Hercules Instinct USB Controller

You don’t need to have an ultra-expensive DJ controller  (like NUMARK N4 )for beginners to really appreciate the power and utility of these devices. While the Hercules Instinct is slightly more expensive than the company’s Compact version, it more than makes up for it by adding a variety of features that you can also see in higher-priced, more professional looking brands. For instance, the jog wheels of the Instinct have been carefully engineered with precision pressure detection so you can effortlessly try your hand at scratching, much like what professional DJs do with a vinyl record. You can also easily control the Instinct’s pitch and bend function for that superb scratch. The Instinct also comes with the powerful yet so easy to use DJUCED 18 Degree software which enables you to mix two of your favorite audio tracks easily on the fly while also allowing you instant saves of your mixes. The Instinct, like the Compact, comes as a 2-deck rig with the audio mixer controls situated right in the center of the chassis while the deck controls have been laid out on the peripheries allowing for a more efficient access to what really matters. The Hercules Instinct may be inexpensive but it sure is not skimping on the quality of its construction as well as the richness and functionality of its features.

Solar Panels Go Green — Literally. Here's Why That's a Big Deal

With highly rated models now running in excess of 20-percent efficiency, solar panels have gotten pretty good at turning sunlight into electricity. Trouble is, they still aren't very pretty.

But this is changing.

Tesla grabbed the spotlight earlier this year when it began selling solar shingles that look like ordinary shingles, and other panel makers have refined their offerings (which now include solar windows). And now researchers in the Netherlands say they have developed a process for making conventional bluish-black solar panels bright green.


The same process might also make it possible to create panels (for example: RENOGY 200 WATT ) in other colors, and even in white.

Such panels would afford a level of versatility that just isn't possible with conventional solar panels — for example, red panels could be used on roofs, white ones on walls, and the green ones in natural settings — and thus do more than conventional panels to encourage our reliance on solar energy.

“The black appearance of the [conventional] solar panels is not attractive for many people and a reason to not put solar panels on their rooftop,” Verena Neder, a doctoral student at the Amsterdam-based research institute AMOLF and the lead author of a paper describing the research, told NBC News MACH in an email. “Making solar cells colored makes it possible to integrate them in an architectural design of houses and full cities, but also to merge them in the landscape.”

SOLAR'S DAY IN THE SUN

Solar energy is already enjoying its day in the sun. New research shows that the U.S. got 43 times as much electricity from solar in 2016 than in 2007. Experts welcomed the new research as something that might encourage the trend.

"There are already different styles to suit different people’s tastes, in terms of the aesthetics of what you’re putting on your roof," John Rogers, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts, told MACH in an email. "But more options are always good, and I expect having a broad range of colors will only help broaden the market for solar even more."

These aren't the first colored solar panels. But the ones already on the market reflect a large portion of the sunlight that falls on them, Neder said, making them about 45 percent less efficient than ordinary solar panels at generating electricity. The prototype panels, which get their color from tiny light-scattering "nanocylinders" rather than dyes or reflective coatings, are only about 10 percent less efficient than conventional panels.

The nanocylinders — each about 600 times thinner than a human hair — are laid down on the solar cells via a process the researchers likened to rubber stamping. They produce the green color by scattering green frequencies of light back while letting other frequencies of light pass through.

  The "nanopatterned" panel appears green independent of the angle at which it's viewed. / Neder Et Al.
The prototype panels are smaller than a postage stamp. But the process used to make them is easily scalable, Dr. Albert Polman, a scientific group leader at AMOLF and a senior author of the paper, said in a news release. “You can use a rubber stamp the size of a solar panel that in one step can print the whole panel full of these little, exactly defined nanoparticles,” he said.

NEXT STEPS

Neder said the next step for the research might be to develop large-scale colored solar panels, though there are no formal plans to commercialize the technology. But no matter what, experts say solar energy is surging — and the new research seems likely to do its part to move things along.

"The world is starting an energy revolution, which, when complete, is likely to change our lives in ways that we don't yet foresee, much as cell phones and laptops have changed our lives," Dr. Sarah Kurtz, co-director of the National Center for Photovoltaics in Golden, Colorado, told MACH in an email. "Being able to make solar panels in different colors...provides opportunities for incorporating solar panels into our world in ways we haven't yet imagined."

Pay Stub - Taking Care of Your Employees

As soon as you step up to another level and start your own company you're most likely going to need to hire workers that will assist you to keep things running. This usually means that you're likely to need to be ready to prepare every employee a cover slip at the conclusion of every pay period. So as to keep your workers happy you will get to use a template to produce their www.online-pay-stub.com that shows them just how much they got and what deductions were removed.

Learning Concerning the www.online-pay-stub.com and the Perfect Sort of Template

Most new business owners have likely never filled out a payroll stub and consequently, have only a limited idea about what information has to be included. The very best approach to make certain that the stub you devote to your employees is correct your very best choice is to use a template to make a www.online-pay-stub.com which will utilize your personal computer accounting program.

A template is a guide which may be used to supply you with the fundamental theories of how to make www.online-pay-stub.com. With the majority of templates, you'll realize that you could customize them to suit your business's specific needs. Often times you'll discover that there's specific information your employees will request that you include in their www.online-pay-stub.com, by deciding on the best template you'll have the ability to bring this information to their own payroll stubs rather readily.

What a Template Used to Produce www.online-pay-stub.com Should Consist of

Your workers and national laws are going to need that you include specific details on every www.online-pay-stub.com. This information will be contained in the ordinary template used to make www.online-pay-stub.com and often times could be filled in automatically from the database. Each stub needs to have a room for the worker's name and address. There should be lines due to his or her social security number, the hours he's worked broken down to regular hours and overtime hours.

After this, his hourly charges must be recorded to avoid any question of exactly what he's getting paid. The total of hours worked should be revealed in addition to the gross pay. This should be outlined for several taxes, social security and Medicare deductions in addition to any others like insurance premiums. This way your workers are able to understand where each dollar they've earned goes until they get the lowest figure or web pay.

If you would like to keep your workers happy then you need to look on the internet for a template which will produce www.online-pay-stub.com which you may use in combination with your accounting software to create their cover slips easily each pay period. Using a template can save you both time and annoyance each time payday comes about.

How To Make Your Own Sidewalks

Creating a pavement is a lot simpler than people believe. It is also a lot cheaper to do all your own job. First, we have to choose how extensive we should make it and how long. We also need to find out how deep to the floor we want to look.

It really is much easier if you don't have to dig really heavy at all when beginning a pavement, but this depends on your building site. For instance, if you are putting in a brand new pavement before you remove the top earth for a fresh backyard then you will want to keep the pavement together with the floor. Should you be setting the sidewalk repair Manhattan into a preexisting grass or walk place, you then will need to look down an inch or two hence the sidewalk repair Manhattan NY is not too much. Sidewalk repair contractor in Manhattan New York which can be excessive are stumbling hazards simply because they stick up too far.

Let's say our sidewalk repair Manhattan will be four-feet wide and thirty feet long. This is a sidewalk repair Manhattan NY where we will look into the terrain exactly two inches. We must determine throughout the pavement area which we know is forty-eight inches, but we also must look the additional area where the types will proceed. The kinds for sidewalks are often only 2x4 studs. They are inexpensive and quite simple to utilize.

The rating throughout the sidewalk repair Manhattan should include the thickness of a 2X4 stud on each part. The thickness of every study can be an inch 5, so add 3" onto the size of the sidewalk repair Manhattan NY. This can offer us an area of 51 inches to dig. Of course, we could often dig a considerably bigger region and simply backfill the dust after the sidewalk repair contractor in Manhattan New York is completed.

The excavated region will undoubtedly be 51 inches wide by thirty feet long. Sidewalk repair contractor Manhattan  are often dug out using a scoop due to the shallow depth. You'll make certain the entire region is degree and you will have to tamp the soil where the cement will be mixed. Now we could begin location while in the sorts. The simplest way to participate, two 2X4 men, is by nailing a 2X4 block externally of the varieties where the joint is. This can keep them secure. Next, make certain the types are despite having a regular description of 48 inches the whole duration.

You won't need to use rebar such as you do when pouring foundations. If you should be making a little sidewalk repair Manhattan, then you can find bags of ready-mix, incorporate water and serve it in, however for many projects, you'll desire to contact the cement business to supply and put the concrete. The cement necessary for Manhattan sidewalk repair  is a softer type of cement than fundamentals. Base cement is known as "5-bag mix, but Manhattan sidewalk repair cement is "six-case mix. It's a higher concrete content and uses the smaller aggregate product.

The concrete corporation may know what to do if you let them know the cement is for a pavement. They will ask you for the sizes of one's project and they're going to determine the amount of cement needed. Concrete is calculated and bought by square yards. Let's take our description as an example. Your pavement is thirty feet long, four feet large, and four inches deep. So our square footage is 120 square feet by four inches deep. Let us transform this to square meters by splitting 120 by 27. There are 27 cubic feet in a square yard. This provides us 4.44 square meters, but we still have to separate that by 3 since the Manhattan sidewalk repair is not a foot solid, it is simply four inches, which is really a third of the base. Therefore our ultimate amount is all about one and a half meters of concrete had a need to dump the sidewalk repair Manhattan. The price tag on cement varies by spot, but if you reside fairly close, you ought to be able to get it for around $90 per yard.

Currently, we are able to put the pavement. The cement vehicle can dump the concrete, but you will need to scoop it around to acquire it actually contrary to the sorts. You will need to get the concrete smoothly into the forms. Jab the concrete continues to interrupt any air pockets. Once the concrete is wherever you desire it, you will need to make it smooth. You can buy a screen or you can simply utilize a level 2X4 to operate over the top of concrete. This will make it basically easy.

Once you have the surface reasonably smooth, you will make use of a move or a lengthy trowel to create the great cement towards the exterior. This may produce a quite clean surface and can produce the harder aggregate product sink under the area. You'll wish to enable this dry for some hours before discovering the top having a look brush. Cleaning can give the DOT sidewalk violation Manhattan some grip which means you don't slip on the smooth floor. Be careful never to overdo the scrubbing.

After three times, you'll be able to take away the kids and begin to backload the tips of the sidewalk in order that they are in spite of the garden or surface. Preferably, we like to have the sidewalk repair Manhattan NY about a half-inch greater than the backyard.

For the final step up the pavement method, we have to minimize sections in the cement, therefore, it doesn't crack with all the action on the ground underneath. You are able to rent a concrete cutter or use a concrete blade on around tool and slice over the pavement every five feet or so. This may provide the sidewalk repair contractor in Manhattan New York mobility during extension and contraction of the earth.

That is essentially making your own sidewalks. We could generally save about two-thirds the cost of a professionally put DOT sidewalk violation Manhattan by doing it ourselves.

GOAL ZERO YETI 1250

The GOAL ZERO YETI 1250 is the most versatile and powerful generator from the Yeti series. Extremely handy for camping, on a boat, garden shed or ideal for back-up in and around the home. With the Yeti 1250, almost all electrical devices up to 1200 W can be provided of energy. The generator has several outputs and can be quickly recharged via solar panels. Making the Yeti 1250 the most ideal power supply for many situations.

The Yeti 1250 can be used as a portable power source, and is extremely quiet and fuel-free. This makes the device also suitable for in the house. With the battery capacity of 1250 Wh you can provide for example, a small refrigerator for long periods of energy. An average LED lamp operates for 400 hours via the Yeti 1250. Of course, several units can be connected simultaneously to the outputs of the Yeti. By charging the Yeti 1250 during the day via solar panels, you can create a mini-power plant.

Unique to the Solar generators of Goal Zero is that the charging process via solar panels runs faster than charging from the wall outlet or car cigarette lighter. Charging via a wall outlet, goes with up to 72 W (charging of 18 hours). With solar panels, the maximum input of 320 W is feasible, so that the charging time of the Yeti 1250 can be reduced to about 4 hours.

The Yeti 1250 has 9 different outputs. The three USB outputs are suitable for charging almost any USB device, MP3 player, smartphone and tablet. The three 12 V outputs can connect lights, camera battery chargers etc. One of these outputs has the format of a car cigarette lighter. Furthermore, the Yeti 1250 has two 220 V outputs (AC). This allows all devices to be connected with a plug, up to 1200 W of power. The AC outputs are only suitable for European plugs. Via the Anderson-port, the Yeti 1250can be linked to a second Yeti 1250, so you have twice as much battery capacity.

The Yeti 1250 weighs 46 kg and remains with dimensions of approximately 41 x 30 x 37 cm compact. A handy trolley is supplied in order to move the machine easily.

How to Brand Your Solo Business

While starting your own business may be your dream, it has to stand out from the competition to be truly successful. Just like a large organization invests a sizable sum into branding efforts, a solo business should consider developing a unique identity to promote long-term growth. The following strategies can help your business appeal to potential customers.

Establish an Identity

Branding encompasses how you define yourself, what you stand for, and how you use your voice. How do you wish to be known? What do you offer? Focus on a small market you can thrive within, or clearly interlink related services if you have multiple talents. A writing service, for example, could go hand in hand with editing or transcription work. Regardless of what you do, establish an identity that customers easily recognize.

Visualize it

Visualization strengthens your business identity and overall presence. Simplicity usually works best here, especially if your graphics clearly depict your focus. An educational website or service, for example, may opt for a brightly-lit bulb and yellow color scheme. Whether your business needs an eye-catching logo or a compelling business card, proper visualization can help you increase brand awareness and reach new audiences.

Add Character

Have some fun with your brand by adapting a certain pattern or characteristic. Implement light humor into your solo business through relatable quotes and puns, or give away a small souvenir that represents your business with every purchase that meets a certain criterion. Using a consistent color scheme can solidify brand identity. For example, Facebook is known for its blue and white logo. Keep in mind that different colors evoke different feelings and emotions.

Make it Memorable

Brands are often remembered for something they do and not just who they are. Use your products and services in creative ways to establish a stronger relationship with your customers. For example, have you considered holding weekly, monthly, or yearly contests? Use names or labels to establish such events, such as "Freebie Fridays," where you give away random perks to one lucky newsletter subscriber.

Expand and Diversify

Maintaining various social media channels isn't enough if you only post the occasional company update. Go the extra mile by creating regular YouTube videos that deliver a message about your brand, or release a regular podcast discussing the latest trends and issues surrounding your industry. Likewise, diversify offline through the use of business cards or even sponsoring a charitable organization.

Be Predictable

Certain annual events are highly anticipated by customers, most notably Black Friday sales. Imagine if your solo business had a similar strategy that incorporated predictable deals during certain dates and seasons. For example, you could be known for reducing the costs of your products and services by 10 percent during every national holiday. From an administrative standpoint, ensure that you find the best times to send out communication emails, new social media announcements and website posts if your business relies heavily on the web.

Assess the Competition

What are your competitors doing that your business currently lacks? How have they achieved their status and overall presence? Perhaps a local business speaks to their demographics more effectively or implements the latest trends a bit faster. Draw inspiration from your rival's branding strategy to correct potential mistakes. Study not only what they do, but how they inject themselves into the masses and analyze any missing link between your brand and your target audience.

While your products and services may help resolve a problem for the consumer, it is your branding that gains their attention and attracts them to your offerings.

Guest Post: Used Men's Watches - Do Refinished Dials Reduce the Value of Your Investment?

A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL?
A dial is, arguably, the most important visual feature of a watch. Irrespective of the excellence of the movement or its timekeeping qualities, if the dial is badly discoloured or flaking it makes the watch look sub-standard, tired or worn out and certainly diminishes its value.

Often Collectors are put off by flaking and badly discoloured dials on otherwise quite original used men's watch Constellations. Many shy away from such watches because of the general assumption that moisture is the primary cause of dial disintegration. The theory goes, that badly discoloured dials provide a good outward clue of a possibly rusty movement and are best avoided.

There is another possible cause of dial discolouration that behoves the canny buyer to look more closely at watches with discoloured dials.

Sun damage is another cause of paint failure and sun can mimic water damage to the dial paint in many cases.

A beautiful movement with no water damage can lay below, and this type of paint failure, while not good for collectors of original watches, is a wonderful candidate for restoration. However, even seasoned buyers need to be careful when buying watches with badly deteriorated dials - you need to determine very carefully whether the watch dial is damaged from sun or moisture.

So, the first thing that needs to be done when chancing upon an used mens watches with a badly discoloured dial is look under the bonnet with a jewellers loup. A clean, rust free movement is easily identified, and if the seals on the case have held up well, there will be no tell-tale rust spotting on the non-copperised parts of the movement and no corrosion of the case, particularly at the caseback seam.

If the movement has stood up well to the elements and history or use, you have a choice: Buy and restore (or have restored) or continue on your journey to find a vintage used men's watch with an original dial. If you take the restoration route, you could have the watch sent to used men's watch in Bienne, wait for quite a while, and ultimately receive the watch back with a new factory dial.

In the case of Pie Pan Constellations, however, it's believed that used men's watch has run out of factory dials and will replace old Pie Pan dials with convex Constellation dials from the same period. Given the increasing likelihood of not being able to source an original Pie Pan dial, you may choose to opt for a re-dial.

So if you choose to re-dial, what are you letting yourself in for? If you can source an excellent re-dialler - they are few and far between - then a dial refinished to look exactly like an original will indeed make a watch look much more attractive.

But, from the standpoint of collecting original used men's watch it may not improve the value of the watch - there is an exception and we'll review that later. From a vintage collectors point of view, a refinished dial diminishes the value of a watch when compared with a watch with an original intact dial that may have a nice patina.

Why is this? Well, generally, refinished dials are not of the same quality as the factory originals. Many refinished dials don't last as long and are not as durable as original dials. Factory dials may have baked-on, anodised and other manufacturing finishes such as clear coatings covering both the dial and markers to inhibit the ageing process.

Refinished dials are often painted, have ink stamped script and are finished to a lower level of quality and durability. They may mark more easily and often do not contain the level of detail of the originals.

Also, many original dials have the markers soldered to the dial, whereas in quite a number of refinished dials I have seen, the markers have been glued back rather than soldered (for the obvious reason that the soldering process could damage the paint on a re-dial) On occasions the glue is so thick on the back of the dial that it interferes with the running of the watch, particularly with date models.

A bad re-dial with inaccurate detailing can have the value of your watch dropping quicker than a souffle placed in a refrigerator! It's fair to say that there are many more slap-dash, incompetent and inferior refinishing houses than there are high quality re-dialers. So, if you chance upon one, treat him like royalty.

Now, to the exception mentioned earlier. Because of the globalisation of the vintage watch market and accessibility of stock, many more people have the opportunity to buy Used men's watches. A new niche has emerged in the vintage watch market for vintage watches that look almost showroom new. This market is driven, largely, by newcomers. I can attest to that from a continuous flow of emails from such individuals, and, to them, 'look' is very important and 'patina' and originality is often overlooked. These buyers will pay big money for look and wearability, so you will see on occasions quite high prices being paid for watches with refinished dials.

I imagine though that quite a number of newcomers to collecting, if they're serious, will ultimately develop a greater level of collecting sophistication and become interested in the finer points of detail, originality, richness of patina and other collectibility factors.

Because of the diminsihing supply of new-old-stock Used men's dials, particularly Pie Pan Constellations and other early models, re-dialing will increasingly become a fact of life. Never-the-less, from a long-term collectibility standpoint, re-dialling should be an option when you have no other options.

Five Lessons to Learn from Your Competition

It goes without saying that competition drives innovation. While your goal is to ultimately be the best, you simply cannot build a sustainable business without competitors consistently improving the landscape. Therefore, learning from your competitors is crucial when it comes to driving your business forward. Let's look at the various ways in which business rivals can actually help you beat them at their own game.

1. Know where they stand

As a small business owner, you may already be familiar with your audience's main necessities, but so is your competition. Knowing what the other guys are offering is a great way to deliver higher value. What are your rivals doing differently and how are they going about it? Perhaps they offer similar services but have more attractive incentives or rewards programs.

Competition analysis will help you stay ahead because it enables you to develop a more valuable strategy for both consumers and your business infrastructure. You do not need to reinvent the wheel here; just rise above your competitors with a new angle.

2. Assess their weaknesses

In contrast to the above, analyzing your competitor's weaknesses is a surefire way to stand out. Thankfully, businesses tend to leave various clues about their intricate operation methods—even in subtle ways. For example, what is their social media strategy? How often do they engage with their target audience? Are they choosing the best possible times to do so? How do they communicate or come across?

Whether your competitor lacks a hassle-free refund policy or has a disorganized in-store experience or website setup, there is always a way to find their weaknesses and use that to your advantage.

3. Customers are your highest priority

Successful businesses do not focus primarily on their competitors, but rather on their customers. While competitive analysis helps you stay ahead, customer satisfaction ultimately helps you stay afloat.

UPS' competitive advantage lies heavily on outstanding customer service. This is something that most competitors naturally integrate, but few actually go above and beyond to ensure unquestionable satisfaction. Even if your competitor is proficient in this area, analyzing their inner workings (and aforementioned weaknesses) allows you to gain the upper hand with your target audience.

4. Analyze their company culture

Employees are often dissatisfied with their company culture, whether a business has unnecessarily strict regulations or their methods feel robotic and bland. What can you learn from other businesses to improve employee satisfaction?

While figuring out your competitors' internal culture may prove difficult, you can still assess the situation through various means. For example, become a regular customer for a limited time and take a look around from a professional's perspective. Be curious, and study employee behavior and communication. In addition, survey your own employees, as well as your customers, to improve upon your strengths and deliver greater value. Diligent homework combined with genuine feedback can help you establish the right company culture and stand apart from any and all competitors.

5. Study their brand and persona

A small business's brand plays a substantial role in the way customers interact. Your brand has the power to represent your business's personality, which naturally leads to higher customer engagement and sales. However, what if your client base relates better to your competitor's image? Perhaps they have adapted a sense of humor that your company lacks, or have a welcoming aura that reassures customers that they will have a great time while shopping. Maybe your store lacks background music or a greater level of customer-friendly interaction.

Sweat the small details to inject more personality into your brand, regardless of how your competitors are doing. Entertain customers who are waiting in a long line or surprise loyal customers with a free gift, especially if your business is kid-friendly.

5 Ways to Balance Your Day Job and Side Business

Whether you own a side business for supplemental income or plan to turn it into a full-time endeavor, your day job still takes priority until your side business is fully dependable. It is critical to find a way to make both businesses successful without burning yourself out. Here is a look at some effective ways to balance your time and energy while simultaneously managing your day job and your up-and-coming business.

1. Develop a long-term plan

A side business can be long-term and even blossom into full-time work. Like any other venture, it requires planning to ensure that it meets and exceeds your expectations over time. Depending on your goals, creating a business plan might be the best way to envision the long-term success of your side business. This enables you to better balance it with your day job because every step of the way is mapped out.

In addition, set financial goals and detail potential expenses, such as the acquisition of tools, inventory management, and additional assistance required to make it successful. Compile a list of goals to help envision the amount of time and resources required to manage both your job and your side business more effectively.

2. Plan ahead for tax season

Whether your side business is small or large, prepare ahead for tax season in order to better assess potential write-offs. Keep careful records of all income and expenses. This can be achieved with software or by creating a simple spreadsheet. Once tax season arrives, managing all financial details will be easier to balance because everything is neatly organized.

3. Operate both businesses separately

In order to avoid potential conflict, resist the urge to focus on your side business during regular work hours. While it may not cause legal repercussions with your main source of income, some employers may frown upon your focus on other opportunities outside of your day job. If management feels like you lack focus, they may assume that you will eventually leave and not consider you for promotional opportunities. At worst, they may even start looking for a replacement.

Refrain from talking about your side work—even with close friends and trusted colleagues. In addition, create separate social media accounts for personal use and for your side business.

4. Manage your time efficiently

With a day job and a side business, you most likely work over 40 hours per week. This makes proper time management critical to avoiding potential burnout. Managing your time well will also help you stay focused at your day job and make your side business more successful.

Though there will be days where both your side and day jobs require extra attention, focus on getting all tasks done properly and efficiently. Do not allow for unneeded interruptions, and focus solely on your side business when time allows. Self-discipline is crucial when managing your own ventures or striving for self-employment.

5. Take a break

Allow yourself to take a break from both your day job and side business. While you may take a vacation from your day job and dedicate additional time to your side business, consider stepping away from everything as a way to replenish your focus. Even if it is only for a few days, plan a vacation each year and refrain from working during this time. This will help you reduce fatigue from working extensive hours and will get you ready to tackle priorities with renewed interest.

With proper planning and preparation, balancing your time between two jobs can be done efficiently and effectively. The key is to find the right combination of proper timing, adequate focus, and the ability to step away when time allows.