are cheaper than high speed drills can be used. You should get a complete set of drills up to about ¼ in. in diameter. The smaller sizes are the ones you will use most often. It's a good idea to buy two or three twist drills of the same size in the smaller sizes so that if you break one you'll have a spare.
Mercury Dimes
One vivid memory of my very early childhood back in the 1960’s was of driving to church on Sunday mornings with my family. Since my grandparents lived close to us, Dad would always swing by and pick them up, and we’d all carpool together. In those days there was no cheap nintendo ds console to play with in the car. It was the job of “Little Danny” (as I was affectionately nicknamed back then) to sit in the backseat, wedged snugly between Grandpa and Grandma.
As if some sort of ritual, every Sunday Grandma would fish though her purse to find goodies for me and my older brother. Grandma almost always carried Wrigley’s chewing gum, though once in a while we had to settle for a cherry-flavored cough drop. For a bonus treat, Grandma gave each grandson a coin to go in the piggybank. There were a few instances when I received a dime featuring a lady who sported a wild-looking hairdo, or at least that’s how it appeared to a 4-year-old. On one occasion, Grandma explained to me the coin was called a Mercury dime. She was a coin collector of sorts, and I credit her with encouraging my first interest in coins. Even though it didn’t mean much to me at the time, this was my first lesson on Mercury dimes.
With the passage of years, I gathered more knowledge on Mercury dimes. For example, I learned the face on the obverse really wasn’t that of Mercury, the male Roman messenger god, as the public has largely believed ever since the dime was first released in 1916. Instead, the coin’s designer, A.A. Weinman, intended to portray a rendition of Lady Liberty crowned by a winged cap, to symbolize liberty of thought. However, the “Mercury dime” moniker stuck, and is still by far the most common reference for this beautiful ten cent coin. The correct name, Winged Liberty Head dime, is used much less frequently. Oh well, at least I can congratulate myself, for even as a small child, I was able to recognize the person on the dime as a woman, not a man!
Another important fact about Mercury dimes worth mentioning is that back when Grandma was coin collecting, not much attention was focused on the degree of separation and roundness seen in the horizontal bands holding together the bundle of rods on the reverse side. Full Split Bands (abbreviated "FSB") resulted from striking by fresh dies, and have proven to be much rarer than blended, flattened bands. Generally speaking, if a Mercury dime displays fully separated and rounded bands, it can generate prices far above less distinctive specimens of the same date, mintmark, and grade. For the last 10-15 years, most Mercury dime value guides have carried an FSB category for mint state grades.
Recently, I decided to chart the value trends of Mercury dimes over a long period of time, for the purpose of identifying Mercs that have historically demonstrated the best gains. My theory is that coins that have shown the strongest price increases consistently in the past are the same coins most likely to accomplish the same in the years ahead. I don’t advocate purchasing Mercury dimes or any other coins for the sake of measuring ROI, but speaking for myself, if I ever decide to add to my Mercury dime collection, I want to make selections designed to (A) please my numismatic taste buds, and (B) stimulate competitive bidding amongst future generations of collectors.
To quantify past performance and to evaluate Mercury dimes best positioned to experience strong future price advancements, I called upon a mathematical analysis I developed to reach similar objectives for other coin series.
First, I researched Mercury dime retail values for individual coins as they were reported in the year 1950, covering a wide range of conditions, and entered this data on a computer spreadsheet. Moving forward in time, values from the years 1980, 1995, and 2000 were similarly captured. Finally, estimated selling prices in 2005 were placed adjacent to matching data from those earlier years. Because grading terminology has evolved over the 55 year period, certain assumptions were made to progressively track price movements throughout the time spectrum (e.g. an “Uncirculated” value in 1950 is equivalent to the “MS-60” of today). The highest grade inserted into the analysis was MS-65, for which I was able to list relatively complete data starting in the 1995 data column. Because I deemed “FSB” data to be somewhat sporadic, I elected not to include it in this study for the sake of stability.
For each date and condition, compounded annual return rates were computed from 1950 to 2005. Return rate computations were likewise made from 1980 to 2005, 1995 to 2005, and 2000 to 2005. For each Mercury dime, the data was placed in tabular format. Next, I calculated a “composite” score for each date by averaging all the compounded return rates computed for that date. I then ranked all the “composite” scores. The Mercury dimes with the top five highest scores are:
Date: Score:
1916-D 7.71
1942 (2 Over 1) 7.64
1921-D 4.90
1945-S (Micro) 4.58
1942-D (2 Over 1) 4.39
It should surprise no one that the kingpin of the Mercury dime series is the 1916-D. Long considered one of the classic rarities of the 20th century and a favorite of collectors, we now have some statistical evidence to support this claim.These are quality coins and not like buying a cheap nintendo ds Experienced Mercury dime collectors probably would expect to see the other dates making the “Top Five”, though the 1945-S (Micro) will cause some head scratching. At the opposite end of performance, there is a logjam of dimes crowded into the 2.50-3.50 range. The value of these coins is dominated by their silver bullion content and merit only small numismatic premiums, with the exception of higher grade specimens.
Okay, let’s say you’re fascinated with the history and style of the Mercury dime. You’ve decided its time to add a few to your coin gallery, yet at the same time, you’re afraid of spending money on something doomed to stagnate in value over time. Bottom line solution: purchase a member of the “Top Five” ranked above. Yes, they’re a bit pricey, but instead of buying many of the less expensive Mercury dimes, save your cash and get a single example of a proven winner. You will be pleased with this strategy as the years roll buy. Buy the absolute best grade you can afford, and always, always obtain coins that are problem-free and CERTIFIED by a reputable grading service. Sadly, many fakes and alterations exist.
Thinking back again to those childhood days, I can’t begin to remember what happened to most of the coins Grandma gave me on our Sunday morning drives. Somehow, over the decades, I’ve managed to keep preserved in a special place a tiny handful of Grandma’s Mercury dimes. All common dates, there’s not a 1916-D in the bunch, but their sentimental value to me is incalculable. These coins were a heartfelt gift from someone close to me who departed from this world long ago and they helped inspire in “Little Danny” a lifelong enchantment with a wonderful hobby.
You know, come to think of it, let me add one more bit of advice: while you’re bagging a “Top Five” Mercury dime, you ought to stop by the Bargain Bin and pull out a few 1944-D’s for your children and grandchildren. You just never know what you might get started.
As if some sort of ritual, every Sunday Grandma would fish though her purse to find goodies for me and my older brother. Grandma almost always carried Wrigley’s chewing gum, though once in a while we had to settle for a cherry-flavored cough drop. For a bonus treat, Grandma gave each grandson a coin to go in the piggybank. There were a few instances when I received a dime featuring a lady who sported a wild-looking hairdo, or at least that’s how it appeared to a 4-year-old. On one occasion, Grandma explained to me the coin was called a Mercury dime. She was a coin collector of sorts, and I credit her with encouraging my first interest in coins. Even though it didn’t mean much to me at the time, this was my first lesson on Mercury dimes.
With the passage of years, I gathered more knowledge on Mercury dimes. For example, I learned the face on the obverse really wasn’t that of Mercury, the male Roman messenger god, as the public has largely believed ever since the dime was first released in 1916. Instead, the coin’s designer, A.A. Weinman, intended to portray a rendition of Lady Liberty crowned by a winged cap, to symbolize liberty of thought. However, the “Mercury dime” moniker stuck, and is still by far the most common reference for this beautiful ten cent coin. The correct name, Winged Liberty Head dime, is used much less frequently. Oh well, at least I can congratulate myself, for even as a small child, I was able to recognize the person on the dime as a woman, not a man!
Another important fact about Mercury dimes worth mentioning is that back when Grandma was coin collecting, not much attention was focused on the degree of separation and roundness seen in the horizontal bands holding together the bundle of rods on the reverse side. Full Split Bands (abbreviated "FSB") resulted from striking by fresh dies, and have proven to be much rarer than blended, flattened bands. Generally speaking, if a Mercury dime displays fully separated and rounded bands, it can generate prices far above less distinctive specimens of the same date, mintmark, and grade. For the last 10-15 years, most Mercury dime value guides have carried an FSB category for mint state grades.
Recently, I decided to chart the value trends of Mercury dimes over a long period of time, for the purpose of identifying Mercs that have historically demonstrated the best gains. My theory is that coins that have shown the strongest price increases consistently in the past are the same coins most likely to accomplish the same in the years ahead. I don’t advocate purchasing Mercury dimes or any other coins for the sake of measuring ROI, but speaking for myself, if I ever decide to add to my Mercury dime collection, I want to make selections designed to (A) please my numismatic taste buds, and (B) stimulate competitive bidding amongst future generations of collectors.
To quantify past performance and to evaluate Mercury dimes best positioned to experience strong future price advancements, I called upon a mathematical analysis I developed to reach similar objectives for other coin series.
First, I researched Mercury dime retail values for individual coins as they were reported in the year 1950, covering a wide range of conditions, and entered this data on a computer spreadsheet. Moving forward in time, values from the years 1980, 1995, and 2000 were similarly captured. Finally, estimated selling prices in 2005 were placed adjacent to matching data from those earlier years. Because grading terminology has evolved over the 55 year period, certain assumptions were made to progressively track price movements throughout the time spectrum (e.g. an “Uncirculated” value in 1950 is equivalent to the “MS-60” of today). The highest grade inserted into the analysis was MS-65, for which I was able to list relatively complete data starting in the 1995 data column. Because I deemed “FSB” data to be somewhat sporadic, I elected not to include it in this study for the sake of stability.
For each date and condition, compounded annual return rates were computed from 1950 to 2005. Return rate computations were likewise made from 1980 to 2005, 1995 to 2005, and 2000 to 2005. For each Mercury dime, the data was placed in tabular format. Next, I calculated a “composite” score for each date by averaging all the compounded return rates computed for that date. I then ranked all the “composite” scores. The Mercury dimes with the top five highest scores are:
Date: Score:
1916-D 7.71
1942 (2 Over 1) 7.64
1921-D 4.90
1945-S (Micro) 4.58
1942-D (2 Over 1) 4.39
It should surprise no one that the kingpin of the Mercury dime series is the 1916-D. Long considered one of the classic rarities of the 20th century and a favorite of collectors, we now have some statistical evidence to support this claim.These are quality coins and not like buying a cheap nintendo ds Experienced Mercury dime collectors probably would expect to see the other dates making the “Top Five”, though the 1945-S (Micro) will cause some head scratching. At the opposite end of performance, there is a logjam of dimes crowded into the 2.50-3.50 range. The value of these coins is dominated by their silver bullion content and merit only small numismatic premiums, with the exception of higher grade specimens.
Okay, let’s say you’re fascinated with the history and style of the Mercury dime. You’ve decided its time to add a few to your coin gallery, yet at the same time, you’re afraid of spending money on something doomed to stagnate in value over time. Bottom line solution: purchase a member of the “Top Five” ranked above. Yes, they’re a bit pricey, but instead of buying many of the less expensive Mercury dimes, save your cash and get a single example of a proven winner. You will be pleased with this strategy as the years roll buy. Buy the absolute best grade you can afford, and always, always obtain coins that are problem-free and CERTIFIED by a reputable grading service. Sadly, many fakes and alterations exist.
Thinking back again to those childhood days, I can’t begin to remember what happened to most of the coins Grandma gave me on our Sunday morning drives. Somehow, over the decades, I’ve managed to keep preserved in a special place a tiny handful of Grandma’s Mercury dimes. All common dates, there’s not a 1916-D in the bunch, but their sentimental value to me is incalculable. These coins were a heartfelt gift from someone close to me who departed from this world long ago and they helped inspire in “Little Danny” a lifelong enchantment with a wonderful hobby.
You know, come to think of it, let me add one more bit of advice: while you’re bagging a “Top Five” Mercury dime, you ought to stop by the Bargain Bin and pull out a few 1944-D’s for your children and grandchildren. You just never know what you might get started.
Sunday 10 January 2010
Magic Tricks
Magic tricks are enjoyed by people from all over the world. It is something that seems to be a universal language that entertains both young and old.
Many people attempt to become amateur magicians as a way of entertaining family and friends. If someone wants to become a good magician, it would be helpful to know the different varieties of magic tricks before performing them.
The first type that most people are familiar with is stage magic. This is the most difficult type of magic trick and is often associated with famous magicians such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and David Blaine. These types of magic tricks require a great deal of skill to perform and usually involve grand schemes like making a large landmark disappear or walking through walls.
The next type is called platform magic and is done on a somewhat smaller scale. These type of magic tricks are quite a bit easier to perform than most stage magic tricks and involve tricks such as sawing a person in half or levitating.
And finally, the last type of magic trick is called close up magic. This type requires the least amount of skill and can be learned with a little effort. These type of magic tricks include magic card tricks, coin tricks, cigarette through quarter, pencil through bill etc.
There are many different tricks that can be learned by just about anyone willing to practice. The secret to remember is to never reveal how you do your magic tricks to your audience.
The quickest path to achieving your status as a master magician is to be able to perform magic tricks at a moments notice using a wide variety of borrowed objects. If you are handed a pencil, a coin, a handkerchief, or a dollar bill, you should be able to perform at least one magic trick with any of these objects. Another key thing to remember is that only a tiny fraction of the magic is what you do, and the rest is how you do it. If speaking candidly, many magicians would tell you that most of the tricks they perform are very easy, but to the audience, they are spectacular! It is all about how you present yourself to the audience: your timing, your sense of humor and your ability to distract are very important. So remember, with a little practice and showmanship, you can learn to be the life of the party by performing simple magic hi 5 tricks.
Many people attempt to become amateur magicians as a way of entertaining family and friends. If someone wants to become a good magician, it would be helpful to know the different varieties of magic tricks before performing them.
The first type that most people are familiar with is stage magic. This is the most difficult type of magic trick and is often associated with famous magicians such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and David Blaine. These types of magic tricks require a great deal of skill to perform and usually involve grand schemes like making a large landmark disappear or walking through walls.
The next type is called platform magic and is done on a somewhat smaller scale. These type of magic tricks are quite a bit easier to perform than most stage magic tricks and involve tricks such as sawing a person in half or levitating.
And finally, the last type of magic trick is called close up magic. This type requires the least amount of skill and can be learned with a little effort. These type of magic tricks include magic card tricks, coin tricks, cigarette through quarter, pencil through bill etc.
There are many different tricks that can be learned by just about anyone willing to practice. The secret to remember is to never reveal how you do your magic tricks to your audience.
The quickest path to achieving your status as a master magician is to be able to perform magic tricks at a moments notice using a wide variety of borrowed objects. If you are handed a pencil, a coin, a handkerchief, or a dollar bill, you should be able to perform at least one magic trick with any of these objects. Another key thing to remember is that only a tiny fraction of the magic is what you do, and the rest is how you do it. If speaking candidly, many magicians would tell you that most of the tricks they perform are very easy, but to the audience, they are spectacular! It is all about how you present yourself to the audience: your timing, your sense of humor and your ability to distract are very important. So remember, with a little practice and showmanship, you can learn to be the life of the party by performing simple magic hi 5 tricks.
Useful Info About Angel Investors
If you're an emerging company with the next great product, sometimes you need an angel on your side.
A study by the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research showed that "angel investors" - high-net-worth individuals willing to invest in entrepreneurial companies at an early stage - shelled out more than $18 billion into early-stage companies last year alone, compared to $304 million by venture capitalists.
Finding an angel investor is a usful info, however, is not an easy task. Safer Smokes Inc. is one company that understands the challenge of attracting the right investors.
This development-stage company is tapping the smoking cessation market with a unique tobacco-free, nicotine-free smoke called Bravo, which has the appearance of a traditional cigarette and burns like tobacco, but is actually made from lettuce fibers.
"Bravo lets you smoke your way out of the tobacco habit gradually," said Puzant C. Torigian, chief executive officer of Safer Smokes.
For companies like Safer Smokes, it may be too soon to approach large venture capital firms, yet time to move beyond networking with family and friends. Angel investors to the rescue.
"The challenge for raising capital in today's market is in harnessing the courage and vision of the angel to see through to the real investment opportunity," said Torigian.
So how do companies like Safer Smokes attract their angel?
* Have a clear-cut target market for your product or service. For example more info, Safer Smokes is targeting the smoking cessation market, which has sales approaching $10 billion per year, up from $6 billion just three years ago.
Most angel investors prefer companies that are likely to show positive cash flow within their first 18 months, so having these kinds of statistics about your market can be an incentive.
* Match the business plan objectives to the angel's risk tolerance. Investors want to know the product or service will be unique and well-cultivated. Safer Smokes has a patented solution that company officials say will "affect the landscape of the health care industry."
A study by the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research showed that "angel investors" - high-net-worth individuals willing to invest in entrepreneurial companies at an early stage - shelled out more than $18 billion into early-stage companies last year alone, compared to $304 million by venture capitalists.
Finding an angel investor is a usful info, however, is not an easy task. Safer Smokes Inc. is one company that understands the challenge of attracting the right investors.
This development-stage company is tapping the smoking cessation market with a unique tobacco-free, nicotine-free smoke called Bravo, which has the appearance of a traditional cigarette and burns like tobacco, but is actually made from lettuce fibers.
"Bravo lets you smoke your way out of the tobacco habit gradually," said Puzant C. Torigian, chief executive officer of Safer Smokes.
For companies like Safer Smokes, it may be too soon to approach large venture capital firms, yet time to move beyond networking with family and friends. Angel investors to the rescue.
"The challenge for raising capital in today's market is in harnessing the courage and vision of the angel to see through to the real investment opportunity," said Torigian.
So how do companies like Safer Smokes attract their angel?
* Have a clear-cut target market for your product or service. For example more info, Safer Smokes is targeting the smoking cessation market, which has sales approaching $10 billion per year, up from $6 billion just three years ago.
Most angel investors prefer companies that are likely to show positive cash flow within their first 18 months, so having these kinds of statistics about your market can be an incentive.
* Match the business plan objectives to the angel's risk tolerance. Investors want to know the product or service will be unique and well-cultivated. Safer Smokes has a patented solution that company officials say will "affect the landscape of the health care industry."
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