Microsoft Interactive Training

By Scott Edwards

Microsoft interactive training courses are available at all levels - which one will suit you will depend on the type of job you're looking to get into. Interactive training is now considered to be the best way to learn, and excellent quality training is available in disc format for ease of use.

The way you learn is by watching and listening to full-motion videos of instructors teaching the information as if they're speaking directly to you, one-on-one. You then observe practical demonstrations of what the instructor has just taught, to reinforce the message (and obviously you can 'rewind' as many times as you like).

After that, you have a go yourself. The interactivity aspect of these CD/DVD ROMS means that you can practice the demonstrations on your own PC to really get to grips with the subject. Because nothing needs to be installed on your hard drive, this training is a very portable option.

Microsoft Gold Partners from around the world have played their part in developing this superior training provision, and it's been received very well by students. Modern training companies will also supply many other terrific benefits.

In addition to the best training methods, it's also essential to look for a company that provides the best student support. However good a course is, there'll always be occasions when you need some extra help.

Look for a genuine 24/7 online support system which is provided from multiple offices around the world in different time zones. This way you can ensure you have access to a team of instructors whenever you need them. You might think it unlikely that you'll be studying at one in the morning (although many students do), but what about ten in the evening, or two in the afternoon on Sunday?

There's nothing more frustrating to the student than having to wait a couple of days for a reply to a query. With an international on-line support system, you just log in, and they'll help you there and then - using a number of different options including 'over the shoulder views' - demonstrating what to do.

Microsoft interactive training comprises of a variety of methods to assist the learning process. Testing modules will follow each section, with exercises to review what you've just learned. This is all backed up with printable study guides should anyone feel the need for hard copy.

You should make sure your training includes exam preparation software that's been authorised by Microsoft. Being a US company, many questions are expressed in an American style, so UK students need to be familiar with this before attempting the real thing.

The cost of Microsoft interactive training on CD/DVD ROMS is much less than many alternative forms of learning. This opens it up to all who wish to train.

About the Author:

Scott Edwards (author) alternates his days between consulting and enouraging a higher quality of training delivery throughout the UK. To find out more about Microsoft Interactive Training, visit LearningLolly Computer Training.

Readmore »»

Taxis, Cabbies and GPS Tracking

Taxis
Cabbies
GPS Tracking

By Herbert Reich

Taxicabs, also called just cabs or taxis, are a kind of single passenger or small group public transport. Taxis act as vehicles for hire, and transport people between locations of their choice for a fee. Unlike buses and trains, the passenger determines the pick up and drop off points, not the driver. There are four major kinds of taxicab, though they may not be called by these names, depending on location.

Give them a wave. Hackney carriages are available for hailing or public hire, and can be hired on the street. Private hire vehicles are also available, and may be called minicabs. Private hire taxis are available only by pre-booking - you can't hire them on the street. Jitneys, or taxibuses, are a type of bus/taxicab hybrid that operate on preset routes like a bus. Limousines are also a kind of taxi, but are usually only available by pre-booking.

Taxi customs vary from country to country, and sometimes from city to city. The first hackney carriages started operating in the early seventeenth century in London and Paris. The first service we can document was started by a man called Nicolas Sauvage in Paris, and dates from 1640s. His vehicles were called fiacres, since the major vehicle depot in the city was near a shrine to St. Fiacre. In French, this term is still used to describe horse drawn carriages for hire. The Hackney Carriage Act was passed in London in 1635 and was the first legislated control on vehicles for hire in English. Eventually hansom cabs replaced older vehicles due to being faster and safer.

The next major advance in taxis was the invention of the taximeter. This device, originally mechanical but now often electronic, calculates the fare in the cab. The first modern taxicab equipped with a meter was the Daimler Victoria, built in 1897. Gas powered taxicabs started operating in Paris in 1899, in 1903 in London, and in 1907 in New York. During the twentieth century, taxicabs became more and more common, partially due to the integration of two way radios into them in the 1940s. This worked more efficiently than the previous callbox method. In the 1980s, computer aided dispatching came into being, and was a significant innovation.

One of the common traits among taxi drivers is that experienced ones are expected to have a strong knowledge of all the places their customers may wish to go. However, as time goes on and technology advances, more and more taxicab companies are beginning to use GPS tracking in their vehicles. This augments the traditional printed map included in most taxicabs. Poorer countries generally still rely on the driver's memory and the map, since GPS is not always available. Despite the availability of this technology, some areas that have the option of using GPS tracking do not make use of it. London's black cab taxis, for instance, still rely on strict training of their drivers instead. Minicabs, on the other hand, are making use of this technology much more frequently.

About the Author:

If you are interested in getting your hands on a GPS tracking system or device, make sure you by from a reputable GPS manufacturer.

Readmore »»

Spending Less in Christmas Shopping

By Amy Nutt

It's a goal for millions and millions of families each and every year - keep the Christmas spending within a budget, but still be able to afford the gifts that your loved ones will enjoy. Never has this concern been greater in recent years than right now - it seems like the most sought after gifts keep getting more and more expensive, but our salaries (if we are lucky enough to have kept our jobs through these tough financial times) remain the same.

There is no denying that having the happiest Christmas possible, while still remaining within a very tight budget is no easy task, but there are several things that you can do to help.

Hit the Sales

No one wants to get up at four o?clock in the morning and fight the vicious throngs of ill-willed shoppers to get the best deals on Black Friday, but sometimes the "door buster" deals are among the absolute best that you?ll find.

Black Friday bargains are something that just about every retailer participates in now in an effort to really kick off the holiday shopping season with a bang. It?s admittedly very tough to muster up the courage and get out there in the cold for a good deal, but sometimes ? it can be well worth the aggravation.

It's not always about just beating the rush though, many retailers offer specials all through the day ? and some even offer online Black Friday specials, so if you aren't hearty enough to handle the early morning war for the best prices, you may still be able to get a great deal on Black Friday

Pay Close Attention to Advertisements

Once the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, retailers hungry for your business will do just about whatever it takes to get you in the store. Pay very close attention to weekly advertisements of sales among the major retailers and don't be afraid to comparison shop - even if something is five dollars less at one location, that-s still five more dollars in your pocket.

Major retailers put on special sales just about every week leading up to the holiday, if you keep a watchful eye open to the sale papers you just might be able to find the item that you're looking for at a large percentage off.

Retailers websites will also show the current sales taking place and sometimes offer newsletters that will notify shoppers of upcoming bargains that others may not be privy to.

Shop Online

Some of us don't like running from store to store in order to get the absolute best price on the perfect gift, some of us don?t like to go out in the cold at all ? thankfully for us, there is a wealth of top notch bargains right at our fingertips with online shopping.

The world of online shopping lets people visit all the major retailers as well as some specialty stores that could never have been patronized without the help of the internet. This gives us, as consumers, the ability to truly find exactly what we are looking for, at the best possible price without ever having to leave the house. With 'traditional' Christmas shopping consumers are sometimes limited to what's left in stock if they wait too long to get to a particular store.

Having the perfect Christmas while sticking to a budget will never be easy, but with the extra resources available to the consumer today it?s easier than it has ever been before. If you research the sales online and make good use of online purchasing you should be able to save a good bit of money on your Christmas shopping this holiday season.

About the Author:

Shop online and enjoy the benefits. Find a vast selection of Dell Computers, gadgets, books and more.

Shopping
Spending Less
Christmas

Readmore »»

Selecting a Premium GPS Navigation System

By Joseph Aaron

The Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS Navigation System is among the most useful offerings that can be found for navigations. The routes that come with the Nuvi 760 offer insructins for North America so you get to journey to the United States, Canada, or Mexico with your unit to guide you.

Features

The readout on the Garmin Nuvi 760 offers a large 3.8 by 2.25 screen that is complete with a backlight and a no-glare screen. The display boasts a good resolution of 480 by 272 pixels withs a 3-D image display.

Your Garmin 760 also includes an FM radio transmitter to offer you a way to get the most recent real-time traffic reports that will let you miss bad traffic areas in the city. All of the data that you have to enter in the unit is easily reached on the touch screen so the shape is kept small with slim lines and a smooth ball socket construction.

You affix the Garmin Nuvi 760 to your dashboard with a small suction cup which can be taken down with ease when you step out of your vehicle. The small dimensions are good when you are afraid to leave the system behind; the navigator will easily slide into a pocket or purse as you file papers or pick up groceries.

Extra Features

The Garmin Nuvi 760 Travel Assistant has a feature that can be use to keep track of your favorite destinations. For instance, if you work from hotels frequently, you can store the hotel address in the unit and then simply key in your destination address to receive the quickest and most efficient instructions.

You can also store the names of your favorite eateries and boutiques in the navigator to find these places easily in a strange city. This is a very helpful feature when you need a certain item that is not sold in some places.

The Nuvi 760 is also the prime device to have if you have a lot of setbacks remembering where you have left your car in a large city or parking garage. The unit will easily recall where you parked by saving the final location that the unit recalls. This is a useful feature that is not on the older Garmin Nuvi products.

Adding Features and Maps

If the Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS Navigation System that you own needs to be modified, all you need to do is go to the official website to download recent maps and features onto the system. Some updates must be bought, including travel guides and maps. You Nuvi 760 package will include a USB cable so that you can simply attach your unit to your home computer for updates.

You should also have the option of selecting the look of the touch screen letters on your Nuvi 760. Many people are familiar with a standard keyboard and find it simpler to utilize this layout when typing info.

About the Author:

Joseph Aaron writes for a site that helps consumers make smarter buying decisions on GPS Navigation Systems. Amongst the highest rated GPS units recommended on his website is the Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS Navigation System.

Readmore »»

UK Based Retraining

By Scott Edwards

Retraining UK wide falls into several different areas. Before taking any decisions, look at why you're considering going in another direction.

Is it because you want a new challenge, less stress, more excitement? Are you under threat in your present job, perhaps being taken advantage of, or just not valued enough? Or are you simply in an out of time industry?

Perhaps you need to earn more money, or find a job that's restricted to social hours. It could be that you want to find something different that's more suited to your lifestyle.

To make a change requires action, but by reading this you're taking the first step. Actually doing something new can be quite scary, but rest assured you're walking on a well trodden path.

So, starting with the premise that you're interested in retraining in the UK: It begs the question, retrain to become what?

Here are some questions to be thinking about:

* Should you new career be better paid than your old one?

* Do you expect to retrain into a lifelong career?

* Having retrained, do you want to find it easy to get work?

* Do you want a skill that means you can live anywhere in the UK, and aren't restricted to one particular area?

We mention these points because they're typical things that most people we speak to are looking for. Despite that, many don't think of them all before choosing a new career path. Avoid the common mistake of selecting a training course for a limiting career.

So, answering our questionnaire, we'll make the assumption that an ideal retraining programme should lead to a career with above average pay, employment up to retirement age, and a great skill shortage. It should also have job opportunities throughout the UK.

When you fully understand what you want out of a new career, you can really fine tune the optimum role for you. The best way to do this is to speak to a training advisor with knowledge of the job on a day to day basis. It's sometimes surprising how little we know until we do this.

About the Author:

Scott Edwards has been involved with the IT and Training industry for 30 years. He reckons he really should know what he's doing by now. To find out more about Retraining UK, visit LearningLolly Computer Training.

Readmore »»