eCriteria to Focus on Blog Integration Database-Driven Weblogs Address Business Needs Culver City, Calif. – October 16, 2002 – eCriteria announces today an exciting new initiative for combining its web-hosted databases with the increasingly popular weblog or Blog technology. Adding quick and simple-to-use database-driven functionality to blogs solves many Web application and collaboration requirements. eCriteria plans to work with blog technology companies such as WebCrimson (www.webcrimson.com) to provide solutions useful in business environments. An example of a database-enabled blog designed for conducting market research may be found at the Web address: http://voteforbooks.crimsonblog.com.

A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated message entries arranged chronologically. The content and purpose of blogs varies greatly. Blogs began with purely personal applications such as family news items, commentaries and links to favorite sites, diaries, photo journals, essays, and poetry to just name a few. Recently however, blogs have seen a rise in business-oriented uses where blogs make for an excellent communication tool on company intranets. The main drawback with blogs is that they’re static-only content and non-interactive. Adding eCriteria Web databases changes all that.

With embedded database functionality that eCriteria brings, blogs can now be used to address dynamic requirements such as maintaining project schedules, sales journals, and company calendars. Both blogs and eCriteria web-databases are hosted applications requiring no programming, no database knowledge, and no software to install. The blog providers host the web pages, and eCriteria securely hosts the database content.

eCriteria plans to offer licensing and channel partner opportunities for its Web database publishing technology for the purpose of integration with blog publishers.

A Word From the CEO

“Blogs represent an exciting new collaborative technology that’s beginning to find significant success in business settings,” says Dan D. Gutierrez, eCriteria’s founder and CEO. “We see broad-based market potential by embedding our secure Web databases in business blogs, and with this initiative we hope to help enhance their acceptance as a useful tool at the enterprise level.”

eCriteria is a self-funded spin-off venture of 18 year-old AMULET Development Corp. (www.amuletc.com), a database back-end web development and e-commerce integration firm based in Los Angeles. eCriteria defines a new genre of ASP called a Database Service Provider (DSP), providing a facility for quick, easy, and cost effective publishing of “shrink-wrap” web databases. eCriteria requires no programming or knowledge of databases. Using the Web Database Publishing Wizard, Data Authors may create their own web databases in minutes. The site is located at www.eCriteria.net.

Problem debts? – Think about the solutions

“I’m in debt. What are my options? It’s a common question these days, and a serious problem that’s made no easier by today’s economic troubles. But whatever debts an individual is facing, they’re likely to have at least one debt solution suitaible for their situation.

Let’s consider just a few debt solutions: debt management; debt consolidation; Individual Voluntary Arrangements and Trust Deeds. To some people, they’re just names – but to other people, they provide the light at the end of a very rocky road. So how do they work? What’s the difference between these debt solutions? Perhaps most important: which option could be right for me?

Let’s start with debt management. Basically, debt management programmes involves negotiating with creditors, asking them to accept a few changes to the original repayment terms. It’s easy for your situation to change in ways that mean you simply can’t keep up with repayments as originally agreed. You may have lost your job, had a baby, or seen payments (shoot up. Or maybe your debts just got out of hand.

Next: consolidating debt. Rather than struggling to keep up multiple payments to multiple debts, many debtors choose to consolidate their debts – applying for a loan that’s big enough to pay all their smaller debts off. This means they’ll only have one payment to make per month, thus reducing the risk of missing payments (and the charges and damage to their credit rating that can result).

Third option: IVAs. A form of insolvency, an IVA is a legally binding agreement between the borrower and their creditors. If you owe around £15,000 or more to multiple unsecured creditors, an IP can tell you whether an IVA might be the best way for you to get out of debt. If they think it is, they can draft up proposal, detailing how much you can afford to pay towards your debts every month for the next (normally) five years, once you’ve taken your essential expenses into account.

Fourth: Protected Trust Deeds. A Protected Trust Deed is similar to an IVA, but only available to residents of Scotland. In most cases, a Protected Trust Deed will last for three years.

Finally, no debt solution is a perfect fit for everyone. If you’re in debt, it’s vital to talk to a debt adviser who understands all the available debt options and can help you choose the option that’s right for you.

How about uses for standardized instrument control and data management software that’s compatible with the entire analytical instrument and process analysis industries and compliant will all 21 CFR part11 requirements?

Dr. Michael Doyle, Norm Jennings, and Dr. Mike Power are the three principals of Symbion Systems, Inc. a sister company to Axiom Analytical, Inc. a widely respected manufacturer of sample interfacing equipment for on-line process analysis.

Symbion Systems, Inc. was founded in 2002 to develop and market standardized instrument control and data management software for the analytical instrument and Process Analytical Technology needs.

After discussing this problem with their current software providers, Doyle and Jennings realized that, to tackle the problem of creating standardized software capable of meeting the generally accepted requirements for process analysis while interfacing with a wide range of instruments, they would have to do it themselves.

They were soon able to identify Dr. Mike Power as the ideal person to head up the software development program.

Dr. Power, with his unique experience on process analytical technologies was the perfect fit for Symbion. Dr. Power independently conceived the need for such a program and was already working on its development.

The fruit of their labor is SYMBION-DX, a universal application development and on-line monitoring environment for all process analysis requirements.

Symbion-DX fills the pressing need in the field of process analysis: the need for a common software platform to control and process data from a wide variety of analyzers while providing the functions required to implement all of the operational requirements of process analysis.

Prior to the development of Symbion-DX, virtually all process analysis software was provided by individual analyzer manufacturers. Consequently, each program worked only with the instruments of that one manufacturer – making it necessary for process analysts to learn and train others to use a wide variety of programs.

In addition, the unit volume of individual hardware suppliers often has not justified the effort required to develop and support the comprehensive software required.

In the view of many process analysts, the majority of the programs currently available do not properly address the real needs of the process analysis community.

Axiom Analytical and Symbion Systems have stepped in and did something about it.

Datacraft Solutions, www.datacraftsolutions.com, is the leading e-kanban provider worldwide. In the new Oaklea Press book “The Big Squeeze: Ten Ways to Cut Your Company’s Expenses 10% Right Now,” the benefits of the e-kanban process is highlighted.

Matthew Marotta, CEO of Datacraft Solutions, noted that, “finding rapid ROI elements of lean encourage the basic continued process improvement concept. e-kanban generates rapid and measurable cost-savings.”

Ken McGuire, Massachusetts-based lean pioneer, MEACCAPECD, urges readers to “go paperless!” McGuire noted on pages 151-152 of the “The Big Squeeze” and notes, “Datacraft Solutions allows small and medium-sized companies to have a network more secure than they could afford to buy and more reliable that than they could afford. The barrier to entry is zero…you cannot afford not to try it.”

The book is a compilation of ideas and insights submitted by hundreds of corporate executives giving ways they have found to save on everything from health insurance and telecommunications to transportation, logistics, and parts procurement.

The author, Patricia E. Moody, set up an Internet blog for executives from across the globe to share cost-savings ideas, and hundreds responded. This book distills and organizes this material, which was offered by managers from such well known businesses as Hilton Hotels, Motorola, Dell Computers, and Ford Motor Company.

“The Big Squeeze” is being issued in hardcover, retails for $23.95, and can be purchased at the publisher’s website, http://www.LeanTransformation.com. The International Standard Book Number is 1-892538-45-8. The value of Datacraft Solutions is just one of the many suggestions detailed in the book.

Datacraft Solutions www.datacraftsolutions.com Matthew Marotta 800-819-5326

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Most of today’s companies are maximizing their travel budgets and communication requirements by making smart use of videoconferencing as an alternative to face-to-face meetings. With this decision to implement enterprise-level videoconferencing comes a requirement for bandwidth solutions which are reliable and cost effective.

Videoconferencing can leverage the existing public telephone network, a private IP network or the Internet. The target bandwidth for interactive video communications is in the 300K to 400K bit/sec per stream range. This includes audio and video as well as control signaling.

The H.323 protocol does not require that two or more endpoints in a session send the same data rate they receive. A low-powered endpoint may only be able to encode at a rate of 100K bit/sec, but, because decoding is less processor-intensive, it could decode a 300K bit/sec videostream.

Nevertheless, in videoconferencing, bandwidth is assumed to be symmetrical. In full-duplex networks such as ISDN, Ethernet, ATM and time division multiplexed networks, capacity is expressed as bandwidth in one direction, though equal bandwidth is available for traffic in the opposite direction.

You need to estimate the number of simultaneous sessions your network needs to support, and figure out if your network has bandwidth end-to-end.

A T-1 bandwidth circuit offers 1.5M bit/sec in each direction and would be ample bandwidth for two 512K bit/sec or three 384K bit/sec videoconferences, depending on the amount of simultaneous traffic on the network. Also, make sure that you have 10/100 switched Ethernet throughout the LAN segments where videoconferencing traffic is expected.

Multipoint conference bandwidth (with which three or more locations can see and hear one another) is calculated separately from point-to-point sessions. Multipoint can be conducted in either IP or ISDN environments, and some conferencing units will support both network types.

Multipoint conferencing products may be software-based or accelerated with special hardware, and their configuration can produce different bandwidth consumption patterns as well as different user experiences. For example, when an endpoint is used to host a multipoint conference, the maximum bandwidth for any single participant is the bandwidth allocated to that host divided by the number of locations participating. When you need to have more than four locations on a call at the same time, network-based products are recommended.

If you decide that your IP network can’t handle the additional traffic associated with live video sessions in a merged or converged network deployment, your options are to rely on circuit switched networks or to deploy additional IP bandwidth capacity. To assist in determining and acquiring the exact bandwidth to meet your requirements…it’s strongly recommended to make use of a free technical consulatation service such as is available via DS3-Bandwidth.com. An excellent guideline resource for video conferencing set-up and management is also available at “Video Conferencing Solutions”.

Before the advent of cellular networks, communication with others was quite a chore. First there was the smoke signal, and then the messenger with scrolls, then the Pony Express, then the telegraph and mail, then came the telephone.

People once thought that the telephone was the ultimate form of communication. They had to guess again when cellular phones came into vogue.

In today’s information age, there are so many different forms of communication. The internet opened the doors to electronic mail and instant messaging communications.

However, the fastest growing mode of communication is cellular network communication, which in everyday talk is the use of cellular phones.

In 2003, the reported number of cellular phone users rose to 700 million, 120 million of which are in the Unites States.

The growing popularity of cellular phones owes much to the fact that cellular phones allow subscribers to call and be called from practically any location, as long as he or she is within the network area. And as cellular phones grow in popularity, the network coverage grows along with them.

Cellular phones are also attractive because they are wireless, and are lightweight. They run on low power and can remain powered up to receive a call for as long as half a week. The phone allows talk times up to a few hours.

How Do They Work

Cellular phones work by transmitting radio signals to nearby cell sites. These cell sites are towers that receive such signals and transmit them to other nearby cell sites until they reach the cell site nearest to the recipient of the call.

The structure of the network makes sure that the network coverage can span immense distances without having to rely on only on broadcast site.

These phone networks exist in most metropolitan areas in the world and their nearby provinces. Even the far off regions of each country are starting to benefit from an increased construction of infrastructure to accommodate larger network coverage.

The phone itself contains complex circuitry that allows it to be identified over the network. This allows the network to track, identify, and coordinate calls from its subscribers.

History of Cellular Phones

The first cellular phones were developed in the late 70’s by Illinois Bell in Chicago. This undertaking met with great success. Development for mass service of cellular technology began in the 80’s through the 90’s.

During this time, cellular phones were yet clunky, heavy, and had very limited battery life. It was only recently that technological innovations made possible the shrinking of the cellular phone unit.

Nowadays people can not live without the convenience of a cellular phone at hand. It allows people to stay constantly in touch with people they wish to talk to. It also provides cheap, efficient communications among time-critical endeavors such as medical work, business meetings, etc.

The Future

The future of communications starts with the cellular network. Even today newer protocols and technology aim to push mobile communications to the next level. Technologies such as 3G and GPRS are growing in support. Soon these technologies will use the cellular networks as a springboard towards success.

Although the information age is forever changing the way we communicate with one another. Cellular networks have effectively redefined and re-chartered the path technology will take with regards to communication.

Elegant apartment situated in the historic center of Rome, just behind the Quirinale Building, the building of the Italian President, few steps from Piazza Barberini, Spanish steps and Trevi Fountain, we offer to our guests the possibility to live an unforgettable holiday, remembering the Dolce Vita of Fellini, in fact this apartment located near the famous Via Veneto give the opportunity to live where the most important persons spent their life. Only 20 meters from one of the most beautiful building of the world, Palazzo Barberini, where there is the National Gallery of Ancient Art.

The Trevi apartment is composed by a very nice living room, with a comfortable double sofa bed, a kitchen where cook something, an elegant bathroom with shower hydro massage and Sauna where our guests can relax after a long roman promenade and a nice bedroom with a king size bed and a little bed for child. Inside, there is a safe, air conditioned, iron, washing machine, hairdryer and other services on demand.

Nearby there is the underground Line A and the most important bus stops for all direction of the city. Garage for the car very near, only 20 meters.

Other suggestion for Rome? Charming accommodation in the centre of Rome: find an Hotel Spanish Steps, or compare price for cheap Rome hotels, or make a reservation for a tour in Rome

No telecommunications audit or cost-reduction study is complete without a thorough review of local service records – commonly referred to as the “Customer Service Record” or “CSR”.

While a simple review of telecom bills can reveal cost-saving savings opportunities, Customer Service Records contain very specific information and data. Most suppliers will release a copy of a CSR when requested by a customer or auditing firm on their behalf.

What is a CSR?
A CSR is a copy of how your telephone records appear in the telephone company’s database. It contains information about each separate line charge (i.e. type of service, federal access charge, number portability charge, calling blocks on the line, 911 charge, etc.) that encompasses your monthly service charge on your bill.

In addition, a CSR reveals the service location of the account, the billing address, additional directory listings, PIC designations, hunting order, features that are being charged and on which line these features appear, calling plans that may include monthly charges, and taxes applied to each of the items on the record.

“Customer Service Record” is the most commonly used term for the internal record of your account. Others may include a “2733″ or “PBX/Key/Multiline” record. (SBC) Some LECS use the term “Service Record” or “Billing Services Record” while others have no record at all. These would include the Mom and Pop telephone companies and CLECS. They can usually type them manually with the information you request.

Universal Service Order Codes (USOC)
Customer Service Records are written in codes, commonly called USOC, or Universal (or Uniform) Service Order Codes. These codes are literally a foreign language to most, so allow yourself plenty of time to become familiar with the USOC codes used by your local carrier. A more in-depth discussion of USOC codes will be discussed in a future issue of this newsletter. At TelCon Associates, we’ve developed a database of over 10,000 USOC codes. CONTACT US for information on this valuable auditing resource.

The Four Main Sections of the CSR

A typical CSR is divided into four sections: The Header Record Section, the List Section, the Bill Section, and the S&E Section. Below you’ll find a summary of what each section contains.

The Header Record Section

This Header Record section is found at the top of the CSR, and details information about the CSR and the account itself. While CSR’s do not always contain identical information, generally the header section will include: the print date, billing period, directory, class of service (business or residential), customer identification code, account number, USOC code and quantity of service items, description of service, unit rate, total monthly charge, and tax.
The following two sections of the CSR contain important information about your company.

The List Section

The List section identifies whether or not the account is listed in the white pages of the telephone directory, as well as how the listing reads. Ironically, there is an extra charge for non-published listings, unless there is already another account listed at the same service address. The code NLST indicates that it is NOT listed in the the telephone directory although it still may be listed with directory assistance operators. SIC defines the service industry for proper Yellow Pages headings.

The Bill Section

The bill section of the CSR includes: bill name (BN1), bill address (BA) and tax area (TAR) for the account. The billing address is oftentimes different from the bill name.

The Service and Equipment Section

This section is the most important part of the CSR. Since this area lists all charges associated with each phone line, the bill section is also the area where USOC and nomenclature translations are necessary, in order to identify the exact line items. It is this area of the CSR where you will spend the bulk of your auditing time.
Obtaining and reviewing CSR’s is an important part of the telecom auditing process. A thorough job can be a time consuming and tedious, but the cost savings and increased efficiency is well worth the time and effort.

About the Author

Robert Potter is Vice-President and senior consultant of TelCon Associates, a 30 year old telecom consulting and management firm. TelCon Associates helps companies gain control and reduce telecom/IT spending through a guaranteed cost-reduction consulting process.

I am often asked by my friends how I managed to win the lottery, and the answer usually surprises them! My win, although not huge by modern standards, was achieved with very little effort, and almost no expense. The secret? Using the psychic powers we all have in order to predict the winning lotto numbers.

The method is simple, and easy to use, and should work just as well for you as it worked for me. After all, there is no monopoly on psychic talents! First, you need to get hold of a plumb weight. This can be a simple piece of lead, or a fancy crystal – it is up to you as the actual material is irrelevant. You will also need some string, some paper, and a pen. Scissors might also come in handy.

Make a pendulum by attaching the plumb weight to the string. Write out all 49 lottery numbers on the paper (tip – try a 7 x 7 ‘grid’ – this will make it easier to cut them out later! i.e. on the first line write 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 on the second write 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 and so on). Cut out the numbers into little squares, and place them face down on a smooth surface – your coffe table, for example. make sure they are well seperated (at least a couple of inches between numbers).

Now you must shuffle up the numbers, so you don’t consciously know which one is which. This is a very important step, so don’t overlook it. Next we are going to ‘dowse’ for the numbers that will win the very next lotto. The basics, of this technique, of course, go way back. When I was a little girl, after the War, I remember a friend of my father’s coming round to dowse for a source of water in the cottage we had just occupied. I watched fascinated as he walked back and forward, with a couple of hazel twigs, until suddenly, they jerked together, and he said “Here”.

When my father and his brothers dug down, sure enough, there was an underground spring, and we built a well there that served us for many years until we left the cottage when I was a teenager.

Back to the pendulum dowsing. Make sure the room is quiet and dark, and that there are no distractions. Hold the plumline over the first number and try to ‘empty your mind’ of everything except thoughts of the lottery draw, and the balls coming out of the machine. Don’t think about anything else, just concentrate on the balls. Don’t worry, don’t fret or strain, just ‘be’. The pendulum will in most cases, hang there, swaying gently from side to side. After a minute or so, if the pendulum is simply oscillating like that, move on to the next number. Eventually, you will be holding the pendulum over one of the numbers, and it will start to rotate. This rotation may be clockwise or counter clockwise, but it will definitely be rotation. You can even ‘test’ this if you don’t believe it – move to the side of the table, then try the same piece of paper again. You will get the same rotation (a tip on what to do if your arm gets tired can be found at www.psychicSuperstore.com).

Remove the piece of paper to the side, but DON’T TURN IT OVER YET. Repeat until you have your six ‘picks’ for the draw. Then, and only then can you turn the papers over to see what numbers have been picked for you. A little practise, and you will be amazed at how frequently you start to ‘hit’ winning numbers. Who knows, if your heart is pure, and your intentions are good, you might even win as big as I did!

About the Author

Lotto winner Barbara writes advice on the practical uses of your psychic gifts at www.psychicSuperstore.com , the free Psychic Superstore.

The Goddess within

Somewhere deep down in my soul I know I am a beautiful feminine energy that dances in the moonlight. Somewhere deep down I know that I am pure spirit energy, loving, giving, at one with myself. Somewhere inside this hardened exterior breathes the soul of a woman, untouched by any ego or distain.

Inside, somewhere deep down my heart and soul become one.

When you sit under a full moon you can’t fail to be touched by its beauty – like a starry sky at night a huge powerful universe sits inside each one of us. Tap into that energy and watch your soul fly. You can accomplish anything you wish for if you utilise your power. Everything in the Universe is connected, as we are all energy. Every rock, tree every living organism is formed of the same. Anyone of us is capable of change; why not transform our energy to resonate with the powerful woman inside. Just as we would tune in to a radio station – tune into to that awesome power of the Goddess within. She is wise, loving and will support you fully. Next time life seems trying or things get you down, close your eyes and go deep. See your situation from the heart and know that whatever happens your “Inner Goddess” is supporting you, non-judgementally, 100%.

Copyright Alison Hall 2004

About the Author

About the Author… Alison Hall is a holistic life coach, reiki master and writer. An inspirational teacher, who draws on a number of holistic techniques to help others live their dreams. For more information on how she can help you please visit www.universalbeing.co.uk, email alison@universalbeing.co.uk or telephone +44 (0)1642 869440