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Having plants and flowers in the office not only looks great, but it can be good for the health of your staff and their level of motivation. However, you need to choose wisely when it comes to finding suitable plants. As a general guide they need to be shade-loving plants that are suitable to the space you have for them – you don’t want anything overbearing.

Don’t forget that they need water as well – a good idea is to get your cleaners to give them a drink at the appropriate intervals. So if you are choosing plants or even flowers for the office, make sure you understand the requirements to keep them alive and place them appropriately.

Small plants

These are ideal for desks, cubicles or placing on filing cabinets. Examples of small and compact plants for offices include:

• Peace Lily: Their attractive, glossy foliage and frequent blooms make them one of the most popular office plants. They prefer low light levels (avoid direct sunlight), moist conditions and humidity (the leaves will turn brown if the air is too dry).
• Walking Iris: These are also known as Apostle Plants and have sword-like leaves that can grow up to 60cm in length. It is a hardy plant that grows fragrant orchid-like flowers at the tips of its stems. These delicate flowers only last a day, but it makes for a stunning plant. They like lots of moisture.
• Bromeliads: They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and foliage colours, and enjoy warmth and humidity, along with good air movement. Keep tabs on them in hot weather or a warm office as they will require more frequent watering in these conditions.
• Mother-in-law’s Tongue: This is another popular choice for offices because of its ability to withstand most conditions. It has stiff, upright leaves and if treated well can last for years.

Large plants

These are great as a feature in any office and when combined with the right pots can become a focal point. They can be placed in corners or awkward spaces or even used as screens or dividers. Examples of floor plants include:

• Fiddle-leaf Fig: These are among the most popular plants in modern office fit-outs because of their tropical look and hardiness. They have long stems and large glossy leaves but they will require plenty of light (which will also determine the watering frequency).
• Zanzibar Gem: Extreme hardiness makes them ideal for offices where they can survive extreme cases of neglect. They love dry, shaded areas and don’t require a lot of water, especially in winter. They have a striking foliage that is both unusual and uplifting.
• Madagascar Dragon Tree: These attractive indoor plants have become a common fixture in homes and offices. They like a bright environment, which will help maximise leaf colouring. Green and pink leaves add interest to any space and they have tall trunks that can grow up to three metres in height.
• Yucca: A hardy and versatile indoor plant, they are one of the most common types of office greenery. They have a long stem with large leaves sprouting from the top. They will tolerate neglect and respond best to lots of light.

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Travelling with a tour group can be really rewarding. For one, it makes organising your overseas trip much easier, because they arrange everything – from your hotel in Malaysia to event tickets. Tour groups these days offer lots of choices, from a luxurious hotel, serviced apartments or a cruise ship, to staying in hostels and using traditional travel methods to add to your experience. So how do you really decide if an organised tour is for you?

PROs

•   Everything is organised for you.
•   If you are travelling alone it’s a great way to meet new people and find potential travelling buddies for the future.
•   Your travel guide will have loads of local experience to share with you about the culture, history and customs of where you are visiting.
•   If you are going somewhere a little off the beaten track, travelling with a tour group can really keep you safe and out of trouble.
•   There are a range of tours to suit every budget, from luxury to something on the cheaper side.

CONs

•   There is less flexibility. If you decide you want to stay somewhere for a day or two longer, you can’t.
•   It can turn out to be completely different to what you expected. Make sure you do your research so you know what you’re getting.
•   The people you are with could upset the whole trip. If you don’t get along with people on the tour, it can be really awkward spending day after day with them, doing the tour activities.
•   Some tours can be much more expensive than if you were to organise everything yourself.
•   Your trip may include the price of activities you don’t want to do, without the option of saving this money.

If a tour might be for you, make sure it’s with a reputable tour company. Study the travel schedule of the tour and ask as many questions as you need to before booking it. Find out how much flexibility there is, what types of activities there will be, and even what age group they target (many tour companies specialise in offering youth, singles and even mature tours). If you take your time and find a tour that suits you, it could be the most rewarding holiday you’ve ever been on.

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Buying new hardware for your business can be a very expensive stage of development. In many cases it will even require a complete overhaul and a change of processes. For this reason, it is important that you make the correct decision about new hardware when the time comes around. Installing a system which does not meet your needs will not only be a bad investment, it could also obstruct your business productivity and development. Having to make such a large shift is a big risk for any business, but there is often little choice. For many, there seems to be little option but to invest and hope for the best, but there are, however, opportunities to test systems before you buy them.

Obstacles to Testing Systems

The main obstacle which stands in the way of testing these systems is size and portability. Many hardware systems, which will require a significant amount of testing before purchase, are simply too large to borrow and operate on a temporary basis. Similarly, you will be unable to bring your business to a test location and connect a network of 30 computers at once.

The second obstacle is that of compatibility. Often a new system will require a complete overhaul of the company operations and this can require a change of user interface, a change of processes and an entire re-learning process. Obviously, making this overhaul for a substandard system is a severe mistake. This incompatibility with your existing systems can also make the changeover phase into an all-or-nothing process.

Bypassing These Obstacles

It is possible to bypass these obstacles of manoeuvrability through the use of a Windows terminal emulator. An emulator is designed to allow you to run hardware on an interface which it is usually incapable of reading it. An easily recognisable example of this is a Playstation emulator for a PC. These formats are incompatible, but an emulator will allow the crossover of disparate technologies.

Installing a terminal emulator for windows will allow you to access the system and then try it out through your existing systems. This will initially bypass the problem of incompatibility and will allow you to experience the ways in which the system will work without the hassle of having to shut down your entire system and try out a new one. It will also enable the system to be trialled without needing to be moved. As long as the system can be connected to your network, you will be able to test its functions and usability through your existing systems.

Borrow One

Another, far simpler, method is to visit another company which uses the system and carry out a trial when theirs is not in use. This method is clearly difficult to arrange in many cases, because of security and competition. This practice would, however, give you an excellent insight into how the system operates in a work environment. Even if you are only able to observe, it will allow you to learn how the system works and how it will need to be managed.

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Retro design is a very hard genre to pin down in any element of design, but especially so in interior design. It can mean anything from the past from table top video games through to ceiling fans and everything else in between. So how can you use previously discarded design elements to bring something different, yet recognisable, to the design table?

Decade by Decade Design

Having a look through the design trends on a decade by decade (or even a century by century) method is a great idea. Think of all the weird and wonderful decorative items you could use from, say, the 1980s or much further back. A great example is the World War 2 era decorative styles and even propaganda pieces for wall art. It can also extend to simple things like using ceiling fans with lights to complement a beach house theme.

You only have to go as far as art deco design to understand the power of a particular design period. There are whole stores and even clubs dedicated to people’s love of art deco pieces both original and reproductions. A great way to figure out a decade to look through (or a particular style) is to find a piece of furniture or decorating style you like and research where it originated.

Feature Retro Pieces

You can also find many types of retro design elements to use as a feature. Favourites are different types of statues from different eras (or reproductions) or large art prints in a particular style or period. Even well known artists like Andy Warhol (although famous) could be considered slightly retro when used in design.

There are, of course, special types of furniture as well that were extremely popular during a certain decade or century and work well as a feature piece. This can be particular styles and colours of sofas as well as arm chairs or even display cabinets. Make sure you do not go too over the top though, especially if you are going to do the risky thing and mix different eras of retro furniture.

Overall Retro Design

If you want to make a complete home ‘retro’ in design then you really want to be able to know everything you can about the particular style you want. First thing is first, and this is to do your research and decide on how retro you actually want to go. You may still want to mix modern design styles with more retro edgings so decide what your limit is.

You may not want to reproduce a 1980s style home (for example) but may still want some design elements used. Be careful though, some things go out of fashion for good reason! This means finding the best of retro, using it sparingly and mixing it up with modern design ideas.

The Future of Retro Now

So what will the future of retro be? Well, retro is anything that is just slightly out of date so chances are your old laptops may be the rotary phone of our interior design future! So maybe you shouldn’t throw out some outdated furniture or household equipment.

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

With Windows 8 coming out soon there are many exciting changes that this will bring to smart phones and connectivity. Not only will you be able to use this operating system on any and all devices, but you can also use it to retain access to all of your files and programs. Whether you are on the go and relying on a notebook battery, or simply using your desktop computer, you will be able to synch all of your devices and use essentially the same operating system on each device.

So what are the biggest changes that will be made to smart phones with the next Windows release?

• Increased connectivity between devices
• New and better operating system for touch screens
• Maintaining backward compatibility
• Switching devices easily

All of these great new features will mean a smoother integration between all of your existing devices. This is essentially the biggest change Microsoft aims to achieve with this upgrade. There are of course other benefits as well but much of this is streamlining into a completely new interface and functionality away from previous windows versions.

Increased Connectivity Between Devices

Microsoft has been trying to come up with a great operating systems for phones to compete with android and IOS from Apple. It seems that the solution came when it decided to make its next operating system work on all devices. Instead of having to figure out connections between all of your different devices, they now all operate under the same system from tablets and smart phones right through to desktop computers.

Connecting to devices and sharing files will also be easier with integrated features to access the Microsoft cloud system. This means you can easily access files on the go from your smart phone! It also means no more clunky windows phone operating systems and a much more versatile phone operating system that will have the full support of Microsoft.

The New Look Operating System

The new look operating system will offer something different than the stock standard Android and IOS phones. Let’s face it, these two are essentially the same anyway so it will be interesting to see how a different take on touch screens can change the market.

The biggest change will be the new ‘metro’ interface, which is essential a series of buttons designed to work perfectly on a touch screen phone. This also means that you will have the same interface on your home computer as you will on your phone so no more confusion at having to learn about two different operating systems.

Backward Compatibility

The best thing about having a windows based system is its backwards compatibility and wide support and user base. This means as soon as you have a device that is Windows compatible it is capable of using a vast amount of existing software as well as new software that is released specifically for this version.

Switching Between Devices

Switching between devices now happens with ease because the compatibility issues are resolved and essentially the same operating system is now on every device. This means that even if your notebook battery fails you can quickly jump to another device or use some portable power and continue working on the same documents thanks to cloud computing.

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One of the great pleasures of being on vacation is having the opportunity to try new things. This could mean new experiences, like scuba diving or sky diving, or seeing new things, such as the displays in an art museum. However, one of the best ways to try new things on holiday is by eating out and sampling the local food. Eating sandwiches in your serviced apartment or hotel room is a possibility, but it isn’t the most enjoyable thing to do when you’re on holiday.

Here is how eating in on a holiday stacks up against eating out:

Money

Eating out on holiday is a far more expensive option than eating in your hotel room. While you can order room service from the hotel kitchen, this isn’t a very cost-effective method of eating in, as room service prices are often high.

So, eating in on vacation requires cooking and preparing your own meals. Luckily, many hotel rooms come with little kitchenettes to enable guests to make their own meals. When it comes to saving money, eating in by preparing your own meals definitely has the advantage.

Time

A vacation always comes with an expiration date. It wouldn’t be a vacation without the need to go home at some point. Therefore, maximising your time away is just as important as maximising your money saved.

Eating out does have the benefit of being far more time friendly than preparing your own food in your hotel room. Instead of spending time cooking (unless you like cooking) you can spend time relaxing and enjoying the ambiance.

Convenience

A holiday is a time to relax and soak up the sights and sounds of a new locale. It is also a time to pamper yourself and to be waited on hand and foot. Eating out definitely has the advantage in this respect. It is far more convenient to have someone else make the food for you rather than having to get all the food for yourself from a local market and cook it in your room’s tiny kitchenette.

Social Opportunities

It would seem eating out is the clear winner when factoring in opportunities to socialise. However, if you are part of a group accommodation holiday, eating in and preparing your own food can be even more of a bonding experience than sitting around a table. Not only is it more interactive to cook your own food, but you get to do it with your whole travel group.

Ultimately, comparing eating in and eating out during a vacation is an unfair divide. The best way to eat during a vacation is to combine the two. Eating out for every meal is impractical except for those with deep pockets, while eating in can dampen your vacation experience.

Try and switch it up and have some of your meals in your room and have the rest out and about. This way, you save money while also getting to enjoy some of the local cuisine.

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Business of different types, sizes and purposes realise that maintenance costs are a necessary area of expense. In order to better plan and account for maintenance costs that will occur, it is advantageous to have an understanding of preventive and predictive maintenance. An understanding of these matters will help a business to better plan and prepare for maintenance and, as necessary, utilise maintenance software or a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS).

The Costs of Maintenance Management

Many businesses are surprised to learn that significant maintenance dollars are wasted through the use of ineffective maintenance management methods. The main reason for high maintenance costs is usually a lack of accurate and factual data to indicate when maintenance is required and the nature of the maintenance that is required – whether to maintain, replace or repair.

Too often, organisations fail to monitor the performance of equipment and systems, the maintenance that they receive, the occasions on which equipment has failed and other data that is pivotal for planning and scheduling tasks that prevent premature failures and increase the life and performance of the equipment used.  It is far more common for businesses to decide when and how equipment will be maintained based on opinion rather than factual data.

Maintenance Problems and Opportunities

The impact of random or inappropriate maintenance can certainly be felt in terms of:

• the quality of products and services
• inflated operating costs
• the level of profit achieved

The great news for businesses is that CMMS and sophisticated maintenance software offer a way for a business to enhance the effectiveness of its maintenance procedures and processes. For example, CMMS generate relevant historical data in a usable form and provide the means to increase the overall functioning and longevity of equipment, together with the lifestyle costs of the business’ facility and its assets.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is driven by time; this means that the maintenance tasks that are undertaken are time determined – the number of hours for which equipment has operated – together with statistics and historical data for different types of equipment and their need for maintenance. Mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) statistics can determine a preventive maintenance management schedule to include inspections, repairs and rebuilds.

One of the defining features of preventive maintenance is a scheduling guideline, whereby it is assumed that a machine will degrade within a time period that is common for its type. For example, a particular machine may typically run for 18 months before parts will need to be replaced. Under a preventive management approach, the relevant parts will be removed, replaced or rebuilt after 17 months of use.

The main issue with a preventive maintenance approach is that the way a machine is used, as well as a number of other variables, directly impact on the operating life of the machine. This approach can sometimes result in unnecessary maintenance but, if a part or an entire machine fails before it is due for maintenance, a run-to-failure approach is required, which can be expensive.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is determined by the condition of equipment rather average or expected life statistics. Essentially, direct monitoring and analysis of a machine’s operating condition, efficient working and other indicators reveals the need for maintenance tasks.

When a company uses a predictive maintenance program, it has access to relevant factual information about the operating condition of its assets and their efficiency, together with the impacts a particular machine has on an overall process system. Factual data can be used to plan and schedule maintenance tasks and the result of ongoing monitoring of condition and efficiency.

Predictive maintenance “…is a philosophy or attitude that simply stated uses the actual operating condition of the plant equipment and systems to optimize total plant operation.” Because a range of cost-effective tools can be used within a predictive maintenance program and to produce accurate factual data about pivotal systems, maintenance activities can be undertaken when they are most needed. Improvements in quality, profitability and productivity can result from predictive maintenance and maintenance costs can also be potentially reduced.

Because businesses want to ensure that their equipment runs smoothly and processes will not be hindered by machines or components breaking down, attention to the scheduling of maintenance is important.

Drunken People (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Getting a date is often the easiest part of starting a relationship. The first date is a test and it is one which will surely be the end of any prospects if you fail. Everyone knows some of the good things to do like taking some flowers for your date, but many people completely fail to recognise the bad things that they do to turn girls off straight away. Some of these are large and failures that really need to be avoided.

Looking like a hobo

Much as it may be ‘cool’ and in style to rock the fresh out of bed look, this is not the way to go about impressing a date. A date will want to see that you have made an effort and ironed a shirt for the occasion. If you are not making an effort now then why would they think you ever will?

Being unclean

It is important to look fresh and to smell clean when you go on a date. Anyone who looks ‘stale’ is unlikely to get further than the first date. Any uncleanliness will quickly be noticed so be sure to take extra care. Drying your hands on your trousers may be OK in a pub but your date will not appreciate it before you sit down for a meal with them. It is also important to smell nice. Put on some decent men’s fragrance so that you smell attractive to your potential partner.

Lacking attention

Those who do not comment on appearance and beauty are destined to fail at the first hurdle. After spending hours getting ready, your date will want to be appreciated. Compliments are far more important to a woman’s self-esteem and happiness within a relationship than they are for men, so be sure to compliment how nice her perfume is and how pretty she looks.

Suffering distraction

As the world of technology has expanded into our everyday lives, it is becoming more and more of a distraction. Turning your phone off is one of the best ways to avoid a problem on your first date because even using it to check the time will look a lot ruder than it actually is. You will also fail if you begin to be distracted by passing hotties or the football game on the TV in the corner.

Talking like a mate

Much as it is true that you need to be yourself, you need to be the best behaved version of yourself. Women will not appreciate crude jokes and crass language as your friends will. Remember that you are striving to impress and keep the dirty stories to a minimum.

Getting drunk

Getting drunk on the first date is a definite bad move. Drunkenness does give you Dutch courage, however it also gives you drunken features and a drunken gait. People are simply not at their best when drunk so the only way that this can work is if you are both drunk and wearing beer goggles. Starting a relationship in a drunken state is, however, a dangerous move. Make sure you meet the person sober before anything happens to make sure you actually like them.

Moving too fast

Taking things too fast and jumping ahead of where the relationship should be may be fun and exciting but it is damaging to the relationship. If you are serious about spending time with this person then make sure you get to know them properly first as it will bode better for the relationship. This being said, make sure you steer clear of the ‘friend zone’ or you won’t have any fun!

Travel Guides (Photo credit: Vanessa (EY))

Every traveller knows that with each trip you take, you learn more and more things about how to travel and how to make the most of the experiences you have. You learn how to cope when things go wrong, and how to adjust to customs and cultures different than your own. Whether you’re used to staying in serviced apartments in Sydney or beachside shacks in Thailand, you’ve no doubt learned a thing on your travels that could benefit someone else.

We’ve put together a list of 5 of the best travel tips from seasoned travellers that are sure to improve every trip you take!

Don’t Plan Yourself into a Corner

• The first time you take a trip you generally over plan things.
• You fill up every day with something new to see or do, pre-plan your nights out and travel days, and generally fill up an itinerary to within an inch of its life.
• One of the best travel tips is to make sure you plan for ditching the plan!

There’s nothing better than taking an unexpected opportunity and going to see something you never even knew about—in fact it’s often those impromptu experiences that are the highlight of your trip!

Make sure you don’t make plans that prevent you from taking opportunities as they arise, and make sure that the plans you do have leave lots of room for rest and relaxation!

Talk to the Locals

The benefit of talking to locals cannot be overstated. For starters, even if you don’t speak the same language, you’ll be amazed at how much you can communicate through smiles and shared laughter—and this kind of experience always enriches a trip. Secondly, the locals are the best source of up-to-date and real information about the best places to go and the best things to do, so listen to them and soak up the knowledge they have.

Be Respectful

Being respectful of the local culture and environment is essential for a traveler. Those who don’t miss out on one of the most important elements of travel. Whether it’s a dress-code, a code of conduct or the impact you’re having on the environment, making sure that you do your best to fit in with the way of life wherever you are is essential to being the type of traveller that people want to invite back!

Do Your Research

While planning needs to be done sparingly, you should do as much research about a place as possible before you arrive. Knowing what you want to see and what the best ways to get around are can change the way you explore a place for the better. Also, knowing vital information like what weather to expect, how far ahead you need to book rooms and what the local dangers and annoyances exist can save you a lot of hassle.

Get Good Travel Insurance

No traveller should ever be without a good travel insurance policy, and we can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to not only have a policy, but to understand it. While injuries and accidents sometimes can’t be avoided, you can avoid the financial burden that comes with having to have medical treatment in another country. Don’t wing it—be safe.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All flowers possess a unique and meaningful significance that has been handed down generations through art, literature, religion and rituals. Applying symbolic meaning to each different flower became a popular trend in Victorian England. Lovers would use flowers and round bouquets called Tussie-Mussie’s to convey coded messages to one another as it was generally unacceptable to speak them out loud. Long before the Victorian era, flowers have held symbolic meaning. Ancient civilisations including the Aztec empire, ancient Greece and Persia all used flowers as part of religious and social rituals.

Today flowers still posses uniquely different meanings, most of which are widely understood by the majority of our society. When you are shopping for flowers online for a last minute gift for a relative or friend, you would not choose red roses. If you want to seduce a potential lover or bring a bouquet of flowers on a date, you would probably not be choosing yellow or black coloured flowers. Most people know that red and pink coloured flowers, particularly roses, symbolise love and passion.

It is also generally understood that white flowers symbolise purity and innocence. Here are further details on the meaning of colours we already know, and some lesser known meanings. Next time you are in a quandary at the florist or browsing the online flower shop, refer back to the meaning of flower colours below to help you make the right choice.

Red

Passionate love in all its various forms is what red flowers symbolise. The deeper the shade of red, the deeper the love is. Lighter shades of red are more playful and the darker shades of red speak of a deeper, meaningful love. Red roses are the optimum choice for conveying either one of these messages as the rose itself has a symbolism all of its own.

Pink

Flowers that are pink show a lighter side to love. Pink flowers are uplifting and versatile. They are appropriate for giving to any loved one, not just as a romantic symbol. Pink flowers are light-hearted and innocent so if you are hoping to lift a loved one’s mood at the same time as showing how much you care for them, pink is perfection.

Yellow

Yellow is a seriously happy colour, and when confronted with a great big bunch of yellow flowers, we cannot help but let go of any grief and let the sun shine in. Definitely the best and most versatile flower colour as it is also completely appropriate as a gift for a male. Yellow flowers symbolise happiness, new life and friendship. Yellow poppies symbolise wealth and success and for this reason they are perfect Feng Shui flowers for the family area of the home.

Orange

Orange flowers possess a mixture of red and yellow flower symbolism. They are warm and loving and also light and uplifting. Orange flowers symbolise vibrancy and are also great as gifts to loved ones and romantic partners. Orange roses symbolise desire and passion.

Blue

Blue flowers symbolise tranquillity and peace. Blue orchids are often associated with Buddha and mediation. The colour blue has calming potential and a blue flower is also extremely exotic and mysterious. Blue roses actually signify mystery and also speak of love at first sight.

White

White flowers symbolise purity, innocence and reverence. Commonly used for weddings and funerals, the white flower has a deeply powerful significance that translates many cultures. White lilies also symbolise the Virgin Mary.

Black

Black roses symbolise death, hatred, and also regeneration and re-birth.