Planning to buy a laptop? However, don't know how to start hunting for the ideal notebook. One that meets your requirements and fits in best into your work regimen. Remember, while specs are what manufacturers tout -- dual core processor, large screen, size, and lightweight -- there's more you need to consider while zeroing on the laptop of your choice. These features though may not look obvious, will go a long way in making your purchase enduring.
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When you buy a notebook computer, pay special attention to whether the LCD display is "glossy" or "matte". Increasingly, manufacturers are offering glossy screens. While these are great for watching movies on your laptop, they're not optimal for doing traditional office work. The reason is that the glossy screens are highly reflective. In typical office environments, glossy screens can be hard on both your eyes and your concentration, as you'll have to work harder to ignore the ambient lighting and background objects that are reflected in your screen. Bottom line is that if you're buying a notebook primarily to get work done and not to watch movies or play games, avoid glossy screens. Also, glossy screens are more susceptible to scratches than matte screens. So if your laptop is likely to go through some rough and tumble daily, this is another reason to go for a matte
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Most notebooks in the market today come with built-in wireless network connectivity. The trouble is that many still include yesterday's technology. The wireless transmission standard is about to get a big boost in speed with the official unveiling of the 802.11n standard, which provides Internet and networking connectivity speeds that are about 10 times faster than the wireless standards currently in use. That's a significant speed boost, and it's one you want in your notebook computer, especially because changing the type of wireless connectivity that you have in a notebook is difficult or impossible once you buy the machine. Avoid notebooks that offer only the built-in 802.11b or 802.11g wireless cards. Even if the version of 802.11n offered in a notebook sold today is dubbed "draft" or "pre-release", it'll likely still be far faster than the 802.11g standard -- and you'll probably be able to upgrade it later, once the standard is finally ratified.
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How well a notebook computer is built will likely determine whether you still own it three years from now or whether it gets sold off for parts. The unfortunate fact is that as competition has forced manufacturers to offer notebooks at rock-bottom prices, quality of exterior construction has suffered. If you'll be doing a lot of travelling or will be buying a notebook for a youngster, think about buying notebooks that were made to take some abuse. The Dell Latitude series, the Acer TravelMate, or the Lenovo ThinkPad are all highly regarded in terms of durability.
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Combine a powerful processor, fast hard drive, and hefty battery, and what do you get? Heat -- and lots of it. There's a good reason why the moniker "laptop" has all but disappeared: Some notebook computers are really not suitable for resting on your lap because they get too hot on the underside to hold comfortably. But some notebook computers are still designed for those who wish to work from their lap. That's why it's important to find out just how hot a laptop gets on the underside. Either contact the manufacturer and ask specifically about this or visit a store in which the notebook is running, and feel the underside.
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Noise is less of a problem with notebooks than it once was, but it can still be a factor -- especially if you're easily bothered by noise while working.Noise in notebooks generally comes from two sources: the hard drive and the cooling fan. If you want to eliminate the source of hard drive altogether, consider a new notebook with a solid-state drive.
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Batteries act like your laptops in-built UPS. They are the lifeline of your machine. So, it is important that you check up how many hours your battery will run. Some batteries last long, but some don’t. There are three main types of batteries: Li+: Most people get Lithium-ion (Li+) batteries. These are generally good, safe and secure. NiMH: If you want something cheap, a nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery will do. NiCad: This probably won't be an option, but if a dealer does try to sell you a nickel cadmium (NiCad) battery, run away. They require constant recharging.
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In these days of technology obsolence it is very important to find out the upgrade options available. Also, one should keep in mind that laptops can be upgraded up to some extent only. While it is possible to upgrade main memory, and removable drives, the upgrades can cost twice as much as a desktop. It is even cheaper and environment-friendly to upgrade your laptop rather than to discard it. So, before buying try and explore upgrade options available.
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Though this may not be that important, still there is no harm in checking the best deal available. Do a recee of the various combo plans being offered by various vendors. Like presently Compaq is offering WiFi music player free with its notebooks. Also, check which dealer is he is offering accessories like free bag, headsets, wireless mouse or some discount coupons. Courtesy: Indiatimes News Network & Agencies
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Hope these tips would help you next time :)
Happy buying lappies !!
Monday, June 9, 2008
How to Develop Your Ideas Exponentially
Believe it or not, ideas develop exponentially. The more ideas you have, the more ideas you will generate, both in term of quantity and quality. In human history, we have a phenomenon called technological acceleration. Do you know that the technological advancements in the last century is more than those in the thousand years of previous history combined? That happens because innovations and ideas develop exponentially. Now I will show you why.
If I have two ideas - A and B - I can only derive one new idea from those which is AB. If I have three ideas - A, B, and C - I can derive four new ideas which are AB, AC, BC, and ABC. If I have four ideas - A, B, C, and D - I can then derive eleven new ideas which are AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD, ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD, and ABCD.
To give you clearer picture of the exponential effect, here are the numbers above and some more:
- 2 ideas generate 1 new ideas.
- 3 ideas generate 4 new ideas.
- 4 ideas generate 11 new ideas.
- 5 ideas generate 26 new ideas.
- 6 ideas generate 57 new ideas.
- 7 ideas generate 120 new ideas.
This numbers help explain technological acceleration. Innovations in the last century is more than all those in the previous history combined because the recent civilization has more “raw ideas” and “raw innovations” to begin with.
The same thing applies to your personal life. The more ideas you have, the more new ideas you will get. The virtuous cycle begins, and your ideas will develop exponentially.
How can you start this virtuous cycle and develop your ideas exponentially? Here is a key characteristic of ideas:
The example above gives us good illustration. A and B are two different ideas, but if we cross pollinate them by interconnecting them, we will get a new idea which is AB. So:
The key to develop new ideas is getting different ideas and then interconnecting them.
Here are some simple steps you can do:
- Develop multiple passions
This step gives you the different ideas you need. I’ve written that the way to live a rich life is by developing portfolio of passions. Don’t narrow yourself to only one passion. Expand yourself and develop your multiple passions. If you are too focused to only one area, it is unlikely that you will develop fresh ideas for that area. Remember that ideas are cross-pollinating. You need ideas from different fields which can enrich one another. Plant and grow different flowers in your garden of life, and they will cross-pollinate. - Be observant
Now that you are developing multiple passions to get different ideas, you need to be observant to catch those ideas. Instead of passively waiting for ideas to come and catch your attention, you should actively search them in your daily life. Be hungry to catch the hidden ideas in your daily experiences. Never let the ideas in your surroundings go unnoticed, even if they try to hide from you. - Always write down you the ideas you get
Once you catch an idea, never let it go. Capture them permanently by writing them down. You should do it as soon as possible because some ideas can easily disappear within one minute or less. For this reason I always bring a piece of paper and a pen wherever I go (see 4 Simple Ways to Never Lose Your Ideas). When I get an idea, I will quickly write them down in the paper. I don’t want to risk losing that idea. - Review your ideas regularly
This is just as important as writing the ideas. What’s the use of writing the ideas if you never review them? This simple step greatly helps you interconnect your ideas. Reviewing your ideas makes them stick in your memory and makes them ready to be cross-pollinated with other ideas.
Later when you read something or encounter something in your daily life, you may suddenly remember, “Wait. I can apply this to that, right?” And there a new idea is born.
- Categories
- Community: How can we help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures?
- Opportunity: How can we help people better provide for themselves and their families?
- Energy: How can we help move the world toward safe, clean, inexpensive energy?
- Environment: How can we help promote a cleaner and more sustainable global ecosystem?
- Health: How can we help individuals lead longer, healthier lives?
- Education: How can we help more people get more access to better education?
- Shelter: How can we help ensure that everyone has a safe place to live?
- Everything else: Sometimes the best ideas don't fit into any category at all.
- Criteria
- Reach: How many people would this idea affect?
- Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
- Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
- Efficiency: How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
- Longevity: How long will the idea's impact last?
37 lessons to live Life that Matters
- Discover what matters to you
Success in the long run has less to do with finding the best idea, organizational structure, or business model, than with discovering what matters to you as individuals. - Have the courage to do what matters
You create enduring success not because you are perfect or lucky but because you have the courage to do what matters to you. - Don’t rely on others’ approval
Successful people don’t rely on the approval of others to pursue their cause or calling. They are more emotionally committed to doing what they love than being loved by others. - Redefine success
The real definition of success is a life and work that bring personal fulfillment and lasting relationships and makes a difference in the world in which they live. - Don’t chase money and recognition
Money and recognition are just outcomes of passionately working often on an entirely different objective that is often a personal cause or calling. - Recognize signs of passion
Builders (the term used by the authors to refer to “enduringly successful people”) become lovers of an idea they are passionate about for years and years. They lose track of the passage of time while doing it. In a real sense, it’s something that they’d be willing to do for free, for its own sake. - Worry more about being what you love
Most of us worry more about being loved than being what we love. - Be sure you do what you love
It’s dangerous not to do what you love. If you don’t love what you’re doing, you’ll lose to someone who does. Passionate people try harder, try more things, and move faster than people who only do things for a living. - Check whether you’re on the right track
You know that you are on the right track when you naturally obsess over what you love. What you love attracts you even when you’re too tired to do anything else. - Find your mission in life
To find your mission in life is to discover the intersection between your heart’s deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger (Frederick Beekner). - Find place for your multiple passions
You do need to find a place for everything that is meaningful to you (your portfolio of passions). When you exclude all other things except a single focus for your life, there is a danger that you might find it impossible to locate the real treasure. - Experiment with your other passions
Carve out a little time each week to experiment in some way with one of your other passions. - Never retire from what you love
Builders’ passions create meaning in their lives that is nothing short of lifelong obsession from which they seek no escape. - Have integrity to do what matters to you
You should have integrity to do what matters to you. Do not waste your time if it doesn’t matter. - Be yourself
You shouldn’t hijack someone else’s value system. To do so would be a violation of integrity to what matters in your life. - Listen to that little voice
Happy endings come from listening to that little voice inside your head - some call it the whisper - about what matters to you. - Plug into the cause and get the power
Whatever Builders are doing has so much meaning to them that the cause itself provides charisma and they plug into it as if it was electrical current. They are lifted up by its power. - Do what matters despite political correctness
Doing things despite the political correctness of the path is the price of admission to almost every enduring life of lasting impact. - Do what matters despite popularity
Builders cling to a personal commitment that’s so compelling to them - something so important to them that they would actually do it for free - that they must do it despite popularity. - Have passion, determination, and skill
Life takes passion, determination, and skill. You can’t skip any of those three and expect to enjoy success built to last. - Be greedy to acquire knowledge for your dream
If you should be greedy about anything, it should be about acquiring “intellectual capital” for your dream. Being your best at what you do is essential to success built to last. - Make a difference with your knowledge
When you have “earned” knowledge, you have an ethical responsibility to “invest” that capital on making a difference. - Earn opportunities through expertise
Opportunity comes from expertise, not just luck, talent, and passion. - Recognize when to move
When Builders found that striving for excellence is unreachable or joyless, they saw it as a message to move onto something else. - Have the right attitude toward difficulties
Having many difficulties perfects the being; having no difficulties ruins the being (Lao Tzu). - Make failure your friend
Many highly accomplished people described themselves as so proficient at making mistakes that, if you didn’t know better, you might think they were losers. - Harvest failure
Enduringly successful people harvest failure. They become more resolute after losing a battle they believe in because they learn from the loss. Losers call it failure; winners call it learning. - Always make new mistakes
When you make mistakes, just be sure to make new ones. - Manage your weaknesses
Builders don’t deny their flaws, nor do they allow them to paralyze action. They manage it, include it, cope with it, and don’t let it stop them. - Earn your luck through focus and knowledge
Builders earn their luck, not simply getting lucky. They earn their luck by focusing on doing work that is meaningful to them and going deep to discover relevant clues along the way. It is focus and knowledge that allows them to observe the subtleties of their path and then take advantage of serendipitous events. - Have a prepared mind
Only a prepared mind and open heart prevails. - Have clear goals
Builders use planning and goals - often big goals - to put themselves into a serendipitous position. - Have explorer mentality
Builders have explorer mentality. They have clear direction, but not the roadmap. What they seek in the long term doesn’t always turn out as expected. - Think about your relationships as long term
If you want success that lasts, then you’re better off if you think about your relationships as being built to last. - Surround yourself with “A” players
Builders spent the largest percentage of their time tracking down, surrounding themselves with, and developing the people who are “A” players. - Align your intentions, words, and actions
Always watch whether your words and actions match your intentions, and are aligned with what you are trying to do. - Get the inconsistent stuff out
Alignment requires that you get out of your life all the stuff that is inconsistent with your passions and goal. That includes people. Choose wisely.
Things to look when buying house
But when it comes to your home, be sure to ask plenty of questions.
1. How big a house do I need?
It depends on your individual needs. If you are a family of five seeking more room, choose your second home with space and additional rooms.
If you are a young couple buying your first nest, settle for a cosy place for two. That is, if you are not planning a family soon.
Once you have figured out your needs, translate them in terms of built-up, carpet area and the new concept of super built-up areas. Carpet area is simply 75 per cent to 85 per cent of super built-up area. That means if the super built-up area is 1,000 square feet, the carpet area would be around 750 square feet to 850 square feet.
The ratio for built-up can be as low as 15 per cent for an old construction and as high as 28 per cent for new constructions. Super built up is at a phenomenal 40 per cent!
Make a note of the budget you will need for the same.
Ask yourself, do I want to spend half my life commuting? Or live in townships or residential complexes far from the dust, grime and noise of the city?
Or are the happening suburbs with their attractions -- malls, multiplexes, luxurious homes -- more my style?
Keep the investment point of view in mind. Suburbs offer value for money and investment appreciation.
3. What do I look for in a neighbourhood?
Once you have the area, narrow it a step further to a neighbourhood. Your immediate neighbourhood will decide how hassle-free your existence will be.
Look for proximity to doctors and clinics, shopping, transport connectivity, schools and hospitals.
Today, people also check out entertainment and recreational options, which could include bowling alleys, game centres, sports facilities, shopping malls, food courts and restaurants.
4. How much importance do I give amenities?
As dull as they sound, these things can be major reasons of concern if they are absent or insufficient.
Starting with water and power supply, look into access roads, parking space, safety and security and perks such as children's play areas, gardens, etc.
Verify the construction quality carefully. Compare a new construction with other existing projects by the same builder. This way, you can be sure that what you get will be the same as what you see in the sample flats.
5. Does it live up to my lifestyle requirements?
Your house is your refuge from the world and speaks volumes about you. Flooring, tiling, classy fittings and fixtures, fancy lighting, French windows can all make your nest a beautiful place to relax in.
Features offered by your building -- jacuzzi, swimming pool, gymnasiums, clubhouses, jogging tracks -- will all enhance your lifestyle.
A major element in your lifestyle will be the profile of people living nextdoor. If you have like-minded people in the neighbourhood, it puts your social calendar in place too.
6. What if I want more?
Above and beyond these, if you are looking at the best, most elite complexes, you are likely to be offered wide open spaces with lush, landscaped gardens and tree-lined roads.
This gives the complex an elegant feel, besides keeping the air fresh. Other green ideas that builders incorporate are rainwater harvesting and sewage treatment plants.
But like all good things in life, this comes with a price tag which you should be able to afford.
7. What if all this is there but the flat size is small?
Small flat sizes are a fact in a city like Mumbai. But there are myriad ways to maximise space with clever interior design. Traditional layouts have fast been abandoned in favour of specialty rooms or areas within the home.
Thus, larger rooms can be segregated into various areas of utility with the help of furniture, screens, dividers and so forth. Balconies can provide both leisure and storage space, even a computer room.
8. What about resale value?
The most important aspect in resale is the view. Naturally, all the amenities will be factored in, but houses with a great view normally sell for premium prices.
So if view is what pleases you, it may be worth that extra chunk of cash. Only people who can afford to pay a premium for a view will be your buyers so you may have to wait longer or drop your asking price substantially and match the general rate of the neighbourhood.
Excellent construction quality and good infrastructure in your area could give your property graph an upward slant.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Smart tax-saving strategies without spending a penny
Shuffle strategy
Switching Strategy
There is one more quicker method and that is of switching out proceeds to a liquid fund of the same fund house and switching it back into the fund. Switching refers to the process of transfer of money from one scheme of a fund house to another scheme. While for taxation purposes, such switching is considered as redemption and taxed accordingly, the advantage for investors is in terms of getting NAV of the same day. So for instance, if an investor switches from an equity scheme to a liquid scheme, the same day NAV is applicable. How does it work ? Say for instance, an investor with previous ELSS investments doesn’t have money to make further investment in the current financial year 2008. He could consider switching it to a liquid fund and back into the ELSS fund. There are no loads applicable for doing it if done within a short period (say 10 days or lesser). The call centre officials of Franklin Templeton MF and ICICI Pru MF confirmed the same for their respective schemes. The recent Sebi rules also state that waiver of loads would be applicable for “additional purchases done directly by the investor under the same folio and switch-in to a scheme from other schemes if such a transaction is done directly by the investor.”
Short Term Capital Loss
According to Section 74 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, you can offset your losses and even carry forward them for eight assessment years immediately succeeding the year in which the loss was first computed.
As per the act, any loss related to a short-term capital asset (like the sale of equity funds/shares within one year), can be set off against income under capital gains in respect of any other capital asset (be it short-term or long-term). This means, you can even offset this loss against any long-term capital gain. For instance, let's say you invested in a debt fund. After a year, you sell the units and book a profit (long term capital gains). You can offset this gain with your short-term mutual fund investment loss.
As per the act, any loss related to a short-term capital asset (like the sale of equity funds/shares within one year), can be set off against income under capital gains in respect of any other capital asset (be it short-term or long-term). This means, you can even offset this loss against any long-term capital gain. For instance, let's say you invested in a debt fund. After a year, you sell the units and book a profit (long term capital gains). You can offset this gain with your short-term mutual fund investment loss.
Monday, June 2, 2008
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