Author: Deborah Morris

Can Team Building Increase Productivity in a Recession?

After completing team building activities together, employees better understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. When the economy is slow, company managers and leaders have to be very cautious with every expense. As a result, we will often put off hiring new employees until more certainty in the marketplace develops. Although natural efficiencies will develop in a downward economy, can team building activities help increase productivity so that we can avoid the expense of adding on new personnel? The answer to that question is… “Well… It depends…”

Don’t Confuse “Morale” with “Productivity”

Team Building is almost a generic term that is used for both “morale building” activities and “productivity building” activities interchangeable, but if you confuse the two activities, you can make some costly mistakes. Morale building activities can include anything from going out to a movie together to an office holiday party to entertainment style activities at annual meetings ans conventions. These activities provide a shared-experience that builds temporary camaraderie and provides a fun relief to the normal day-to-day rat-race.

Productivity building activities are training events or innovations that help teams do more with less. Although people will often call both of these types of activities “Team Building”, the activities themselves get totally different results. Both are needed to create a team culture, but quite often, managers and leaders will schedule one type of activity hoping to get the needed result from the other type of activity and be sorely disappointed.

Although productivity will often improve (sometimes dramatically) when morale improves, an increase in morale doesn’t always cause a team to be more productive. For instance, if a manager came into the office and announced that the entire team would get the whole week off and still get paid, morale would skyrocket, but productivity would drop to zero for the week. Morale building activities like team outings and company parties are extremely important, but they can’t entirely replace productivity building events and activities.

Since the team atmosphere created by morale building activities can be temporary, you’ll want to schedule activities like this regularly so that the individual team members get to interact with each other in a more fun way to build camaraderie. Charity team building events at annual meetings or conventions can be a great way to insert a morale building activity. These team building functions are very economical, because the company can generate great public relations without increasing the cost of conducting a convention or annual meeting. For instance, most conventions are going to have some type of entertainment or at least a company outing of some kind. Many companies are replacing these activities with a charity bike build or a team scavenger hunt where team members build gift baskets for soldiers. The investment in each activity is fairly similar, but the results of the charity activities often provide impactful, lasting memories that build great camaraderie between team members.

Build Teams by Training Team Members Together

In addition to morale building activities, a team also needs to develop new skills in order to keep them productive. Many years ago, a mentor of mine told me that “You can’t build a team by training individuals, but you can build a team by training individuals together.” I didn’t really understand the power of this advice until I started my own business, but I understand it more and more as my company grows and grows. For instance, many big companies offer tuition assistance for higher level degrees for their employees, but what often happens is that a company will invest a ton of money into the development of an employee only to have the person leave the company and start working for a competitor. This happens because the individual employees is growing, but the team as a whole is stagnant.

Oddly enough, any skill development activities will work to build the team culture in an organization if the skills developed gives the team a competitive advantage in the marketplace. For instance, Apple decided to eliminate cash registers inside their Apple Stores and replace them with the ability for any employee in the store to be able to use their smartphones to ring-up items for purchases on their smartphones. Because Apple is doing something that no one else is doing, the employees who have been trained in this new technology feel like they are a part of an elite group that is different from other retail stores. Whether they are or not doesn’t really matter, because the team believe that they are ahead of the curve. Customers can find an Apple employee and within seconds create a purchase and have the receipt sent to the customer via email and be on their way. A dramatic increase in productivity and decrease in cost while creating more of a team atmosphere among employees.

“Soft-Skills” Team Building Training is Most Productive

The most effective team training to increase productivity comes from “soft-skills” training, though. While Hard-Skills are ones essential to doing individual jobs within a company – for example hard-skills for an engineer might be calculus and physics – soft-Skills are skills that improve productivity no matter what specific role that a person has within an organization. Soft-skills would include communication skills, presentation skills, the ability to persuade people, the ability to coach and mentor others, etc. If the engineer improves in any or all of these soft-skills, then he or she will likely improve their individual success as well as the overall success of the team.

When teams train together in these soft-skill areas, they automatically develop that same type of team culture that Apple developed with the technology change. Team members know that they are a part of a unique, elite group that is different from most organizations (because most organizations don’t train this way).

For example, a few years ago, I was hired by a commercial construction company to help them deliver high-level sales presentations better. Companies that build skyscrapers or have groups of construction projects often bid out these huge projects in one big contract, so they will often ask for huge proposals and have each qualified contractor come in and do a presentation to narrow down the field. The company that hired me was closing about one out of six of these presentations, but wanted to increase their numbers. So we conducted a series of presentation skills classes with the teams of presenters. Because they trained together, they developed a team culture that showed up when they conducted their presentations. Quite often, at the end of their presentations, the board members who were in the audience would say, “We chose this group because they just seemed to work very well together.” The team culture showed, because the individuals within the group had been trained in soft-skills together, so they saw themselves as having an advantage over other presenters (and they had one.)

Presentation skills, people skills, coaching, mentoring, and other soft-skills training can really help teams become more productive as long as the teams are going through the training as a team. I remember my college football coach telling us, “You don’t fight for records or awards, you fight for the guy who is next to you in the trenches.” When teams train together, they build a rapport that lasts.

Doug Staneart is the founder of The Leader’s Institute Team Building and the inventor of many world-famous team building events like the Build-A-Bike Charity Team Building event and the Camaraderie Quest High-Tech Scavenger Hunt. His team of expert facilitators conduct events for groups as small as 20 people and as big as 10,000 people. Visit the Team Building Event website for details about his programs.

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Surfing is Great Sport to Play

Surf contest is a sport which we have to play on surface of water. Water is not like in swimming pool or in a river but in a sea. A surfer is generally known as wave rider. He just ride on the waves and generally rides on the upcoming wave which is towards the rider. Waves suitable for rider are found in sea. You can ride also in river and lakes but that is totally different from sea surfing. You have to put your more effort rather than sea riding. Riders can also make use of man made waves and waves from artificial wave pools. Surfing means to act with riding wave. In past surfers don’t use the board or any other object for riding them, generally uses their feet, knees, bellies. Nowadays stand up surfing is more in trend people likes to surf with an object they just put it in their feet and flow in to the ocean. Surfing refers to ride a wave standing up on a surfboard. There are several other ways to surf like paddle boarding and body boarding. They all the variety of stand up boarding.

Body Boarding- In this type of boarding surfer generally uses his body parts to surf like feet, bellies, upper body. He or she tries to ride on wave with the use of body part. The wave is surfed without an object and surfer uses his or her own body to catch and ride the wave. It is very common way to surf and pure methodology. A rider who wants to learn how to surf then he or she starts with the body surfing.

Paddle boarding- in this type of surfing surfer generally uses their arms while lying on a board. This is a traditional pattern of surfing. It is usually performed in open sea. A good paddle surfer can surf from one corner of the sea to an island easily in one stroke. There are two type of boards are available one is stock board and other is unlimited board. Stock board has maximum length of 12 feet and unlimited board has no restriction with length it depends on surfer.

To be a great surfer you have to be a total fit surfer because it needs good physic for riding. It needs better understanding of waves. You have to feel the ocean waves. Then after you will ride like a champion and people who are watching you say wow I want to be like this rider look at that person he is flowing with the waves. And even if you think that you are not in shape or you need training to be a good surfer then don’t waste your time on thinking how it is possible? Just join the surfing fitness program they will make you the best rider among your friends. Then people will say for you that look at that person he is amazing, magnetic.

Surfing is the sport which can be play by any person means age doesn’t matter for this act. It will give you better fitness and better health. By regular practice you will find yourself fit and enthusiastic, more energetic. You feel strength in core, back, shoulders and legs. To achieve this purpose you should to start the training from an institute and be a great surfer. By surfing your muscles will be more powerful; you feel strength in your body. It’s a great way to spend your free time rather than spending it in a club or disco or some sought of long drive. You feel freshness after surfing in ocean just more than swimming. You can use any kind of paddle method that will help you to be the best rider. Whether you can choose arm paddling, kick paddling or combination of kick and arm paddling. Surfing is a free sport and most creative activity. You just start it and feel the difference in your body day by day. Its incredible.

Catering & Party Rentals

Party catering Sydney are passionate about providing healthy and delicious selections for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a cocktail party with finger foods and drinks, BBQs, sausage sizzles, brunch, morning or afternoon tea. Everyone likes a celebration, yet if you are the one throwing it, you can have your job cut out with the event catering. Right here are our leading ideas for intending celebration event catering.

You require to make particular that you have a sufficient supply of plates, cutlery, glasses as well as pots and pans. If you are simply serving a chilly buffet you can utilize throwaway plastic flatware and paper plates, however you can t truly giving, claim, a chilli con carne on paper plates.

If you are doing very hot meals, remember that you probably simply have four hobs on your cooker as well as one oven, so you could t overdo with the number of hot dishes. If you are cooking hot food, utilize a few one-pot meals together with something like rice or potatoes that could opt for both.

If you are going to prepare spicy foods, Indian or Thai, for instance, remember that not every person likes warm flavors, so see to it that one recipe is light. Also, make certain to allow for something that interest vegetarians if you do not know the meals preferences of all your visitors. The advantage of a one-pot recipe is that it can be cooked ahead of time, and also left to simmer on the hob, or kept cozy in the oven.

One great suggestion to bear in mind is that at a celebration most food will be eaten with a fork or spoon, and also using one hand. Avoid having points that need to be reduced with a blade, unless you have sufficient tables as well as chairs for all your guests to sit down and consume.

For a chilly buffet you have to think about that individuals commonly take a little of every little thing, so it is most effectively to stay away from tastes that clash. You truly want a centrepiece, such as a gammon, or salmon, that you can offer oneself, or that visitors can reduce to the size of their option.

Make different sorts of tossed salads, such as a tomato salad, salad, or a noodles tossed salad. Offer a selection of bread, breadsticks, or rolls. Try to stay away from points such as a plate of crisps or nuts; definitely, it s simple to open a package, but it doesn t look appetising. Ready some delicatessens plates of things like cold meats, or smoked salmon (always preferred).

For desserts, offer factors like a dish of blackberries, raspberries or other soft fruits. Melon pieces as well as pineapple are consistently an excellent option. Offer with dual, or clotted lotion.

If you are offering a very hot dessert, such as an apple pie, or something comparable that you could take out of the oven, once again offer with dual cream, considering that you don t intend to be in the kitchen making custard.

Try to enhance your giving table with something original. You could utilize sprigs of herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or chives if you expand them.

For drinks, bear in mind that not everyone alcoholic beverages alcohol, so you need some soft beverages available. You could also discover that one or two guests like a cup of tea or coffee.

Broaching champagne, this is just one of the least expensive methods to serve alcoholic beverages. Instead of serving spirits, if you merely supply champagne it will thrill your visitors. You will locate that a lot of folks could not drink more compared to 2 glasses, so it could work out considerably less costly than offering spirits.

If you intend on offering cocktails, these could be made up beforehand in jars, rather than blending them as you go.

Try to ensure that as long as possible is readied ahead of time. As opposed to spending your time in the cooking area, this will certainly allow you to mingle with your visitors as well as appreciate yourself. Merely considering that you are organizing the social event, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t enjoy.

Many Travel Tips That You May Have Overlooked

Traveling is similar to going away from home on adventures. The following paragraphs are things that should be on that list you check twice before heading out the door. For guests that would like to go heli skiing Canada just for a few days but still want to do some amazing skiing, we are able to tailor make packages that combine heli-skiing with resort skiing and cat-skiing in our powder filled region of interior British Columbia.

Be flexible when choosing your vacation destination. While you might have your heart set on a certain one you always go to, being flexible opens you up to new experiences. You can also pick another location to save money by picking an alternate destination.

Be wary of people who tell you that in a strange city. Do not give anyone your passport unless you are sure they are legitimate. Do not get rides with strangers at home or abroad.

Try to work in a big workout before you board the plane. Long flights are taxing on your body. Sitting the same way for long time can cause your legs or back cramps.

Taking a trip sometimes causes you wanting to take something from home with you. Limit yourself to the toiletries that are essential toiletry products. Make a short list of the things you use throughout your day and can’t live without. Pack only the ones which are really necessary.

You might be already covered if a flight is canceled. It is worth your time to do some research before leaving.

Sleeping pills can help get you through those long flight. A lot of people find it hard to sleep on planes, due to the unfamiliar surroundings, and there is a lot of external noise in unfamiliar surroundings. Try taking sleeping pill might help get you some rest on a long flight go by more quickly. Don’t have the pill before the plane takes off, as there may be a delay or problem that requires a return.

Most car rental outfits do not rent to those under the age of 18, and in some cases it might be 25. You may pay more and have to use a credit card with you. Senior citizens aren’t allowed to rent vehicles in some cities.Find out about age restrictions when reserving a rental car.

Think about various ways to travel. Buses are not like they once were. You might find bundle deals from some lines to make your planning simple.

You don’t have a fun weekend get-away. There are many things to do in your state or the neighboring ones. You can support your local economy by remaining close to home. You might even learn about a great attraction in your area that are hidden so close to home.

Weather is a powerful consideration when planning your trips. Check the local weather will be during your stay.

Make use of the E-tracking function that many travel sites have.This will always keep you updated on the cheapest travel options. You are able to receive alert by email if the flight you want or have already booked has dropped in price.

Give a printout of your travel itinerary to a family member. Write down the places you will go and anyone you are visiting, as well as addresses and phone numbers for anyone whom you intend to visit.

Don’t forget to pack your child’s car seat when you are planning to bring younger children while renting a car. When renting a car, so think ahead by bringing your own car seat.

Make sure you allow yourself ample time for checking out of the hotel.Many hotels will charge if you aren’t out later than specified. Always allow yourself plenty of time for checkout.

If you wear corrective lenses, have an extra pair of eyeglasses with you when you travel. This provides with a spare pair if the plane. You may want to keep them on your person, in case something happens to that bag while traveling.

If your luggage happens to get lost and there are no external tags, someone might return them to your address.

Travel by bus to avoid hefty baggage fees. While buses have much small fees for larger and heavier bags, their baggage allowance is often much higher than what is allowed on an airline. You can bring on your travel baggage if you go by bus.

Be sure to carry valuables with you during bus stops for maintenance or for a layover.

You can sometimes save money if you book flights that connect to one another. Too short? You’ll miss your connection. You might find yourself stranded at the airport if there is a long layover.

If you’re taking a road trip, it may be better if you rent a vehicle instead of driving your own car. You don’t want to degrade the value of your car through that abuse.

Make sure you understand the current status of social and political events and occurrences in the foreign country that you plan on visiting. The Consular Affairs Bureau has a regularly updated list of potential situations that may be troublesome for travelers. This will help you want avoid potentially dangerous situations.

When traveling, plan your itinerary beforehand, and only pack what you need to fulfill that itinerary. Efficiency is important in having a great trip full of fun activities.

Make sure that even your kids have identification when traveling with them. Give your kids a cab or make a call in an emergency.

While you have seen some great tips to help with the challenges of traveling, there will still be challenges to deal with. Just relax and enjoy as much of it as you can.

The Biggest Bang You Never Heard – Revolutionizing the Garbage Can

Don’t fall victim to dodgy rubbish removal Northern Beaches services who don’t properly dispose of items at the tip. A few years ago, I attended the opening of the new public library in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The event featured the unveiling of a commissioned sculpture by internationally renowned artist Richard Hunt, who was one of my fellow students at The School of Art Institute of Chicago during the early 1950s.

As I stood near the refreshments waiting to speak with Richard after the ceremony, I spotted something remarkable. The director of the Center was in earshot, so I said to her, “If I had known you guys were going to display my artwork here, I would have autographed it.”

“You have a piece of work here?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Right over there – that garbage can.”

“Oh, is that your can?” she replied. “If we had known that, we would have cleaned it up!”

As it turns out, she had attended art school in Detroit and knew about industrial design. I designed the can in the mid-1960s, while working for Sears, Roebuck and Company. Looking back at my career, it was one of the most significant and innovative products I ever created. When that can hit the market, it did so with the biggest bang you never heard – everyone was using it, but few people paid close attention to it.

Designing the Can
In the early 1960s, blow molding was increasing as a process for making housewares, and Sears was often at the forefront of product innovation and development. Richard Palase, a chemist in Sears’ laboratory, proposed making a refuse container of blow-molded polypropylene, and recommended it to Alan Karch, a Sears buyer. With Karch’s support, Sears assigned a team of technical professionals to the challenge. I was the designer on the team, and after numerous planning sessions with the prospective manufacturer, we established the product direction.

As with every product, though, the devil was really in the details. We needed to meet the recommended criteria: a dark color was recommended to withstand the outside weather and ultraviolet rays; the container needed handles for transporting from one location to another; a sloped lid shape to allow rain or melting snow to run off; and hand grips on the bottom for ease when emptying. The container would also have to withstand heavy impact from dropping and hitting. The lid would be designed to make it easy for the owner to remove, but difficult for animals such as dogs or raccoons. The shape needed to be one that nested, in order to maximize shipping quantities. And, the surface had to be textured to assist in preventing scratches from shipping and usage.

To convince people how much better this can was than previous ones, we put together a test: We froze the can at 40 degrees below zero for a couple of days, put a 50 pound bag of sand in it and threw it off the top of a five-story building. The thing didn’t break! It just bounced.

We knew we were onto something, so Sears marketing decided to coordinate an even bigger stunt: they dropped the can out of a helicopter, and it performed well again. The refuse container was granted a patent for design details of its lid, which resisted opening if the container fell or was knocked on its side. The product was very successful and profitable for Sears. Other design generations followed which added wheels and a rectangular shape to accommodate better use of interior space with filled grocery bags.

Life Factors Into Design
Throughout my career as an industrial designer, which included 33 years at Sears, 85 percent of my effort went into designing consumer products to improve people’s everyday quality of life. I designed everything from binoculars to baby cribs, televisions to toothbrushes and almost everything in between, including a lot of sewing machines. In fact, someone who had heard about my work once said, “You designed all those sewing machines? Well, you must be the Michael Jordan of sewing machine design!”

Arguably Michael changed the game of basketball, but I don’t think designers can change the world. Rather, they can take what’s here and make the best of it. Form and shape work best when they just seem to be there, not forced. I tried to make things appear as if they just belong; that they didn’t need to scream, “Look, here I am.” My best efforts resulted in products that did their job as expected – you look at it, right away guess what it is supposed to do, and that’s exactly what it does. Or maybe I should say that the visual statements express a harmony with why the product exists – what it does; how it is made; what it is made of – while looking pleasing if not beautiful.

So much of life factors into the design equation: business considerations, the social and natural sciences, art, engineering or communications. Designing for me is living with an understanding and sensitivity to these areas, and having the ability to solve a specific need – like the need for a quieter yet durable garbage can that didn’t rattle and bang loud enough to wake the dead on a quiet suburban street of the 1960s.

I once had a plaque over my desk that read: “How do you define a designer? You don’t. You describe him.”

The plaque went on to describe a person with an eye for aesthetics and a concern for profits; who understood production and cost problems; and who had a complete working knowledge of many materials. Above it all, it described a person who prefers to design from the inside out because he was every bit as concerned with the product’s function as he was with the product’s appearance.

(c) 2005, Ibis Design Incorporated. Excerpted from A Life’s Design: The Life and Work of Industrial Designer Charles Harrison. http://www.alifesdesign.com

Charles Harrison is a retired industrial designer who developed more than 750 manufactured products over his decades-long career. In 2008, he became the first African-American to ever be accorded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Design Awards.

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Restore Stolen Luster to Your Car through Car Detailing and Car Cleaning India

The professional automobile detailing services will not only make your cars sparkle. It will also increase the longevity of the vehicular equipment. It will save your car from requiring or undergoing frequent maintenance. The benefits of a car detailing service go deeper than the surface of the car. It will keep your automobile reconditioned for a long period of time. Deciding on best car polisher can be tricky you may get a good one or the bad one.

The benefits of a detailing service go deeper than the surface of the car The use of improper cleaning agents may damage the exterior and interior of your car instead of reviving it. Only the trained professionals of the agencies performing car cleaning India are capable of providing this service efficiently.

Engine Maintenance

The engine works as the heart and brain of your car. The performance of your vehicle depends upon the well-being of this device. A professional Detailer will steam-clean this compartment. .This area needs to be dried properly with the use of micro-fibered cloths and air-compressor. The engine lacquer is used to coat the engine and other equipment present in this compartment. This coating will save these devices from any future damage.

Cleaning & Claying

The present-day detailing centers use automatic washers to thoroughly clean the exteriors of the vehicle. The high-pressured jets of heated water can spotlessly clean all the areas of your vehicle. Even the corners, wheels and under-surface will receive a thorough cleaning.

An efficient Detailer will manually apply a clay patty over the body of your car after complete drying. The microfiber cloths are used to wipe the clay particles off the car. The auto-detailing clay patty will remove all the remaining contaminations from the surface of your vehicle.

Paint Restoration & Protection

The paint on the body of your car is exposed to various damages on a regular basis. A professional Detailer may use a powerful LED lamp to find any imperfection out. Your vehicle will require buffing in the presence of any chipping or swirling. The orbital buffer is used along with suitable buffing agents and pads.

The protective layers of synthetic sealants and waxes are used to coat the exterior paint of your car. The combination of sealant and wax will protect the paint from future damages. It will also enhance the appearance of the vehicle.

The Spick & Span Glasses

The windshields need cleaning for unblocked visibility. The headlights need cleaning for spotless lighting. The mirrors need cleaning to avoid any unfortunate accident.

A professional Detailer will use suitable glass polisher and non-woven pads to remove dusts off the glasses. This polishing agent will be wiped clean with dampened micro-fibred cloths. A glass-cleaner will be manually spread prior to the application of a glass-protecting agent. The even application of this material will let the water slide off the windshields and other glasses. It will prevent the formation of any stain on the windshield. You will be gifted with unblocked visibility.

The professional car detailing services will also help you maintain the cleanliness of the interior of your car. The leathered accessories will stay properly conditioned. The fabrics will stay free of any stain or germ through professional detailing.

6 FAQs on Car Window Tinting You Need to Know

Cars for most people are undoubtedly one of their biggest assets, and they will want to do everything in their power to make sure that it keeps on shining and running smoothly for as long as possible. Now, here we won’t be talking about the engines or go in the technicalities of a paint protection Adelaide. We will be discussing about how you can make your car’s exterior more visually appealing. Now window tints are something which isn’t anything new, but its popularity has certainly grown in the last decade or so. If you have never gone for professional car tinting in Cranbourne, you will certainly have doubts regarding its effectiveness.

Let’s clear all these doubts once in for all, right? Some of the questions which people keep on asking about window tinting are:-Why should I go for tinting? Yes, you might think that it’s all about aesthetics and visual appeal, but the reality is quite different. Tinting has several other benefits like:-

  • Protection from UV radiation
  • Prevents the car interior from overheating
  • Protects your privacy from onlookers
  • Energy savings

Can I go for tinting myself? Is hiring professionals necessary? Let’s get something very clear; tinting doesn’t just mean painting your car’s windows with a dark colour. There are several aspects that you will have to consider. Also, tinting cars require certain skills which obviously you don’t possess. If you try to go the DIY way, you might end up damaging your windows altogether. Precisely for this reason, it’s best to hire trained professionals who have been doing such jobs for a long time. Will it take long to install the tints? Well, this will primarily depend on the car itself. Naturally, a bigger car with large windows will require more time to install the tint compared to a smaller car. Even so, it shouldn’t take more than 2-3 hours to finish the job. Can I clean the windows immediately after the tinting? No, you need to refrain from doing so for at least a couple of days. You see, the tints will require some time to get dry, and you can’t possibly try to clean them before that. You can wipe down the windows lightly, but it’s imperative that you don’t use strong chemical cleaners. I am seeing water pockets in the windows after tinting. Is it normal? There’s nothing to worry about this because, during the installation process, water is squeezed out from between the window and film, but this process still has its limits. Although 80% of the water is removed, the remaining amount still remains. This can create a hazy or cloudy appearance on the windows. You just have to let the film dry, and everything will be fine. How much will it cost? That’s up to the professionals you are hiring which is why you need to be very careful about this. Without skimping on quality, make sure that you look out for professionals who offer cheap car window tinting in Berwick. Make sure that you make an informed decision in this respect. So these are some questions which you might have asked about window tinting.

Car Maintenance – Getting a Spring Tune – Up

Car maintenance is important to keeping your car running well and ensuring that it runs efficiently. There are a few simple things which most people should be able to carry out at home that will help keep your car moving. Grit Guard has developed several innovations to reduce the risk of scratches and make your detailing experience more enjoyable.

Air Filter

Your owner’s manual will usually give you an idea of how regularly you should change your air filter, but it’s usually around once a year. The air filter is fairly straight forward; locate the box, which will be a large black plastic box near the engine. This will come apart fairly easily with a screwdriver and you should see some metal casings holding the air filter in place. Just prise these open and replace the filter, now just re-attached the box and you are done. This should save you the 20 your local garage would charge you.

Spark Plugs

Check your spark plugs during your car maintenance to ensure they don’t need placing or cleaning. These can be removed using a wrench and come out fairly easily. Once removed inspect the spark plugs for any cracks and replace if found. Older spark plugs can get fairly dirty which reduces how well they work, gently clean the ends with a wire brush to remove the clumps of dirt. This should help them last a little bit longer before replacements are required.

Fluid Levels

As part of your regular car maintenance you should always ensure that your fluid levels are kept topped up. Some of these can be damaging to your car if left to get too low, such as the engine coolant and oil, others can make your car dangerous to drive such as your brake fluid, power steering fluid and windscreen washer fluid. All of these are easy to check by lifting you hood and looking for the minimum and maximum markers which will be present on each. Top these up if required, however if you’re constantly topping your fluids out this could be a symptom of another problem so get your car checked out.

Tyres

Finally give your tyres a check over to ensure they are safe. Firstly you should ensure that your tyres have no cuts or delves missing from the tyre wall. Theses could rupture causing the tyre to explode. You should also check that the tread is deep enough. UK law states the tyre tread should be at least ¼ inch across three quarters of the tyre. It is important to keep your tyres inflated as running on flat tyres will use more fuel. The manufactures guidelines will tell what pressure level to inflate your tyres too.

You should carry out a check on your car as part of your regular car maintenance, and if you find a problem and aren’t sure how to fix it consult a mechanic as soon as possible.

Catering Equipment For Home Chefs

A home chef should not be underestimated. They are the ones that cook for their families and sometimes they even cook for parties or have their own home catering business. Home chefs also need the best catering equipment to do what they do best and to deliver the best dishes. Our party catering Sydney service will ensure you celebrate in style after you experience it!

Home chefs obviously use their own kitchen, which in most cases, is not as big as a commercial kitchen. Keeping space in mind, the catering equipment required will not necessarily be the biggest available. On the contrary, they will require catering equipment that is small yet packed with immense power.

A food processor may be the most important catering equipment that a home chef may require. Why? Because it can blend, mix and chop vegetables and fruits. This single unit is small enough to keep in a home kitchen yet it offers multiple functions. It also processes the foods quickly which means that it saves the home chef a lot of time. While a commercial chef has many hands to help, a home chef has to rely on their own hands and reliable catering equipment.

A reliable microwave is essential. The Menumaster Microwave is small enough for a house kitchen but it packs a powerful punch with 1100 watts of power for fast heating. It also has 100 programmable menu items which is a dream for a home chef that needs the extra help to prepare dishes.

A Bain Marie is another piece of catering equipment that a home chef could invest in especially for catered parties. Keeping food warm before it is served can make the heating and serving process an easy task for the home chef who is a caterer on the side.

A home chef is usually very busy so there needs to be enough refrigeration space. So they may want to consider having two refrigeration units, namely a refrigerator and a freezer. One unit for refrigeration and another for freezing allows for the storage of much food. And this is necessary if you are going to cater for a lot of people.

An urn is also a good idea if the home chef is someone who caters for parties. The urn will boil the water and keep it warm and ready to serve so the chef won’t have to repeatedly heat water for guests’ tea and coffee. Guests can then help themselves to a hot drink.

Home chefs are hard workers so they deserve catering equipment that works hard for them.

Movable Swimming Pool Floor – The Craze That’s Worth It

Now what is it that makes it an eccentric thing as mentioned in the above?

When a swimming pool becomes damaged or is no longer used, the home owner needs to make an important decision to proceed with a pool removal Sydney project.

Everything! A movable pool floor is an invention that someone may have given a thought about, but couldn’t have actually expressed in the fear of calling being “insane”. But, thankfully, someone took this idea seriously and achieved what could have been termed as – impossible. Starting from removal of grass and trees to the deck installation, the entire procedure is a mind-boggling list of activities that the professionals manage to do it.

Instead of diagrammatic views, anyone could visit YouTube and check out the videos of a “movable pool in making” and get some familiarity with the entire project. It would showcase the amount of innate talent and creative ideas are put into work together for executing a project of this scale.

Several applications and benefits

There are several international pools and stadiums that conduct Olympics and other sports competition in these movable swimming pool floor types for extra convenience. However, its application is not just limited to this arena, but various others as well, which include: hotels and resorts, yachts, aquatic facilties, entertainment venues and so on.

We have precisely picked up the advantages that these pools can provide:

Movability – That’s the excellent and extraordinary attribute of a pool of such type that it can be adjusted as per one’s (homeowners!) convenience as and when needed. Suppose, there’s a party called by the homeowner, then the pool could be adjusted to the needs of a pool party or completely hidden for creating enough space in there. Those who have a luxury swimming pool with such facility would have a great time in their homes.

Usability – Regarding their usability, the example given in the above would have already thrown some light. Organizing parties or events in the homes becomes simple and brings immense enjoyment due to the moving pool floor option. Moreover, these are safe enough for usage, which generally the in-ground pools lack in some parameters.

Maintenance – With so many exquisite facilities, people may get frightened at the idea of maintenance. However, that’s clearly not going to happen due to the cutting-edge technologies installed for the maintenance of these systems. It helps in clearing off the debris, water changing option and various similar features.

Having mentioned about their advantages, we can point out to some disadvantages also, such as the investment and installation woes, but those can be well taken care of if the right kind of pool suppliers is found. It is better to perform a research before hiring them for the task.