Posts Tagged ‘time management’

Alarm Clocks And Online Collaboration

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Have you ever bought an item of equipment that you thought would come in very useful only to leave it lying around for months because you could not work out how to set it up? Or not set all the features up, because it would have taken hours to read through the handbook, which looked as if it had been translated by a computer anyway?

Most people have experienced the situation at some time or another. I had an alarm clock once that had dozens of features like waking me up at diverse times on the weekend to during the week and randomly selecting a radio channel every day to wake me up. It also had a feature with which I could train it to understand some voice commands, but I could not be bothered with all that.

I just wanted it to wake me up whenever I set it. Video recorders are similar devices. How many times do you hear of individuals setting their video recorder to record a movie only to get a documentary on another channel? It used to happen a lot, didn’t it?

The aspect that I am getting at here is that the designers of these instruments have been told to put as many features as possible into them up to a price in order to be all things to all people. However, in making their equipment so convoluted, a great deal of people decide not to bother using them at all and will avoid that make in the future, which is the precise opposite of what the manufacturers intended.

The next time you go out looking for some electrical implement, you will say to yourself: “Oh, So-And-So, you need a diploma to use one by So-And-So. I’m not buying one of theirs”.

So how can this concern you? Well, if you have to coordinate anything that you expect others to take part in or be animated about, try not to make it overly complex. I am not saying ‘dumb-down’, just don’t show off by putting all the bells and whistles on it simply to show that you can do that. People will not thank you for it, they will ignore your project.

This has a great deal of implications for on line projects where people can be thousands of miles apart but still be collaborating on a joint development from home. Open source programming is a fine example of this type of work. The team leaders should keep everything as simple as possible if they want the maximum co-operation.

One technique that you can use to check to see if your venture is being understood is to inquire. It sounds obvious and it should be, but a lot of team leaders will not ask because they think that it makes them look weak and unknowledgeable. Again, in fact, the opposite is true. A good team leader is not a despot; a good team leader is a good organizer and is considerate.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.

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A Brief Guide To Choosing The Correct Ironing Board

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

There’s not much doubt that an ironing board is a dull and mundane item of household equipment to which very few people give much consideration. Nevertheless, every home will have one. It is an essential household item and - if you pick the wrong type - you could well finish up with poorly ironed clothes, take longer to get through your ironing than you need to and even strain your back.

Nowadays, the majority of people use steam irons - or even steam generator irons which are growing in popularity due to the fact that they can reduce the amount of time required for ironing. For both of these types of irons an ironing board which has a surface of open mesh construction is desirable. The mesh structure allows the steam to pass through the board, which helps to avoid condensation and soggy garments and ironing board covers when ironing large amounts of items.

The ironing board cover should be as smooth as possible to make ironing easier. It should be well secured and have no tendency to slip. An elasticated cover which incorporates one or two cross ties will usually suffice and will not slide around on you when you’re doing your ironing. A nice shiny metalised cover will also reflect heat from the iron back into the garment and will help to remove creases from the underside of the material whilst the top surface is being pressed.

The shape and size of the board will depend upon what you generally iron. A smaller board may be easier to manipulate and store - but it will generally require more repositioning of the item being ironed. A good taper on the pointed end will be useful for getting into corners - the shoulders of shirts and blouses for example - and will also be good for collars.

Scissor action legs which allow you to adjust the height of the board are pretty much standard these days. Make sure that you set the board height at a level that’s comfortable for you and doesn’t strain your back. If you’re the only one who irons (I bet you are) then a position marker is always useful. If you like to sit down whilst ironing then choose a board which has curved legs so that your knees don’t bang against the legs when you’re sitting down. Whatever type of legs you go for, they should provide good support and give you a stable platform to iron upon. A broad T-piece foot or splayed feet joined by a connecting bar usually works well.

The support for the iron itself should be sturdy enough to take the weight of the iron. Wire type extension platforms are usually okay for standard steam irons. The extra weight presented by a steam generator iron may mean that a longer board which just features a heat resistant plate on a slightly extended surface is better. Alternatively, the base unit of steam generator irons may be positioned on the floor - as long as the connecting hose between base unit and iron is long enough to permit this.

Cut out the drudgery of long ironing sessions with a Tefal steam generator iron - you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much time you can save.

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How Is The Operating Efficiency Of Your Domestic Appliances Influenced By A Hard Water Supply?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

The domestic water supply to the majority of homes is “hard water”. Hard water is simply a definition used to describe water which has a fairly high concentration of minerals dissolved in it. Calcium and magnesium are the two most important minerals. There is, according to the World Health Organisation, absolutely no health risk associated with hard water. However, it can have an effect on the operating efficiency and useful lifetime of a number of different household appliances.

Mineral deposits can build up in water pipes, heating systems and in domestic appliances. Appliances which use hot water - kettles, steam irons, dishwashers and washing machines are especially susceptible to this. This is due to the fact that heating the water liberates many of the minerals which then reform as “scale”. As well as domestic appliances, the central heating system may be affected.

A number of different variables have an influence upon how much scale is generated. One of the strongest influences is the temperature of the water. The higher the water temperature, the greater the amount of mineral deposits that will be freed and the more scale that will form. Lowering the operating temperature of household heating systems, dishwashers and washing machines will tend to reduce the amount of deposited scale and will ensure that these appliances operate more efficiently and have an extended lifespan. Choosing a detergent that includes anti-scaling agents can also help.

Using a lower water temperature with appliances such as steam irons, kettles and coffee makers isn’t very practical. Some kettles come with filters built in these days, which can prevent or reduce the incursion of harmful minerals (as well as improving the taste of hot drinks). Some modern irons incorporate specially designed, removable scale traps which make it easy to wash away any scale under a running tap. Other alternatives include periodically cleaning your appliances with special anti-scale chemicals.

There may be no health problems as a result of a hard water supply, but some people will dislike the flavour of hot drinks and food prepared using this. In this case, a water filter could be used. Various types exist, ranging from simple jug type filters to on tap, under sink and even whole house filters. They are all effective, cheaper than you might imagine and relatively quick to install.

Whilst it may seem like a bit of an inconvenience, it’s well worth taking a little effort to combat the effects of a hard water supply. Apart from improved efficiency of domestic appliances, using the right detergents, operating at a lower water temperature and occasional cleaning will save you money and extend the life of your household goods.

Ironing is a dull task at best. Cut it down to size with a Tefal steam generator iron - you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how much time you can save.

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Reduce Your Ironing Time With A Steam Generator Iron

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Steam generator irons and conventional steam irons look quite similar at first glance - especially the iron part itself. However, steam generator irons are constructed quite differently and have a different mode of operation. They employ a separate base unit which acts as both boiler and water tank. The body of the iron contains no water. Steam is passed from the base unit into the iron using a flexible connecting tube.

Steam generator irons generally cost a little more than standard steam irons - but they have a number of advantages which more than justify this. It’s probably worthwhile taking a moment or two to review the key points to consider when choosing a steam generator iron. The main areas that you should look at when deciding which iron is best for you are water reservoir capacity, steam pressure, soleplate material and design, ease of cleaning, and overall ease of use.

STEAM PRESSURE: The steam causes heat and moisture to penetrate the fabric of the garment being ironed. This makes it more flexible and facilitates the removal of creases and wrinkles. The greater the pressure of the steam, the deeper it penetrates the garment being pressed and the better the finished result will be.

Steam generator irons typically have their output stated in terms of grams of steam per minute. The greater the number, the greater the amount of steam that is produced and the easier it will be to glide the iron over the fabric. Typical values will vary from 70 to 140 grams per minutes (g/min).

Sometimes you may see the steam pressure expressed in bar. Once again, the higher the number is, the more steam that will be produced, the deeper it will penetrate the fabric and the better the results will be.

WATER RESERVOIR SIZE: Steam generator irons normally have a generously sized water tank. This means that you will be able to do a fair bit of ironing before you need to top up the water. The exact duration will vary based upon the type of fabric being ironed - but you should get a couple of hours of ironing out of a 1.4 litre tank.

If you do a lot of ironing then you might like to consider getting one of the bigger tanks available. If your ironing board is one of the smaller ones, then you may wish to ensure that the connecting tube between the iron and the reservoir is of a length which allows the base unit to be located on the floor instead of at the end of the ironing board.

Consider also how easy filling the reservoir is. A lot of the better steam generator irons come with water reservoirs which are detachable, and this makes topping up a lot easier. It’s certainly better than fussing about with jugs of water. Other irons have the option of topping up the reservoir whilst the iron is being used - avoiding the need to disconnect it and then having to wait for it to heat up again after being refilled.

THE SOLEPLATE: The iron’s soleplate should be of a design and material which allows it to pass smoothly and easily over the fabric being pressed. It should be scratch resistant, durable, and easy to clean.

EASE OF CLEANING: Most modern irons, whether standard steam irons or steam generator irons, use plain old tap water. Depending upon the water supply in your area, this will usually contain a number of different mineral - including both magnesium and calcium. This can cause scale deposits which will reduce the efficiency of your iron if left untreated.

If your house is in a hard water area, then you will definitely want to go for an iron which has some type of anti-scale system. Some iron use a special detachable anti-scale cartridge - others use water to loosen the scale and then flush it out.

USABILITY: As already discussed, you may find it preferable for your iron to be positioned on the floor rather than on the board - which needs a long enough hose connection.

A removable water reservoir is also something that most people will find convenient.

Other features, which may appeal to a greater or lesser extent to different people, might include automatically retracting power cords, easy clean soleplates, fast heat up etc.

SUMMARY: Be sure to choose a high enough steam pressure for your requirements. Select a water reservoir which is large enough so that you don’t need to keep stopping in order to top it up. Ensure that the soleplate is of a suitable material and design. If you live in a hard water area, make sure that some anti-scaling system is incorporated.

Ironing is a thankless task at best. Cut it down to size with a Tefal steam generator iron - you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how much time you can save.

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How To Choose A Steam Generator Iron

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

The majority of people will consider ironing to be a dull and boring household chore. Listening to music or watching television whilst you iron can help to reduce the tedium (a little) - but it’s still a task that most people would prefer to avoid. Any way of reducing the amount of time spent ironing would be gratefully received in the large majority of households.

Of course, you could send your clothes to the dry cleaners - or even employ a maid. There are even professional ironers who will pick up your freshly washed clothes and return them crisply pressed should you wish. However, these are all rather expensive options.

A more viable alternative (for most people at least) would be to take advantage of advances in iron design and use a steam generator iron. Whilst these may look very similar to conventional irons, they have a completely different construction - and this provides a number of positive benefits.

Unlike a conventional steam iron, a steam generator iron has no water in the iron itself. Instead it uses a base unit which acts as both a water reservoir and heater. This produces a good deal more steam than a standard iron - and the steam is at a higher pressure.

A hollow connecting hose feeds the steam from the base unit to the iron and, since it is at a high pressure, it penetrates deeply into the material of the item being pressed. The end result is that it is easier and faster to iron using a steam generator iron. The fact that no water is contained in the body of the iron also makes it lighter and somewhat easier to work with. This produces a higher quality of finish for the finished garment and reduces the amount of time required for ironing. The majority of users report reductions in ironing time in the region of 50%.

When choosing a steam generator iron, be sure to go for one which has a high enough steam pressure. Somewhere between 4.5 and 5.0 bar is good. You will often see the steam output quoted in grams of steam per minute (gpm). A value between 70 and 120 gpm is desirable.

The water tank size is another important consideration. You don’t want to have to keep stopping to refill the reservoir with water. Some irons feature a removable water reservoir to ease filling - others have the facility to top up even when the iron is in use, and this avoids any waiting for the iron to heat up again.

You may also want to consider a number of other factors such as the inclusion of an anti-scale system (especially important if you live in a hard water area), the length of the hose between the base unit and the iron (especially if you have a small ironing board and want to position the base on the floor), the material of the soleplate and the overall usability of the iron.

Steam generator irons do cost a little more than standard irons. However, considering that they can cut the time you spend ironing in half - whilst simultaneously giving a better quality end result - they really do represent great value for money.

Discover how you can cut your ironing time in half by using a Tefal steam generator iron - it’s a lot quicker and the end result is better as well

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