A blown head gasket can be a costly repair any way you look at it, but there are some ways to make sure you get the most value out of your repair. The first thing to do is to make sure the diagnosis is correct. Then, find a reputable dealership or repair shop to handle the repair, preferably one that has a lot of experience in engine rebuilds and head gasket repair. Then, with the tips following, be sure to ask a few key questions to make sure the repair is done correctly.

The diagnosis can be a little tricky depending on how bad the head gasket is. If it is beginning to fail, the signs will be moderate, and will typically be a slight overheating, or a small amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust. If the gasket is completely gone, it will be obvious due to the rough idle, or it wont run at all. If it does run, there will be a large amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust. If the head gasket blows while driving, the biggest thing to watch out for is the temperature. Higher temps can quickly damage an engine by causing warping of the heads or the block, or even cracking. The sooner the engine is stopped after realizing the head gasket is blown, the better the chances of rebuilding the top end without major consequences.

The person or shop that performs the rebuild should know to check for warping of the block surface, the head surface, and to check for cracks in the head. These checks may cost a little more, but the consequences can be much more costly in the end if they are not checked. If the block is slightly warped, do ahead and have it flattened; if the head needs to be repaired, it can be decked to get the surface straight again. If the head is cracked, it will probably need to be replaced, but some have had success welding and repairing them. It depends on the location of the crack.

Once the parts are cleaned and/or repaired, its time to have it assembled. Most shops will know to torque the heads down to specs, and to use all new studs on the head. This helps make sure that the head is fastened on securely. Using the old studs can create a situation where the head is not properly torqued because the studs will stretch when they are torques. Old stud have already been stretched, so the torque value will be different than a new stud. You can see the difference in the treads if you hold the two studs up together.

These are a few things to look out for when having a head gasket repaired. You can look to spend between 1200 and 2000 depending on how much work needs to be done. Don’t make the mistake in paying a discounted price for less experienced work. The results will cost you.

Majestic Modifications is the complete auto accessories solution, specializing in car accessories, cold air intakes and performance upgrades, body kits and exterior accessories, glow gauges and interior accessories, wheels and tires, mobile video, car audio and electronics.

http://www.tooboring.com
Gadget Articles
Great Car Sounds

Making its public debut in September of 1968, the Jaguar XJ6 both stunned and amazed people. This was a different and unique kind of vehicle that the Ford Motor Company introduced and marketed under the Jaguar brand.

At first, this vehicle was a difficult one to catch. This was due to the manufacturer’s difficulty in keeping up with the demand for this vehicle. Even those people who are trying to ask for test drives for various different purposes had to go through a hard times and had encountered problems as with regards to this. The first series of the Jaguar XJ6 held either a 4,235 cc I6 DOHC engine or a 2,792 cc I6 DOHC engine. Given as an option was a four speed manual and a Borg Warner 3 speed automatic.

As per the latest model of the Jaguar XJ6, it has been made available in only one trim level. This trim level was the short wheel base or also known as the SWB. This vehicle also sported heated memory front seats, a sunroof, a heated windscreen, a single CD player, and a CD stacker. The sound system for the Jaguar XJ6 had eight speakers made standard. An auto-changer for six CD discs was given as an option. Also, the vehicle, which is found at the top of its range and vehicle group, boasts electro-chromatic door mirrors that has the ability to fold back, power wash headlights, and xenon bulbs. Additional features are 19 inch alloy wheels, memory pack seats and rear seats that are variably heated. Listening to music and sounds have been spruced up with the Jaguar Alpine sound system, subwoofers, and a dozen speakers. Also added in for extra entertainment and feel are voice control of audio controls, climate controls, telephone systems, navigation system, and the television.

The interior of the Jaguar XJ6 could be considered stunning and amazing. This vehicle sports an analog clock and as a whole, the cabin provides an easy comfort and relaxing ride for its passengers. The interior could be used fitted in with leather in the color of ivory, dark metallic blue or metallic red. The combination of colors exudes beauty and elegance as well as sophistication.

Other facets of the Jaguar XJ6 include air suspension, an electronic parking brake, vented all round disks, dynamic stability control, traction control, front fog lights, rain sensing windscreen wipers, a heated rear window, parking assistance, a trip computer, electric front and passenger seats, burr walnut veneer, leather interior, front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, an electronic brake assist, energy absorbent seats, belt pretensioners for the front and the rear, and an electric driver’s pedal adjustment.

Jaguar Parts and Jaguar Auto Parts

Jaguar XJ6 parts

Jaguar accessories

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Michelle Crimson holds a degree in business administration. She is currently working as an editor in New Orleans, Louisiana. This 32 year old mother of two is also a car racing fanatic.

Web Optimisation, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing
www.linkedin.com/in/thebaron
Great Car Sounds

No matter what kind of music you like, or how softly or loudly you like to listen, subwoofers are a crucial part of your overall listening experience. Subwoofers are used to give your system depth and deliver complete sound. Subwoofers are designed to reproduce only the lowest frequencies in the music or movie sound track. The intention in a system with a subwoofer is often to use small satellite speakers (two for stereo and five or more for surround sound or movie tracks) and to locate it in a hidden location. Typically, subwoofers for a car installation are installed in the trunk or back seat space.

Types of Subwoofers

The two types of subwoofers are passive subwoofers and active subwoofers. The easiest way to visually distinguish a Passive Subwoofer from a Powered Subwoofer is to remember that only a Powered Subwoofer plugs into a wall. Subwoofers are available in several formats, including bass reflex, acoustic suspension, infinite baffle, and bandpass types. Subwoofers use drivers (woofers) typically between 8″ and 15″ in diameter, but some have been as large as 60″. Subwoofers can be purchased in their basic form, which is unmounted and not yet ready to be used, or can be purchased already installed in a box. Therefore, subwoofers are useful for supplementing main loudspeakers by providing playback of low bass frequencies at high levels.

Complete Audio System

A subwoofer can make the difference between a good-sounding and a great-sounding system. Once you’ve got an idea of what type of subwoofer or system you’d like to buy, comparing specs can be helpful in making your decision. Particularly among low cost systems, however, inclusion of a subwoofer may be little more than a marketing device. If mini-speakers are used as surrounds in Dolby Digital or DTS systems, an inexpensive passive or powered subwoofer can be added to the rear for maximum performance. A passive sub can add bass to any system and can be connected to any stereo or surround sound system.

Powered Subs

A powered sub combines an amplifier and woofer in an enclosure. Like the passive subs, they may not be the best choice if you’re looking for really big bass, but they’ll more than suffice for most listening needs without taking up a lot of interior space. Make sure you match the sub’s power handling to your amp’s power output. A powered subwoofer’s best placement is in the front of the listening area in one corner of the room. Powered subwoofers are recommended in Dolby Digital/DTS systems if you wish to hear the full effects of Dolby Digital and DTS. Most importantly, true, deep powerful bass is critical to realistic home cinema sound.

If you’re starting from the ground up in designing your custom system, choosing the subwoofer is a great place to start. A subwoofer is a speaker that is designed to reproduce very low bass frequencies (usually those between 20 Hz and 125 Hz). Even normal consumer-grade subwoofers are often capable of generating exceptionally high levels in home theaters or cars. There are many models to choose from and many price ranges to fit any budget.

For more FREE information and reports on subwoofers, check out this report on subwoofer enclosure http://www.wooferspec.com/customenclosuresubwoofer.html.

When he isn’t blasting his neighbors away with the latest movie soundtrack, Dean Novosat writes all about subwoofers on http://www.wooferspec.com.

Computer that - SEO, SEM
Web Optimisation, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing
Car Speakers, Car Audio

LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen is a new device that lets you store audio with your notes as you write and play them back later by simply clicking a link on your note paper.

It makes recording business meetings, lectures, speeches or any other audio a real breeze. It lets you associate audio with your notes as you write on special dotted paper, and stores those notes inside it electronically. Other devices currently on the market, only capture data onto your PC but the Pulse is the first to link intelligent audio capability with data entry giving you an efficient way to save and replay your notes while you’re on the go.

This opens up new possibilities for tools that enhance personal productivity, learning, communications, and entertainment and could possibly launch a new era in mobile computing.

Somewhat bigger than a Montblanc style pen, Livescribe’s smartpen was developed to substitute the common, workaday pen as a computer user’s main writing tool. Employing new breakthroughs in memory, storage, microprocessors, connectivity and component size, the smartpen is an innovative, advanced paper-based computing device, with both audio and visual feedback, hefty processing capabilities and substantial built-in storage of up to 2 GB.

The “mobile-computing platform”, as described by LiveScribe founder Jim Marggraff, consists of:

- the Smartpen, a fountain-pen-sized computer with audio/visual feedback and memory for handwriting capture, audio recording and applications

- paper with Dot Positioning System technology that creates interactive documents using plain paper printed with microdots

- software applications, including audio/ink capture, handwriting recognition and Internet connectivity

- and tools for consumers and developers to create, publish and share new applications and content online

Basically, how Pulse works is this:

While taking notes during a discussion or lecture, the smartpen records the conversation and digitizes the handwriting, automatically synching the ink and audio. By later tapping the ink, the smartpen replays the conversation from the exact moment the note was written. This makes it easy to find an exact quotation without having the bother of scanning the audio of a lengthy discourse using traditional means. Shortening the time it takes to find these audio tracks is bound to save a lot of time for many people who report and write for a living.

This makes it an ideal tool for students, lawyers, doctors, journalists, bloggers and no doubt plenty of other professionals who need a more natural way to transcribe, record and find information quickly while on the go.

From a practical point of view, the only thing that concerns me about this great new techno toy is the cost of the special paper and ink used by the pen. The pen itself is inexpensive with 1 GB and 2 GB models going for $149 and $199 respectively but the last thing I want to do is get bogged down with pricey consumables. I didn’t see any pricing regarding that on their website, so I can’t report on it just yet but have you checked out the price of ink cartridges for printers lately? Anyway, before you decide to try this new toy out, be sure to check out those prices so you don’t get roped into expenses you didn’t count on.

Regarding the paper itself, I would have liked to have seen some form of writing tablet accessory that would replace the paper in some cases. This would eliminate some additional expense and save a few trees in the process. Perhaps, the company will take that into consideration in the future.

One last note for any developers out there, the LiveScribe has an SDK and CDK that will be released by mid 2008, so if you’re interested in possibly doing some development for this new platform, check out their website and sign up for the developer program.

To view a video demonstration of the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen visit: http://pdatoday.blogspot.com/2008/01/livescribe-pulse-smartpen.html

http://www.tooboring.com
Freelance Illustrator, Graphic Artist, Cartoonist
Car Speakers, Car Audio

Personal branding is, simply put, what used to be called “your reputation.” However; in today’s faster, stronger, more competitive world you end up with a personal reputation that is also “more.” What do I mean? Your personal reputation has always been what people think of you.

If you were a car salesman, did your customers recommend you? If a doctor, do people tell their friends that you are great doctor when they are looking for a new one? If you work on the factory floor, do your co-workers say that you are the one to go to if you need something done right?

However, the company name was what was on the billboard, or stationary, or advertisement. How things have changed! Two factors have greatly effected the old scenario… technology and job-hopping.

Let me speak of the latter first. Most experts will tell you that one will hold many times more jobs in their lifetime, than in any other time in history. Job-hopping is sometimes a choice and sometimes not. Sometimes a bad thing, and sometimes not. However, it is happening. So the need for an excellent reputation becomes even more valuable. Whatever your field of work, how much easier does job hunting become if you are well known in your field?

What do you think about technology today? Did you realize that technology has taken the newspaper ads, billboards, and other traditional advertisements; shrunk them and placed them on web pages, blogs, emails, and eNewsletters? Anyone can now run hundreds of different ads, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week for no or almost no cost.

So the personal reputation, or Personal Branding, can now be done through your own advertising. How do you do this? There are numerous resources to answer that question. However, you can start with an email signature.

Are you the New Car Commando? The Career Czar or the Maven of Medicine? Sound corny? Yeah, sure it is. But after five years, when everyone is calling you that, (presuming you are actually good at what you do) it becomes synonymous with expertise in your field. A well known expert who commands top dollar for your reputation alone.

So… Do you practice Personal Branding? What do you? What resources do you use? Get your personal brand out and get yourself known.

Want to see more on this issue? Try http://www.passionforbusiness.com/teleclass/alicia-smith.htm or http://www.personalbrandingsummit.com/ for great written and audio resources. Personally, I love toting around audio files on my mp3 player and listening to them through my car radio.

Michael Cortes is the Technology Coordinator at the Fort LeBoeuf School District, a speaker and a self-proclaimed “Life-long Learner.” Working with computer technology requires constant education, as technology is constantly evolving. In schools today, the staff always refer back to the thought that our children are growing up in a world that requires everyone to be a “life-long” learner. Michael has long ago realized that this applies to adults, as much as to the children and he proudly proclaims and shares it. He has taken a new look at life and examines each day for the lesson it contains.

Do you want to improve yourself? Michael can help you reach your goals. Do you want to be a better presenter? Need to add that little extra that allows you to rock your presentation, whether it be a sales proposal or report to the board of directors? Maybe you just need to polish yourself up in front of your constituency. There are many steps you can take to be more persuasive, more genuine, and create a better connection between you and your audience. By using more technique and less slides, Michael will help you create more power in your presentations.

You can visit Michael’s website at http://www.michaelcortes.com

Auto Marine Electronics
Gadget Articles
Chess Web Optimisation Specialists

Before getting into tips and tricks, here is some background information about SEO for small business owners.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a strategy in web development or design that usually includes post-design promotional activity intended to enhance recognition of a site by search engines. The goal is having your small business website appear on or close to page one in Google, Yahoo, MSN, and the other major search engines. The result, especially being listed #1 on page one, may mean more traffic driven to your website with the ultimate goal of visitors converted to buying customers.

SEO may also mean a person, or Search Engine Optimizer, who is a direct employee or outside contractor with the responsibility of adjusting your small business website programming code, site content, and promotional activities to achieve page one with search engines. Like any profession, the performance level may vary widely from one to another.

Brick and mortar small business owners often launch a new website and expect the site to take over as the front line of marketing their product or service. This can be a mistake. Others just want to enhance their image by showing sophistication with a www domain that presents more content than will fit on a business card or brochure.

The first group wants traffic driven to their site, yet few small business owners truly understand Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, so some fall victim to persons offering SEO services for a fee. For the second group, just being online with a website that never changes meets their expectations, and they realize success depends on direct customer contact and marketing. A third group is similar to this last group, except they expect that just having a website will magically bring instant fortunes.

If you didn’t guess by now, there are no tricks to search engine optimization. Tips for SEO success should be based on proven techniques with long term positive results. Tricks that try to manipulate results by deceptive means, may succeed short term but will eventually fail.

Search engine algorithms for establishing ranking like Google’s PageRank are secret. The best one can do is guess how and why they change by tracking each quarterly update. Most watchers of PageRank, or PR for short, are trying to unravel what Google finds important and then manipulate their strategy to improve their ranking in search results. That could be a mistake. If adjusting strategy means manipulating what some think is important, too often they resort to deceptive means with short term gains.

I’ve written many times that deceptive practices will backfire. You will be punished. If you track PR, or follow the advice of SEO gurus, then you’ve heard the cliche “Content is King”. My position continues to be that the secret to search engine optimization is designing sites for visitors first, and then adding original quality content often to get noticed by people, and search engines.

“Content is King” needs to be changed to “Original Quality Content is King”. Traffic is meaningless if visitors don’t stick around long enough to be converted to paying customers. I believe that the tweaking of algorithms in 2007 and the downward shift in overall PR for so many sites is more than a temporary adjustment. Furthermore, I do not believe that Google is punishing website owners who provide original quality content. Instead, I believe that millions of websites set up and tweaked just to trick search engines are being caught and punished, and the PR scale in 2007 has shifted downward for quality site owners to fill in that void and redefine the PageRank range.

Small business website owners need to understand best practice SEO strategies. Here’s some search engine optimization advice that I published on my website in 2007. First is the main course from my menu to feed search engines that used an analogy comparing search engines to restaurants. Following that list are practices to avoid from that same article on my site.

Positive Search Engine Optimization practices to consider:

1. Keywords in the Page Title
2. Keywords in the H Tags
3. The Age of Your WWW Domain
4. The Size of Your Website
5. Backlinks (inbound links to your pages)
6. Keywords in Text Links
7. High Quality, Original Content

Negative or deceptive SEO practices you should avoid:

1. Do not have affiliate only advertising pages. You need original content.
2. Do not have over optimized pages. It won’t help SEO and may confuse your visitors.
3. Do not have link schemes, inbound or outbound. Deceptive practices will backfire.
4. Do not have identical content hosted on two separate domains (mirror sites).
5. Do not have plagiarized content. It is illegal, and search engines can tell.
6. Do not have foul language as in cursing, or content that is hateful or racist.

In conclusion, continue to evaluate your small business website strategy for SEO. Take advantage of the best practices and avoid the negative or deceptive methods, and you can succeed. The majority of small business entrepreneurs service a local market, so the ranking of your pages compared to the world could mean that very high PageRank is impossible. By following the tips given here, you may have enough to edge out your local competition, and that’s probably all that matters.

Jim Degerstrom writes small business advice based on 30 years in management, sales, and marketing, including GM or President of small companies in 5 states. He is proficient in website and graphic art design, and runs his online from Kissimmee, Florida USA.

Computethat
SEO, SEM Blog
Articles for SEO

No matter which type of industry you are in, you can definitely take advantage of the huge opportunities provided by search engine marketing. Nowadays, even small-scale business owners feel the need to build web sites because it is the easiest, cheapest and most convenient way for them to advertise, get in touch with customers and let online users know about the services that they provide. So where does search engine marketing fall into all of this? How can it improve your web site and your business operations as a whole?

To have a deeper understanding of how search engine marketing provides big opportunities for sole web sites and small businesses, it is good to have a background of the term first. Basically, search engine marketing is a type of advertising over the Internet which aims to promote web sites. The goal is to place your web site on top of the results page of search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Alta Vista and other search engines.

To do this, there are several methods that you can do yourself, or you can hire a professional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultant to do it for you. SEO is one of the ways to improve traffic to your web site, and it is one of the methods used in search engine marketing — along with paid inclusion and paid placement. With paid inclusion, search engine companies like Google charges fees so that your web site can be included with their search results list when an online user types in a keyword. On the other hand, paid placements — which are also known as sponsored ads — are actual links that online users can click so that they can visit your web site, and the search engine company will be paid on a pay-per-click basis.

The Advantages of Search Engine Marketing

Now that you know about the basics of search engine marketing, here is a list of its advantages:

1. Traffic to your site will increase if you choose to apply SEO as a search engine marketing method.

There is a virtual rat race when it comes to emerging on top of the list of the results on search engines. Sometimes, no matter which type of industry your business is involved in, or whatever type of web site you have — there are keywords that will be commonly searched by online users. So what are the chances of your emerging on even the top ten list if you do not employ search engine marketing techniques? Thus, SEO is really a must if you want to drive traffic to your site and achieve a higher search engine ranking.

2. Your Return of Investment is assured.

No matter which type of the three methods of search engine marketing you decide to use, your Return of Investment or ROI is assured. If you use SEO, for example, then traffic to your web site will be higher. This will easily equate to more clicks, and will result to a return of investment and assured profits for your web site. This is the reason why web sites are clamoring to get on top of the search engine results because the higher your search engine ranking, the more cash flow you will have.

3. Search engine marketing methods prove to be less costly and maintenance-free. Finally, search engine marketing methods will cost you less in the long run — and will actually serve as an investment in the future. A well-designed and search engine optimized web site will continually drive traffic to your site, not just for the present but will continue as long as online users are searching for the keywords which relate to the text posted on your site. Also, a well-optimized web site will cover not just top search engines like Google or Yahoo, but their affiliates as well, which means more coverage for you.

Should I Go for Search Engine Marketing?

All in all, search engine marketing is an effective way of putting yourself out there — in the sense that you are getting the most traffic, your web site will not just be search engine optimized but also visually pleasing and user-friendly to your visitors — and most importantly, you are increasing your profit while reaching your business goals at the same time.

So what are you waiting for?

Take advantage of the big opportunities provided by search engine marketing and secure a top position now!

Johnny Barker is an expert in allocating the right mix of Yellow Pages advertising, Google Adwords and Search engine optimisation for his SME clients in Melbourne Australia. He is a SEO consultant at MyConsulting Internet Marketing. MyConsulting offers services in & Web Development.

Gps Base Froogle Or Whatever Theyre Calling It Today
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Car Speakers, Car Audio

Why type design matters

Whenever you make or arrange a physical object in a particular way, you are ‘designing’ it. Whether you are deciding the length of a bracket to support a bookshelf or arranging a vase of flowers, you are practicing design. If the shelf falls down or the flowers look a mess you clearly aren’t designing very well you need to refer to some established principles to help you get it right.

The same goes for the design of text.

No matter how much, or how fast, technology changes, the human eye and habits of perception do not. Over a period of 425 years, practices have been established which are intended to help the reader to receive the message off the page as quickly and directly as possible. Of course there have been changes in fashion from time to time but these are, by nature, ephemeral and do not alter the underlying principles which are concerned with legibility and readability.

One quality about type that you are likely to be aware of is the suitability of a particular typeface for a particular job. A long legal document set in a small sans serif might seem inappropriate and difficult to read. A cover design in a self-effacing classical type is unlikely to do the job required of it.

Whether or not a document is easy to read or achieves what you want, is as likely to depend as much on the layout and the use of space as on the typeface. In order to design a layout that both works efficiently and looks good, it is necessary to have some understanding of the principles of typographic design.

Why documents look different

The usual purpose of a printed publication is to tell somebody something. The reason why documents look different from one another is not only that they have to communicate different things but they have to do it in different circumstances and to audiences with differing interest and motivation. Novels, for instance are set as continuous blocks of text, not just because that’s what the author wrote but because they are likely to be read at leisure and sitting in one place. The design doesn’t have to do more than act as a vehicle for transferring the author’s thoughts off the page to the reader. An educational book might also be read in similar circumstances to a novel, but the reader may be less well motivated. So the designer might break up the text with subheadings and diagrams to make it easier for the reader to take in.

The layout of journals and newspapers, on the other hand, allows readers to pick and choose those items that interest them. It also gives the designer and editor the opportunity to emphasize one story more than another and so influence the reader’s choice.

Readers of lists or directories are likely to be highly motivated. If you are looking for a telephone number, all you want from the design is to allow you to find it quickly. You don’t want to be sold anything; just given easy access to the number.

Many publications, perhaps the majority, contain information which the writer is very keen to impart but which the reader doesn’t care if he has or not. In this case the designer may feel the need to resort to more sophisticated design techniques to catch the reader’s attention. This will call for skill in choosing the various graphic devices available and the confidence to use them in a restrained and constructive way.

So before you choose a typeface or decide on the number of columns, think about the sort of document you are trying to produce and how it is going to be used.

Quality of Typefaces

The way in which typefaces are made has changed very rapidly. For 500 years type was cast in metal; today it is almost all produced by some form of digital output from a computer. The letter form is broken up into a raster or grid of fine dots called pixels’ in the case of a “screen font”, or drawn as a series of points connected by lines described in “PostScript Language” as is the case with Printer Fonts.

The quality of the drawing of the letterform will depend very much on the fineness of that grid and the number of pixels used to create the screen font, or the number of points used to describe the letter in the Printer Font.

Choice may be limited by the equipment available. Most office laser printers for instance, generate type at low resolution. Otherwise it is usually a compromise between high quality and economy. For example it would probably be uneconomic to produce at high resolution an internal document of which you needed only 50 copies. A publicity brochure to be widely distributed would not look good enough with type set at low resolution and should be output on a high resolution imagesetter.

The basic components of any typeface

A fairly coarse grid 300 dpi (dots per inch) is referred to as low resolution. In this case the original drawing will have been simplified to suit the limited number of pixels available. Most screen fonts are drawn to be satisfactory at this resolution. In a higher resolution output device, the grid is finer—up to 2540 dpi. Here the rendering will be indistinguishable from the original drawing. This is what the Printer font outlines are for and where they become important.

Type measurement

The point system

The units of type measurement used in the UK and USA are the point’ and the ‘pica’. (In continental Europe the corresponding units are the ‘Didot point’ and the ‘cicero’. The Didot point is very slightly larger than the British American point but the principles of their application are exactly the same.) There are 12 points to a pica. This measures approximately 1 sixth of an inch. On digital systems this has been made exactly a sixth of an inch.

It is possible to specify a typographical layout in either points, millimeters or inches but if you plan to transfer any of the production to a professional printer or typesetter, then there will be less likelihood of confusion if everyone is using the same system of measurement from the beginning. For this reason it is better to start by working in points and picas.

Typefaces are normally specified in points; columns and margins are usually given in picas and points. So a column 174 points wide would be specified as 14 pica 6 points.

How type is measured

When type is cast in metal, the printing surface the ‘face’ is mounted on a block of metal called the ‘body’. The type size measured in points refers to this metal body rather than the face itself. The proportion of the face on the body can vary considerably from one typeface to another.

This principle still applies. For example a 10 point type is one that measures 10 points from baseline to baseline when set solid (i.e. without any extra space being added between the lines). So it is possible for one 10 point type to look smaller than another but they will both take up the same depth from line to line.

Leading or line-feed is the space inserted between the lines of type. This is derived from the use of cast lines of lead inserted between lines of type to add space.

Telling typefaces apart

There are over 90,000 typefaces at philsfonts.com alone, one of our favorite suppliers of typography. Given the fact that there are over 10 major type foundries today, this is potentially hundreds of thousands of typefaces to choose from and use. That’s a lot of choices.

Of course there is some overlap from foundry to foundry and this does cause some confusion. For example: Stempel-Haas created “Helvetica” which Compugraphic then copied and called “Megaron”, it is essentially the same type face with a few minor variations. I happen to think copied for the worse. Using the original and paying the licensing fee is a sure way to get the quality you should be getting, rather than using a cheap copy. Costs are so similar these days that you may as well get the original face. Note that Adobe Systems always name the originator of the typeface first when applicable, i.e. ITC Garamond Light. When you get more familiar with the basic typefaces you will be able to spot these “rip-offs” more easily.

Most typefaces are named after their originator. Caslon, Garamond, Zapf for example. This is one way of knowing you’ve purchased the real thing.

These very wide type choices can seem rather daunting, particularly if you depend entirely on your own subjective taste. But there are some practical considerations which can help you in choosing a typeface for a particular job.

Always look for five characteristics in a typeface:

1. Whether or not it has serifs.
2. The shape of the serifs, if any.
3. The difference in the change from thick to thin in the strokes of the letters.
4. The direction of the thick part of the letter from oblique to vertical known as the ’stress’.
5. The average width of the characters called the ’set’. You can see this most readily by comparing the lengths of complete alphabets of the same point size.

Categories of Type

These divisions are very broad. Many typefaces, particularly of recent design, have characteristics which belong in more than one group.

Old face types usually have lightly bracketed serifs, with a moderate change from thick to thin strokes in the letter and an oblique stress in the direction of the thick strokes. The italic form is usually slightly decorative. The letters tend to be light in weight, although the type family usually includes a bold version.

Transitional types have serifs that are more clearly bracketed and have a more marked, but not abrupt, change from thick to thin strokes. There is a less obviously oblique direction in the heavy part of the letter.

Modern faces have fine, unbracketed (hairline) serifs with a strong contrast between thick and thin strokes. There is a strong vertical stress in the direction of the heavy parts of the letters.

Slab serifs have, as their name implies, noticeably heavy, rectangular serifs. The design of the rest of the letter can vary but there is usually little difference between the thick and thin parts of the letters.

Sans serifs are all types without the terminal strokes (serifs) at the ends of the stem, arms and tails of the letters. Decorative and Display are intended to be used for only a few words at a time. They are not suitable for continuous text.

Decorative and display faces are faces drawn with a particular style in mind where legibility may be sacrificed for the decorative needs of the face.

Letraset is a good example of a robust library of decorative type faces. Generally not used for text purposes, these are suitable for headlines where a strong voice or personality is required.

Script and Brush letters have an informality which is useful in publicity and display work but makes them unsuited for long text passages.

Ultramoderns are hard to classify but include typefaces drawn since the advent of the computer in graphic design. Several defy conventional rules about construction and readability. Some are already modern classics, such as those drawn by Neville Brody and Zuzana Licko.

What to choose and why

There is a difference between ‘legibility” and “readability”. A typeface such as Helvetica is indeed highly legible. Highway signage is designed for maximum legibility, but that’s not the same as “readability”. A long document made up of highway signage type would be pretty awful to try to read for any length of time.

For readability, many people feel that serifed types are more comfortable to read over a long, continuous text.

Sans serifs look clean and businesslike. They normally have a very wide range of weights, which makes them particularly useful in publicity and display. Sans serifs reproduce well on a smooth, matte paper that does not reflect the light.

Light weight alphabets with fairly short serifs and little difference between thick and thin strokes tend to look their best at high resolution, printed on a matte or rough paper.

Types with more robust serifs and a clearer difference between thick and thin strokes stand up better to low resolution and reproduce well on a wider range of papers.

Types with very fine serifs and a strong vertical stress look better if produced at higher resolutions. The sharp contrast between thick and thin strokes is best maintained on a smooth paper surface.

If the column width is narrow; then avoid typefaces with a very wide set. But remember that types with a very narrow set (condensed) can be tiring to read over a long text.

Type families

Both serif and sans serif typefaces are available in two basic styles referred to as roman and italic. Roman is usually the starting point when designing with type, as it is the standard for most typeset text. Italic typefaces are derived from several sources: from the exquisitely written scripts of the renaissance called Chancery to the computer modified typefaces created by “slanting” or “obliquing” the roman letterforms. As we know, Italics are usually used for emphasis.

Many typefaces are available in families of weights and other variations from condensed to extended. The advantage of working within one family is that you can be sure that the types will combine well and that the contrast between one weight and another will be sufficient for the reader to notice the difference. It is rarely necessary to use more than two or three weights in one document, but in any case be sure to use them consistently.

Type and the Computer

As most graphic work is prepared digitally on computers these days this lecture primarily concerns itself with these systems.

Computers today, both MAC and PC, have moved up to the level of genuine typesetting systems with quite a few options and advantages never available before in the history of our industry.

Type handling for page makeup software, drawing programs, even image manipulation programs has come a long way since the dawn of this computer. But there are still some basic issues to be aware of when using and managing type on the computer.

There are two parts to the typeface that need to be present in the system in order for it to work. This is the area where the most confusion reigns and attention must be paid. Each font is represented by a Screen font and a Printer Font.

The Screen Font

This is usually a ‘bit -mapped’ version of the typeface that is stored inside a document called a ’suitcase’. Usually there are several sizes and weights representing the entire family. These are used to render the font on your screen. There are also several ‘resources’ present in this file that are very important. They are necessary for the computer in order to recognize the typeface, know where it lives and what its name is.

The Printer Font

This file is where the outlines of the actual font reside. These are used by the output device or printer to actually render the font on your final output material: paper, film, laser writer. These are object-oriented drawings described in a cross-platform computer language called ‘PostScript’. These are identical in nature to the kinds of drawing objects found in Aldus Freehand, or Illustrator and are editable in certain programs.

Fonts for the Web

This portion is used with permission from Mario Sanchez

Web-Safe Fonts for Your Site

Choosing the right typeface for your website copy is important, since it will affect the way your readers perceive your page (serious and formal, or friendly and casual). Aside from this, there are also important usability concerns. For example, some font types are more easily readable than others, and some are more widely available.

You want to choose font types that:

1. fit the character of your site,
2. are easy to read on a computer screen, and
3. are widely available across many browsers and operating systems.

There are basically two types of fonts: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts are those that have fine cross-lines at the extremities of the letter. Sans serif (”sans” being the French word for “without”) are fonts that don’t have serifs. The most common serif font is probably Times New Roman. Arial is an example of a common sans serif font.

Let’s go briefly through the most popular font types and evaluate their availability, readibility and character:

Arial:

Availability: Thoroughly available. It is probably the most common sans serif font. It is the default font for Windows, and it first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1. Readability On Screen: Not the worse but definetely not the best, especially at small sizes, when it becomes too narrow and the spacing between characters too small. Character: Has a streamlined, modern look but is also plain and boring. For Mac users, the equivalent of Arial is Helvetica.

Times New Roman:

Availability: Thoroughly available. It is probably the most common serif font. It is the default font for web browsers. It was first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1 Readability On Screen: Acceptable for font sizes of 12pt. and up, but terrible for smaller sizes. Character: Serious, formal and old fashioned. For Mac users, the equivalent of Times New Roman is Times.

Verdana:

Availability: A widely available sans serif font, Verdana was first shipped with Internet Explorer version 3, when the exponential growth of the Internet demanded a new font that was easy to read on the screen. Readability On Screen: Exceptional. It’s wide body makes it the clearest font for on-screen reading, even at small sizes. Character: Modern, friendly and professional.

Georgia:

Avaliability: Good. It is a serif font introduced by Microsoft with Internet Explorer version 4, when the need for a serif font which much better readability than Times New Roman became evident. Readibility On Screen: Very good. It is the best serif font for on-line reading, since it was specifically designed for that purpose. Character: Modern, friendly and professional.

Microsoft has also popularized two more fonts: Comic Sans Serif and Trebuchet.

Comic Sans Serif was launched with Internet Explorer version 3 and mimics the hand writing used in comics. It is easy to read and is informal and friendly, but it is not considered appropriate for more serious, professional sites.

Trebuchet is another sans serif font, similar to Arial but with more character, although it can be difficult to read in small sizes.

Finally, we can mention Courier New, a serif font that was widely popular with old, mechanical typewriters, and that is now used only to present simulated computer code (if you need to present snipets of sample HTML code in your web pages, this is the font to use.

Therefore, from a usability perspective, the clear winner is Verdana. If you are inclined to use a serif font, Georgia is the best option. Arial remains a good option for specific parts of text, like headlines and titles, where a different font must be used and you can use larger sizes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TIM KENNEY: Creative Director and CEO of

Web Optimisation, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing
Gps Base Froogle Or Whatever Theyre Calling It Today
Chess Set

Writing is like any other skill in that you have to do a lot of it to get better. There isn’t any way around that, but you can identify mistakes common to new writers and learn to stop making them before they become habit.

Here are the most common mistakes new writers make:

Trying to sound really, really smart at the expense of clarity.

Writing for publication is extremely competitive (some say as competitive as Hollywood). Which means that writers are often anxious about how others perceive them. But using archaic, complicated words and convoluted sentence structures won’t make you sound intelligent; it will make you sound out of touch, or worse — it will confuse and frustrate the reader, convincing him/her to put down your article or book. Say what you mean as directly, honestly, and clearly as you can.

Saying too much.

This falls under the sage advice to trust your reader. Don’t insult your audience’s intelligence by including every shred of minutiae when it’s not needed.

For example, if the crux of a scene is going to be a big blow-up at the breakfast table between a teen and her parents, you don’t need to show the girl waking up to the alarm clock, brushing her teeth, getting dressed, putting on her makeup, stuffing her backpack, etc., before you get us to the kitchen table. The reader will fill in the blanks and understand that the girl had things to do before she headed downstairs.

When details don’t contribute to character development or move the story along, skip them. Also, resist the urge to “oversay” (bludgeon the readers with unnecessary repetition because you assume they must have forgotten things).

Saying too little.

This falls under the sage advice to be specific.

Although readers fill in the blanks all the time (as we saw in the above example), sometimes new writers assume that readers can fill in crucial gaps on their own. Because we often have a vivid, detailed picture of our subject in our heads as we write, we get wrapped up in that picture and forget that it needs to be equally vivid and detailed on the page. If you leave huge gaps that even the most attentive reader can’t possibly leap over alone, you aren’t saying enough.

Be sure there’s enough on the page for the readers to make meaningful connections and draw informed conclusions. Include relevant, interesting details in your writing. Make things specific so that your writing is memorable. Remember: seasoned is always better than bland.

Abandoning the promise you made the reader at the beginning of the piece.

If you’ve written anything that really mattered to you from start to finish, you know how the act of writing stimulates new thoughts and therefore you might end up in an unexpected place when you finish. New writers sometimes forget that ending up somewhere else means that you have to change the starting point.

For example, if your novel opens with unexplained murders and then introduces an armchair sleuth, you’re setting the reader up for a mystery. If you change the premise mid-way and shape the work into a romance involving a minor character (and ultimately leave the crimes unsolved), you’re breaking the promise you implicitly made your reader. Or maybe your article starts off promising a look at Cleopatra’s final days and ultimately ends up with anecdotes about modern-day travel in Egypt.

Forgetting that readers want to be entertained.

Because the story you’re working on is so compelling to you, it’s easy to forget that others need to be convinced that it’s fabulous (especially if it’s book-length and you want them to stick with you till the end). This advice applies to fiction and non-fiction writers alike. Unless your book is required reading on a college syllabus, you have to make it worth the reader’s while. Since there are so many entertainment choices out there, people won’t slog through something that they don’t enjoy.

How to avoid these mistakes:

Be aware of them.

You shouldn’t cramp your style when you write your first drafts (because you’ll get the richest material if your self-edit feature is “OFF”). But click it on when you revise, and look for places you need to correct the above errors in subsequent drafts.

Ask a trusted reader for feedback.

Keep in mind that a trusted reader isn’t the person who always tells you how brilliant you are and that your work is perfect (that’s “Mom”), but the person who is willing to give you honest feedback, even when it may be hard to hear. Ask that person for very specific feedback. Ask your trusted readers to note places in your work where they felt confused or bored or frustrated.

Read as much as your brain can hold. And then go back for more.

Read loads and loads in the genre you’re writing, as well as other areas that interest you. But don’t just read for the sake of reading — read like a writer: reread things that really worked for you. Locate patterns, identify structures, look at the ways experienced writers you admire have avoided the most common mistakes and try to consciously apply that to your own work.

But don’t just stop at books you love. When you come across books or articles that make you say, “I could have done this way better,” note where the author lost you and think of how you would fix it if you had the chance.

Keep a writing journal.

And the more specific you are, the better. Keep detailed track of your progress, including the things you’re reading and what you’re learning from them. Describe the steps you’re taking in revision. Keep track of how you’re faring overall with addressing and avoiding the most common pitfalls new writers face.

To discover more ways to avoid common writing mistakes, visit and sign up for “Write Through It,” a free, monthly e-newsletter that offers tips on writing more clearly and effectively.

Lucia Zimmitti is a writing coach and independent editor. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators and the Editorial Freelancers Association. Her fiction and poetry have been published in various national literary journals, and she has taught writing at the high school and college levels.

http://www.beerandyoung.com
Freelance Illustrator, Graphic Artist, Cartoonist
http://www.richarddeverell.com

The act of getting a finance degree in an accredited university is not enough to land a job. The financial sector is highly competitive based on a number of factors not the least of which is the importance of individuals capable of dealing with high stress jobs. A finance degree does not carry the same weight as it once did based on the number of finance professionals looking for work worldwide. Your knowledge of available employers of finance graduates will give you a leg up on the competition.

Finance graduates who want to break into the public sector can work with government agencies responsible for creating a national budget. The national budget involves billions of pounds distributed throughout hundreds of programs. Each pound needs to be accounted for at all times to avoid charges of accounting malfeasance. Financial advisors who want to serve their country while using their university training can find an internship program through a government agency to begin their career.

A combination of small business growth and increasing accessibility to financial resources has led to a new market for finance graduate jobs. There are a number of firms that need to fill finance graduate jobs designed specifically for small business clients. The rewards of working as a financial advisor to a burgeoning business are plentiful including the opportunity to witness successful businesses at their birth. These positions may feature a lower commission level but graduates can gain invaluable experience and a stepping stone for better positions with a few years on the job.

Finance graduates eye up high profile positions with corporations as stock traders and advisors on the world’s financial exchanges. The intense competition, high stress and long hours of these jobs can be off-putting for young professionals. Graduates who want a taste of this highly pursued career option can spend a summer as an intern after graduation. This temporary option provides a foot in the door and builds up skills needed in other financial positions.

A professional option for finance graduates who disdain the rigors of office life is private advising for individual clients. Finance graduates need to get certification and licensure on their own but young professionals can strike out on their own to advice people who don’t trust advising firms. This path requires hard work, a commitment to selling one’s self and an ability to build trust instantly with sceptical clients.

About the author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of portal with news and reviews on current affairs.

http://www.tooboring.com
http://www.tooboring.com
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