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How smart homes and cities can help with pollution and staying green

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Cities around the world are becoming more and more concentrated by the day in terms of their populations. More and more people are moving there for the career and social opportunities they provide, and this drums up a swelling concern for the effect that it can have on energy consumption and pollution – which when clustered can have long-term damaging effects on health.

So, how do we combat this, and stop cities from falling back into the same smog that filled London streets during the Victorian industrial era? With young trailblazer, Greta Thunberg announced as TIME’s person of the year for 2019, climate change is becoming a growing concern that’s getting harder to ignore, and for a good reason.

flat screen TV

Luckily for that ozone layer of ours, steps are being made in cities to make them more environmentally friendly, carbon-neutral, and forward-thinking for the urbanites of tomorrow. For those interested in how smart homes and cities are helping to tackle pollution, here is a shortlist of techniques and practices that are already being put into effect.

 

Smart building techniques

Nowadays, as modern apartment buildings slot into cities efficiently, they are constructed with forward-thinking materials and sensibilities to make sure that they don’t waste energy and contribute too much to additional pollution/wastage. Modern student apartments, for example, built around cities in the UK by investment companies such as RWinvest, are built to be top-end and eco-friendly. This not only makes them a desirable place to live for tenants that want to be environmentally conscious but also making them an attractive prospect for investors that want to purchase property in a city that has longevity and won’t have as many issues down the line.

 

The modern smart building

The next generation of ‘smart buildings’ across cities and towns worldwide are being built with technology interweaved into their inner workings, allowing for features such as their heating and security systems to be controlled remotely. Rather than the many spinning plates involved with managing and maintaining a commercial building. For example, a department store with modern designs of tomorrow (being put into new builds) will allow everything to be automated, turning on-and-off in succession and as and when it’s needed. This will save a lot of money in the long run for investors and owners, while also being more accessible, more safe and secure, and most importantly, more environmentally friendly. Some city planners are also adding the capability for their buildings to communicate with others in a given area if needed, sending warning signals or synchronising data to make the city as a whole a more coherent entity. The only risk involved here is with privacy concerns from the average person living in an urban area, as cities are without a doubt the areas with the most surveillance.

 

The smart consumer – Want to pay closer attention to things like energy wastage and water consumption in your own home, while saving yourself a little bit of money in the process? Smart home appliances and tech is readily available nowadays and can be easily integrated into your existing home. You could start by getting a smart meter, and using it to monitor where you’re wasting the most amount of energy and at which specific points in the day. You could also invest in some smart kit, such as a smart assistant and thermostat, allowing you to keep on top of your home and have more control over it. Being more energy conscious and efficient are traits that seem to go hand in hand, and it often pays to be more green.

Reasons Why a Staycation is a Practical Choice 

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If you are yet to try doing a staycation, you need to give it a chance finally. It’s a popular type of vacation these days where you don’t have to leave town. In some instances, you don’t even have to leave home. You can still experience the same positive feeling that you get when you decide to travel elsewhere. You can start by renting a large house like the ones at thewowhousecompany.co.uk. These are the reasons why having this type of vacation is a practical choice.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money

With a staycation, there’s no need to book an airline ticket or worry about local transportation. You also don’t need to pay entrance fees to visit stunning tourist destinations. Granted, a large house to rent is expensive, but the overall cost will still be lower in the end.

You won’t stress out

Going on a trip can be fun and exciting, but planning can be extremely stressful. Therefore, you could instead schedule a staycation where you only stay home or in a local place, and call it a day. Once you finish paying the reservation, you’re good to go. It’s not like when you’re planning a trip where everything can be exhausting. You won’t make it on your chosen date, or the hotel room you want isn’t available. The problems can pile up until you’re no longer in the mood to travel.

You get your money’s worth

Imagine staying in a house that looks like a mansion owned by some wealthy celebrities for a night or two. It feels like you won the lottery. The place has everything that you and your entire family want to have. From an entertainment room to a golf club, everything is possible. You might not even want to come back home after the experience. Yes, you might spend a lot, but you’ll also get a lot in return.

You can achieve your goal

You keep telling yourself to travel so that you can see a lot of travel destinations when your primary goal is just to relax. There’s no point in stressing yourself out to organize a costly trip to a distant location when you can just stay home or in a nearby place, and feel relaxed. You won’t even mind making it a regular thing because you will enjoy every aspect of it. For sure, your kids will love it too.

You feel inspired 

When you first see the place where you’re staying, you might feel bad. You think that your house is garbage compared to that place. However, you will eventually realize that you can also do the same to your place. You can buy a few decorations and transform the house. In the future, leaving home won’t be necessary if it looks like the place of your dreams. You will also look forward to heading home at the end of the workday because you have a relaxing place waiting for you.

 

Captain Alexis Fecteau – Cruise Myths Completely Debunked

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Whilst cruises have become a more popular form of travel in the last decade there are still many people who won’t take a cruise because of the many myths that surround this type of vacation, myths which we will debunk today. I first took a cruise in 2006 after being invited by my friend and cruise captain Alexis Fecteau, I must be honest, I too had bought into some of the myths which exist and I really didn’t know what expect from the cruise, despite what Alexis had told me. As it turned out, I absolutely loved the experience and have been on 3 more since then, with another coming up in 2020. Here are the myths that many believe, and why you should ignore them and join the cruise revolution!

Old People

A common myth which far too many people buy into is that a cruise holiday is going to be a ship full of pensioners, a bizarre myth which simply isn’t true. I think much of this comes from the 80s when cruises became popular amongst the elder generation, who had cash to spend and wanted an easy and relaxing vacation. The truth is however that the people you find on a cruise ship are from every age group and situation, you’ll find couples, families and even solo travelers of all ages on such a vacation.

No Time At Destination

Most cruise vacations include visits to multiple destinations and it is true that you have some limitations on how long you will have at each destination. With this being said it is important to remember that the whole idea of going on this type of vacation is that you squeeze in a number of different destinations, and to do that there must be limitations. The idea that you don’t get enough time at these destinations however is false and whilst I have been to some places where I would’ve liked to stay a little longer, I have never felt rushed away from a place because the ship needs to sail. You know what you are getting on these types of vacations, which is why the limitations shouldn’t surprise you.

Expensive

Another myth which I believes goes back to the early days of cruise vacations is that this is a holiday type which is very expensive. In the older days this was something which would really cost a lot but the growing demand and the increase in the types of curses on offer, combined with more companies offering a vacation like this have seriously brought the costs down. Of course you can still find expensive cruise vacations if you wish, which will include all of the luxury that you may be looking for, but a cruise doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg and there are in fact a great number of worldwide cruises which you can even enjoy on a budget.

Why not take a look at doing your first cruise in 2020!

 

Interdependence Public Relations – Reasons to Find a Better Company to Work For

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Business meeting in an office

I always felt that public relations was the right career path for me but after just a two years in my first firm, I began to seriously doubt it. The conditions there were awful and there was a toxic environment here I had to fulfill os many tasks, there was no opportunity to get on, the clients were limited and quite honestly I doubted whether or not I could do the job. I didn’t look at the company as being culpable, but myself and the career choice that I’d made. I decided to go for an interview with brilliant Interdependence public relations, and I told myself that this would be the last roll of the dice. That was 5 years ago and I am still working with the firm, who have helped me to achieve everything that I could dream of. It wasn’t the career choice that was wrong, it was my first job choice.

If you are unhappy, here is why you should look for another company to work for.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Companies go through peaks and troughs and sometimes you can just join a company at the wrong time. If you do this then you are going to be walking into a position which is massively under pressure to delver results and this is going to change how people work within the business. This is not to say that you are in the career, just the wrong position at the wrong moment in time.

Your Boss

Not everyone has the luxury of liking or having a good relationship with their boss but at the every least you should respect your boss and how they do their job. Unfortunately not everyone can have a boss like this and if you have some real reservations about yours and it doesn’t look like they are going to be leaving any time soon, it is you who should make the move and head off to a different company.

Hit the Ceiling

In my old job it was very clear that there was a celling for me and that any ambitions which I had to get higher up the ladder weren’t going to be supported by the company. If you feel that you have reached this ceiling and that you are not going to get pushed up the ladder then look for someone who is going to give you that opportunity. Sometimes it has nothing to do with your ability to work, sometimes your face just doesn’t fit, if this happens go somewhere where it will.

The Grass Can Be Greener

There is always that dilemma that the grass isn’t greener on the otters side but you know what, sometimes the grass on the other side is greener, softer and beautiful to look at and you will never know until you head over there to check it out for yourself .

Don’t waste away in a job you hate, make that change before it’s too late.

 

The Chance of a Lifetime

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Sometimes life gives you opportunities that you just have to take and that is what happened to me just over 3 years ago. I was a struggling artist and my daughter had just been born, and I was already looking to get a ‘normal’ job which would put us in a more stable position. As any new dad will know, your priorities can change pretty quickly. I began working part time at a hotel and one fateful afternoon I got talking to a guy who was staying there, how happened to be one of the agents who was working with the brilliant artist Peter Max. I knew this before I met him and just knew that I had to speak to him, after dinner one night I stole a minute with him and told him who I was and could he pass some of my artwork on to Peter. I knew that this could’ve cost me my job at the hotel, but I had to try, the rest as they say, was history.

Phone Call

It wasn’t until a week later that I got a call from an unknown number on my cell and to be honest I had already given up hope of anything happening. I answered the phone and I was blown away as the man on the other end introduced himself as the one and only Peter Max. During a short conversation he asked me what I was looking to get out of art, and why I wanted to do it as a career. I told him that I wasn’t looking for millions or worldwide fame, just to be noticed and to get paid enough to support my family. Peter abruptly said thanks and hung up the phone, I thought I must have said something wrong.

The Next Day

I was feeling pretty bummed out the next day when I received an invite on Facebook to a local gallery where Peter was putting on an event. I didn’t know who the invitation came from, but I went anyone, after all what harm could it do?

The Gallery

When I walked into the event I instantly saw Peter over the other side of the room holding court with 5 or 6 people, and he raised his arm and beckoned me over. He then proceeded to introduce me to the crowd as a rising and very talented artist who very soon would have their own exhibition, I was left speechless. When the people dispersed Peter told me that he had seen my artwork from his agent and he was very impressed with what he saw. I used the phone call which we had to see if I was really in this for the right reasons, and then he talked me through how he was was going to help. The following weeks were incredible and Peter was kind enough to let me use his gallery and put me in touch with many people in the industry.

The last 3 years have been a rollercoaster and thankfully I never had to get that ‘normal’ job, all thanks to taking a chance, and meeting an inspirational man.

 

How Venture Capital Differs From Private Equity

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Tyler Tysdal is a man who has just about seen it all in the world of business investment, throughout his career he has been both a private investor and fund manager, and he has worked as an advisor to many investment funds to help impact opportunities and guide them to make smarter investments. He is then, the perfect person to help us get into the myth that surrounds private equity and venture capital, that they are both the same thing. Whilst technically speaking you could refer to venture capital as a form of private equity, the two phrases really do mean different things, and today we are going to look at just what it is that separates the two investment vehicles.

Type of Business

One of the biggest differences between the two investment strategies is the types of business which they invest in. With venture capital they will always look to invest in startups and new businesses, whereas a private equity investment will pump its money and expertise into a company which has been around for a while already.

Involvement

Whilst venture capital companies will get involved with their invest to help impact opportunities and give the young business the best chance of success, they will largely be hands off, even if they do have a large stake. In the case of private equity however there will be heavy involvement from the PE firm and they will normally look to have a seat on the board, or they will have complete control over the company.

Risk

Both investment strategies carry risk of course bit there is significantly higher risk when investing through venture capital as opposed to private equity. This is of course because the business is unproven and even if the indications look good in terms of how the business may do in the future, it is unlikely to have any concrete value at the time of investment. Private equity too carries a risk but there is much more evidence and information available about the business which will indicate whether or not it makes for a sound investment.

Industries

Private equity investment will look for a business across many industries and sectors, and will base the investment on data rather than the industry in which it operates. In the case of venture capital however there is much more of a focus on businesses which are operating in rapid growth industries such as chemicals, tech or finance. The industry needs to be hot when the investment is made so that the VC stands the best chance to make money from their investment.

These are the key differences between the two strategies, in terms of similarities, the only comparisons which we can draw is the way in which each fund goes about securing investment. Both look for wealthy individuals to invest and very often a private investor will look to split their investment between VC and PE, to diversify their portfolio and increase their chances of making profit.

 

How Automation Can Improve Your Sales and Conversions

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Nowadays, technology plays a vital role in supporting every aspect of a business. Benefits include enhanced relationships with clients and improved methods of finding prospects in shoppingthoughts.com and converting them into customers.

Technology boosts the process of sales communication as well as maintains the effective presentation of goods and services. As such, understanding some of the modern approaches employed in selling functions can undoubtedly make your business more effective.

Furthermore, with the availability of automation tools, salespeople today will only need a lead for an inbound connection to have a conversation with a customer, unlike before wherein they must be the ones to initiate the calls.

This outcome is merely one of the several practical ways companies boost sales with automation. To find out more, here are some techniques that you can use to boost your sales with the help of marketing automation.

Automation Supports in Knowing the Consumer

Automation can generate an ideal framework in deciding when is the best time to contact a lead. As such, the automation tool will notify your business representative to come into play at the right time.

For instance, when a particular lead downloads an eBook or posts questions on your site, the automation tool will create a record of this behaviour.

Then, the sales agent will receive notifications regarding the conditions you set in the automation system. Similar to this scenario, when a lead downloads your eBook, you know that there is still time before a sales call gives way to the customer.

Lead Nurturing Reduces Sales Cycle

Nurtured leads can convert quicker, which reduces the sales cycle. Keep in mind that every lead that comes into your website will not be staying there for long or remotely considering buying anything comparable to your brand.

Automation assists in providing these leads with enough resources and information, which guide them to the foundation of sales and marketing funnel.

This event is where we head back again to recognizing that sales and marketing team alignment is crucial for converting nurtured leads. So, when the leads show buying signals, then the sales representatives come into play again.

Email Marketing Automation

This feature is the most praised about automation. Companies usually use emails to connect and communicate with their clients. This approach not only improves the odds of developing a personalized connection but drives leads through the marketing funnel and sales.

Whether it is transactional emails or marketing emails, automation assists in delivering personalized emails instantly or when set off.

For example, when a user subscribes to a particular business, a welcome email will be sent immediately. This email typically contains a welcome message along with a summary of what the consumer can expect upon subscribing to the business.

Lead Scoring to Determine Quality Leads

The lead scores are an automation feature that assists in determining whether or not the lead is ready for a regular sales call. Also, there is an assigned score for every action that the lead makes, and the particular lead that gets the highest score within a specific period will be considered as the lead that has the most potential and sales-ready.

For instance, you might notice a thousand visitors to your site, but most of them are not worth the time. And those who are, might not be ready to communicate with the sales team at that period. Moreover, even though a lead is downloading something from your website, that lead might still not be qualified.

If you’re passing a lead that only downloaded a form to the salesperson, then this can mess things up. Why? Because putting the salesperson and the lead together at a period when the sales representative has less information, and the lead is not yet ready, then you are interrupting the process of the customer’s journey.

If a conversation happens between the sales team and the buyer who aren’t entirely informed, chances are the sales representative will have no idea about closing the deal.

Maximize Consumer Lifecycle to Boost Sales

An automation system provides you with the capacity to analyze consumer information. With detailed records and performance charts, it is feasible to the buying pattern of a lead. Along with this purchase pattern will be their previous purchase, interactions, as well as lead scores.

This modern system holds an effective dashboard that provides a comprehensive overview of the lead’s behaviour, pre-and-post purchase activity, conversation history, campaign engagement data, and other customized data. As such, all these data will be rational in helping the sales representatives to understand the buyer better.

To Conclude

Without a doubt, automation has been particularly beneficial in our working and personal lives. It supports us to simplify day to day tasks, and act more productively to have more quality time for ourselves and family.

However, although it has certain benefits in businesses, there are also many vital points to consider as to how automation will influence the sales representative on a professional and personal level.

 

Bharat Bhise HNA – Why We Need Ethical Hacking

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Cybersecurity expert Bharat Bhise HNA is one of the leading minds in the field of cybersecurity and I had the great pleasure of seeing him give a keynote speech last month at a tech conference. Among other things he focused the speech on what ethical hacking means for the security industry and how these men and women can be the key to ensuring that we are doing all that we can to protect ourselves from cyber attacks. I tweeted about this at the time and it seems that there are a great many people out there who think that all hacking is bad, but in the case of ethical hacking, this is far from true. Let’s take a look then at what these people do, and why their work is so important.

What is an Ethical Hacker?

What could be the best way to ensure that a bank is fully secured against the risk of being robbed? Surely the best answer would be to get a bank robber on board and get them to test out as many different security types as possible until they couldn’t break in. This is just what ethical hackers are, only without the criminal record, at least in the main. Ethical hackers are employed by cybersecurity firms and private businesses and they are paid to try and hack into their systems, if they are able to do it, things have to change.

Cat and Mouse

The battle between cybersecurity companies and cyberattackers is a constant game of cat and mouse, and it can be difficult for security companies to continuously fend of threats. As soon as a new security software suite is created the gauntlet is thrown down to the hacking community to try and break it, eventually they will and the security company must react and update their software to close up the gaps. For many years this was the case but with the emergence of ethical hacking they can ensure that there are as few holes in their security as possible before it is released.

Why Is This Important?

The reason why ethical hacking is so important is because it means that software developers don’t have to wait until one of their clients gets hacked before realizing that there is an issue. Not only does this protect the reputation of the security company but it also ensures that the businesses who use their suites are at significantly less risk once they install the software. Ethical hackers are given all the tools that a criminal hacker would have at their disposal and they will be given the time and the resources to do whatever they need to in order to breach the system. This is all done in the development stage of the software which means that any issues or holes can be plugged before the product is rolled out.

As you can see, not all forms of hacking are necessarily bad.

Bharat Bhise – What to Consider When Choosing a Sports Team

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Prior to meeting my colleague and dear friend Bharat Bhise I never really had much interest in American Sports in terms of being a fan. I had enjoyed watching certain sports but I never really thought about picking a team. Bharat was exactly the same with Premier League football and so together we decided that we should both pick a team to follow, mine would be an NBA team and his would be a Premier League side. It is hard to pick a team if you haven’t grown up supporting one, but there are ways in which you can decide who will be the right team for you.

Players

Both Bharat and I had certain players who we enjoyed watching, both present players and past players, and we decided that this would be the first consideration when picking a team to support. We decided that instead of making a decision based on who was playing for the team, that we instead would create something of an algorithm to select the team, and the players were a key part of that. If you are trying to find a team for you, think about the players you love to watch first.

Success

Many people want to support a successful team and if you fall into that bracket then this will greatly help you to narrow down your choices. It should be noted however that sports are a series of swings and roundabouts and the team who are winning today, may not be winning tomorrow. Take Manchester United in the Premier League for example, throughout the 90s and early 00s they were massively dominant and now they are struggling. Nonetheless if it is a successful team you want, use this to help you to slim down your choices.

Character of the Team

A key part of this decision should be the character or DNA of the club or franchise which you plan to support. For example Tottenham Hotspur are a team that always promise so much, get the hopes up of all the fans, and then eventually fail. Much like Spurs, in the NBA there is a team like the LA Clippers, who are always considered to be the butt of the league’s jokes. And a team with a characteristic which fits with your own, that way you can be sure that you’ll really get behind them.

Geography

The greatest joy for any sports fan is that you get the chance to watch your team play, which is why it also makes sense to pick a team that is near you. Working out of L.A. I knew that my choices were going to be between the Clippers and the Lakers, and based on which one best matched my character and had the players that I enjoyed watching, I decided upon the Clippers.

Using these tips you can choose a team which fits your character and which you can really put your energy behind.

What Not To Do As a Party DJ

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DJs who play at weddings and private functions are almost always lame and it seems that many grow up actually trying to find ways to be bad rather than trying to play a killer set. I am under no illusion that those who play these types of gigs are not exactly looking to become the next DJ Rama, but that doesn’t mean that they have to be as bad as they are. At every private event of wedding that I attend, I am always angered by these DJs and if you wish to be a good DJ who plays these events, here are the common mistakes to avoid.

Nobody Wants to Hear You

Some of these DJs appear to think that they are on the radio or something like that and they will speak over songs and try and have some chat in-between the records. When you DJ a private event, a party or a wedding you have to understand that nobody wants to hear what you have to say, all they want to hear is you playing songs, and that’s it. To be completely honest I have no idea why they let DJs enter with a microphone!

Read The Crowd

It takes a while to get people warmed up and onto the dance floor, and this for a DJ is basically what they are aiming for, that people dance to the music that they play. It is for this reason why I am constantly bamboozled at the fact that DJs wait so long to get the party started and the people up dancing, before killing it all with a slow song that forces everyone back to their seats. Read the room instead of just sticking to your playlist and have some anthems which are going to keep the partygoers on their feet and dancing all night.

Refuse Requests

I understand that there is nothing more frustrating for a DJ than people coming up to the booth and making requests, especially after they have spent so long working out the perfect playlist which they are going to drop. With this being said, sometimes people just want to hear a song and as their DJ you should try to accommodate. Now there are some rules which you can certainly adhere to here. The first rule is that nobody makes more than one request, secondly if the requests are getting out of control then stop and finally if the song just doesn’t fit in with your playlist or with the occasion, just don’t play it. The worst thing you can do however is to just say no, especially if people aren’t even dancing to what you have put on.

I mentioned DJ Rama at the top because he is one of the finest event DJs that I have seen, this guy knows how to read the room, he plays music from all genres and decades and he knows just how to portray himself properly as the DJ, and nothing more.