Cheap Stuff Forever!

by fireflythegreat

Well I could be an ardent defender of human rights and fight for peace on earth and equality of all people, but I still would sound as a lame contender in a beauty contest. Are there actually beauty contests for men? But actually I am quite satisfied that we are not so equal and I do not think I am the only one.

The world as we know it holds on cheap labour. There are a lot of organizations that fight for the equality and quality of live for all humankind. It is very admirable, but at the same time it's a paradox as most people still use the products manufactured by cheap labour or even in some cases by child labour. It is just as illogical as Greenpeace protesting against extraction of oil at the sea by circling an oil rig with a ship that uses diesel. In my opinion there will always be differences in the world and we all cannot be millionaires and it is OK, although I would not have anything against being a millionaire. The difference in labour costs is what keeps the market interesting and alive. Actually the cheaper the labour costs the greater the benefit to the poorer population as the price of goods remains low and more affordable.

Will the labour costs rise in future? Probably, but I do not think that, for example, the average wage of a Chinese worker will ever reach the wage levels of an average European Union worker. This seems impossible due to the shire number of Chinese labourers. Let's not forget that Asia is not the only place with low labour costs. There are South and Central America and almost a whole continent of Africa with a huge hidden potential. I think there will come a time when companies who currently relocate their manufacturing to Asia will realize the labour potential of Africa.

It will not probably happen in the nearest future due to the unstable political situation in Africa, but the potential will always be there.

Who knows what the future actually brings us, but at least for the foreseeable future we will have the choice between cheap and expensive stuff.

Matthew E. Brock is a writer for International Trade suggestions site. Check out the smart and valuable information. Subscribe to our trade newsletter for more tips and suggestions.

Nice Stuff Animals photos

A few nice stuff animals images I found:

Ellen the Elephant

Image by fuzzcat
Ellen was one of my favorite stuffed animals as a child.

050/365

Image by Amy Messere
still sick. and still sleeping with stuffed animals.

Free Stuff for Your Pets

by brixton

Pets are becoming a part of every household specially those who have children in them.  But having pets are not only true with those who have kids as childless couples or even lone adults tend to keep pets as well.  Caring for pets is oftentimes expensive as one has to spend for the maintenance, food, vitamins or medicines and other basic necessities.  It is not only the basic needs of an animal that has to be provided but there are other items of interest out in the market intended to keep your pets healthy and happy.  The great news about this is that there are such things as free stuff for pets.

Putting a puppy for example, keeping one at home would require the owner to have food supply, a place for a puppy to sleep on, vitamins and play things such as chew on toys on top of the leash and collar that typically comes in our mind when keeping a dog.  Imagine how nice it would be if one could actually come across an opportunity to have free stuff for pets that could at the least lessen the cost of keeping one.  Those who have pets for a long time would understand how beneficial it could be if a portion of the expenses that you spend on a monthly basis could be ripped off when one is given free stuff for pets.

How does one get across opportunities of actually getting free stuff for pets?  There are many ways out there where in one can enjoy the benefits of having these freebies.  Pet owners would often get the feel of getting this free stuff for pets right at the beginning when they make the decision of getting a pet.  A lot of pet shops offer promotional packages where in once someone purchases pet, basic items are given away along with the pet such as samples of food, a cage for birds or a nice collar for puppies.  Veterinary clinics often have free stuff for pets too wherein every time you bring your pet to a specific vet, you will be given samples of vitamins or a pack of food recommended for pet.  One will also have great chances getting across free stuff for pets at grocery stores where new products are being introduced or promoted in the market.

 

Get more free samples and stuff at Free Samples Sites.

Smart Dust - Tiny Computer Stuff

by ACPL

Twenty four hours a day, year-in, year-out, doctor Flemming wants to monitor the heart rate and blood oxygen of a patient working in a factory at minimum cost in real time. Scientist Galvin was given the task of monitoring in real time two dozen variables in a very hostile environ around the clock over wide area in all three dimensions. This hostile environ could be a battle field scenario or uninhabited glacier of Himalayas. There are myriad such vexed complex problems, given a chance, which scientists wants to explore ceaselessly. It is endless list of problems like ecosystems, habitat of animals/birds, soil-biodiversity, nutrient cycling, climatology, flooding, traffic control, pollution and so on. We cannot solve complex problems with limited data. To illustrate, soil is the most complex layer in the chain of ecosystem, but it is poorly understood due to limited data collected by technicians through selective sampling for analysis in the laboratory. Is there a methodology to monitor such global phenomena ? Thanks to our scientists, the solution is in sight.

Today, we have tiny computers packed in a box size of just few millimeters called 'motes' or 'smart dust'. They have the ability to monitor data continuously in real time of the physical world on a large scale over large sample-population over large geography. Some call this tiny stuff 'motes', others call it 'smart dust'. Basically motes are building-blocks of wireless sensor network. Why 'Smart dust'? The name smart dust was coined by Pister, University of California, Berkely to describe his version of sensors joined in network in 1000's or even millions to comprehend a physical scenario as though it is observed by a human brain.

The core of a mote is a small low cost low power computer.

A typical mote uses an 8-bit micro-computer that has 512 Kbytes of on board flash memory running at 4 MHz. The CPU usually matches with 8088 CPU of IBM PC with 10 bits A to D converter. It is designed to consume just 8 milli amp in working and 15 micro amp while in sleep. It can have operation life of nearly 150 hrs with two AA batteries. To consume power, it is made to sleep for 10 secs and wake up and give status for few microsecond before going to sleep again. A programmer writes software to control the mote and make it perform a certain way.

Deployment:

The motes are usually required to be deployed in 100's to millions with embedded sensors forming a self-organising sensor network despite limited processing power, storage, energy and bandwidth. There is no limit on type of sensors. Imagine any type of sensor from temperature, light, sound, position, acceleration, vibration, stress, weight, pressure and so on. The computer in the mote connects to the outside world with a radio link with transmitting range of about 5-100 m. Motes are packed in tiny size boxes of size not exceeding 5 mm. Current cost of the motes on average is about 25 US $ and likely to fall down with time.

Challenges:

Design, development and deployment include network discovery, control routing, information processing, querying and security, creating a sensor web for scientific applications requires extensive customization, new standards, dedicated operating system, programming and user friendly web tools. To cut down costs one needs to look into commercial adoption and networking on a larger scale, which is slowing the speed by several years.

The future:

Wireless sensor network have been identified as one of the most important upcoming technologies in the 21st Century. Wireless sensor network is going to revolutionize many physical field scenarios by making large scale measurements possible at temporal and spatial dimensions. There are myriad ways that motes might be used and as people appreciate the concept, the application scope will be even more. It is opening up a fascinating new field of distributed sensing which is far beyond the scope of present day knowledge. The diverse application in the future include agricultural management, complex structures and earth quake monitoring, industrial controls, military applications, transportation, shipping, fire-fighting and home-automation and many more - all at global scale.

Author is Director, Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, DRDO, Visakhapatnam 530027, India.

Humor And Funny Stuff

by Eric Z Disposal

There is a general belief that writing funny stuff comes naturally to some. Funny people have a gene, a natural gift which can't be produced by learning 'techniques'. This may be true but there are definitely some tips that can make one sound funny!

Humor Is Based On Possibility

Humor is a point of view and an approach that almost everyone has as a child. There are several times when one reads some funny stuff, laughs and says, "That is SO true" and a lot of times it is. Humor can be based on truth of what can be or what is.

Use Of Strange Characters

Choosing funny names for characters and experimenting with more than just ordinary people can make a script or a piece of writing sound really funny. A writer can use motifs like aliens, super-humans, inanimate things coming to life, or even animals.

Copy And Paste Jokes

If running out of material, a writer can copy jokes from a random email which is going around. For instance, a joke on the difference between how women and men drive. Even if people have read this numerous times, it will still tickle their funny bone. Similarly jokes around Clothing Stuff, online stuff, and family stuff can also draw out big laughter.

Break The Rules

A writer writing funny stuff should not feel obligated to follow proper grammar and spellings. The aim of crazy stuff is to make people laugh and not to improve their English.

Always End The Piece On A Positive Note

Laughter or funny stuff is about being positive. People love it when they read something that ends on a happy note. Hence, give them that.

Writer Should Write About Something S/he Knows

It is equally important to be knowledgeable about one's subject to make its presentation appear amusing and funny to others. This is important because what one knows permits them to make use of excruciating facts that can make even the most boring of things sound interesting and hilarious.

Talk About Things That People Like To Joke About

The most favorite topics in general are annoying bosses or frustrating ex's. These things, besides stupid stuff, always stir up a lot of interest and are normally successful in tickling the reader's funny bone.

Be Original

A writer should never try to copy other people's style. It's important to be original and have one's own strange view of things. The reason why actors like Jim Carrey or Robin Williams are so funny is because they have originality to them.

Don't Analyze Too Much

Trying to explain why something is funny is not funny at all. Hence, it is best not to analyze what one writes.

The best way of understanding humor is to find out why people start laughing when they are tickled physically. Some might say it feels funny or maybe, because some nerve gets stimulated in the process.

However, another explanation (which makes more sense here) is that people are unable to tickle themselves. They feel frustrated, helpless and confused in a way that they react by laughing to release anxiety. People like things to be controllable, comfortable, and predictable. The unusual, overstated, or unexpected thing is intimidating and uncomfortable. And a lot of times using this fact to create funny stuff can help make a great piece of writing.

To read about funny stuff and topics related to clothing, computers, shopping and movies visit www.justestuff.com.

Nice Stuff Animals photos

A few nice stuff animals images I found:

IMG_0839

Image by Chrysaora
My socktopus only has 4 tentacles, but maybe ye who are craftier than me can figure out a way to get 8.

1) Take a sock (preferably a crew sock?) that you don't want and cut 3 equidistant lines up to the heel of the sock. This should form 4 tentacles attached to the main body.
2) Stuff the sock with fiberfill or whatever you have to stuff stuffed animals with. (Bostonians: Winmil Fabrics in Downtown Crossing sells 2lb bags for --w00t.
3) Sew up the two sides of each tentacle (only one side for the outside tentacles) and, before closing, stuff them using a stick.
4) Close all the tentacles. I did this by tying the ends off but you can also sew them shut. Up to you!
5) Glue some googly eyes with fabric glue onto the body and do whatever other decorations you deem necessary.
6) Take over the world with your socktopus partner.

Day 014/366 Outtakes - January 14th

Image by Amanda M Hatfield
More old, much beloved stuffed animals.

Memorial

Image by Joe_A
The memorial is adorned with wooden crosses, flowers, and stuffed animals.

Cool Stuff Animals images

Check out these stuff animals images:

Buster

Image by clint mcmahon
This is my stuffed animal penguin named Buster sitting against our green accent wall. I've had Buster for about two years and for the those two years he has sat on top of my TV chillin. Winter, Summer, Fall, whatever; it really doesn't matter, he just hangs out.

curious

Image by ruminatrix
Just playing around with snbg's new toy (the camera, not the stuffed animal).

Shop window of Liten Karin on Haga Nygata.

Stuffed and unstuffed animals

Image by stevec74
Sandy relaxing by the stuffed animals

Yes, Cool Baby Stuff Really Does Exist!

by ACPL

Whether baby stuff that you find or that you're given by others is 'cool' is generally a matter of opinion, but a lot of baby stuff out there lacks that 'wow' factor. It's designed to be adorable, but there can be too much of a good thing. Sometimes you just want cool baby stuff - and you'll know it when you see it. Generally, though, it's not full of frills and covered in pastel colors. Overall, it's more likely to be dark in color, and it often has graphics that wouldn't have been expected on baby items in the past, like skulls, skateboards, guitars, and other, similar items.  

It's not that there is anything wrong with these things, but they just haven't been typically seen on baby clothing or other baby accessories in the past. It seems to be that retailers weren't sure whether parents would like those kinds of things for their babies, but more and more modern parents these days are finding that they just aren't satisfied with the baby offerings that are seen at their local retail chain stores and even at the more upscale stores and higher-end boutiques. If you're one of those parents you should know that there are places where you can get cool baby stuff if you don't like what the regular stores have to offer and if you're tired of frills and pastels.

You can find punk one pieces or creepers, black one pieces or creepers, and baby items with skulls, skateboards, guitars, and other things on them. They're different, they're neat-looking, and they definitely fall under the category of cool baby stuff. They're hip and they're stylish, and with that in mind you can express your individual style and show off the vision you have for your family and your baby.

Parents in the past hadn't been able to do that because they were much more limited with the baby clothing options that they had, so enjoy the options for cool baby stuff that you have today - it looks like they're here to stay.

For more information on cool baby stuff visit the author's website http://www.crazybabyclothing.com

Nice Stuff Animals photos

A few nice stuff animals images I found:

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Stuff About Pigs

by ACPL

Pigs, the small pink mammals associated with farmyards, being smelly, dirty and greedy and, dare I mention it, bacon sandwiches.

But pigs are much more than the butt of jokes and breakfast food stuff. Pigs are super intelligent mammals who get a bit too much bad press and, frankly, are treated appallingly particularly in intense farming conditions.

So as an accolade to this wonderfully cute, smart trotter, here are some facts that you (maybe) never knew about them.

There are many different breeds of pig from the wild boar of the Eastern European and Russian forests, to prized Gloucester Old Spots. Pigs run wild in the jungles of South East Asia and the islands of the Indian Ocean. In fact wild pigs can be found widespread across Europe and Asia, from Ireland to Japan, and from Siberia to the Indonesian Islands. In North & South America and Australia, domesticated pigs have become feral, and now live in the wild.

Pigs do not have a fully functional sweat gland, so when they are rolling in mud, theyre not being dirty, they are simply keeping cool; and they have the sense to realise that this mud acts as a sun screen as well.

Vietnamese pigs make good companion pets, if given the correct care and attention. They can be relatively easy to live with, if a little attention seeking. The huge craze for owning a Vietnamese Potbellied pig, in the United States in the 1990s has become less popular, since people became wise to the fact that these pigs grow quite large and are territorial like any other animal. Famous owners include George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Truffle hunting pigs have been taught to snuffle out truffles and are used by truffle hunters in Europe to find the prized fungi. Unfortunately having become attracted to the delicious smell, then taste of the expensive and rare mushrooms, pigs are sometimes being replaced by sniffer dogs, which tend not to eat their bounty.

Pigs are known to be excellent football players, as in, they, like dogs, derive pleasure from playing with a ball and generally being social. This emphasizes their intelligence and need for social interaction.

As already discussed, pigs have their reasons for rolling in mud, which is something God obviously didnt know about when in the bible he decreed pigs and swine to be unclean. As a result, certain religions do not eat pigs including Seventh Day Adventists.

Jews and Muslims have their own reasons for not eating the meat of the pig. But the one I like best is that God or Allah made all animals for a reason, and it is sinful to be unkind to them, so eating any meat is forbidden.

What other animal is so celebrated in works of art literature and popular culture?

Here are a few of the best:

Babe, Piglet from Winnie the Pooh and Wilbur in Charlottes Web the ultimate cute, loveable good guys

Napoleon in Animal Farm and Jodie from Amityville Horror Scary and villainous
And, more famous today Peppa Pig, every toddlers favourite character.
Who else can you think of?

To recreate that fine dining experience at home, buy white truffle in any quantities small or large from the Trufflehunter store - now also selling the finest truffle oil made from fresh truffles.

More Stuff Animals Articles

Stuff About Pigs

by quinn.anya

Pigs, the small pink mammals associated with farmyards, being smelly, dirty and greedy and, dare I mention it, bacon sandwiches.

 

But pigs are much more than the butt of jokes and breakfast food stuff.  Pigs are super intelligent mammals who get a bit too much bad press and, frankly, are treated appallingly particularly in intense farming conditions.

 

So as an accolade to this wonderfully cute, smart trotter, here are some facts that you (maybe) never knew about them.

 

There are many different breeds of pig from the wild boar of the Eastern European and Russian forests, to prized Gloucester Old Spots.  Pigs run wild in the jungles of South East Asia and the islands of the Indian Ocean.  In fact wild pigs can be found widespread across Europe and Asia, from Ireland to Japan, and from Siberia to the Indonesian Islands.  In North & South America and Australia, domesticated pigs have become feral, and now live in the wild.

 

Pigs do not have a fully functional sweat gland, so when they are rolling in mud, they're not being dirty, they are simply keeping cool; and they have the sense to realise that this mud acts as a sun screen as well.

 

Vietnamese pigs make good companion pets, if given the correct care and attention.  They can be relatively easy to live with, if a little attention seeking.  The huge craze for owning a Vietnamese Potbellied pig, in the United States in the 1990's has become less popular, since people became wise to the fact that these pigs grow quite large and are territorial like any other animal. Famous owners include George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

 

Truffle hunting pigs have been taught to snuffle out truffle's and are used by truffle hunters in Europe to find the prized fungi.  Unfortunately having become attracted to the delicious smell, then taste of the expensive and rare mushrooms, pigs are sometimes being replaced by sniffer dogs, which tend not to eat their bounty.

 

Pigs are known to be excellent football players, as in, they, like dogs, derive pleasure from playing with a ball and generally being social.  This emphasizes their intelligence and need for social interaction.

 

As already discussed, pigs have their reasons for rolling in mud, which is something God obviously didn't know about when in the bible he decreed  pigs and swine to be unclean.  As a result, certain religions do not eat pigs including Seventh Day Adventists.

 

Jews and Muslims have their own reasons for not eating the meat of the pig.  But the one I like best is that God or Allah made all animals for a reason, and it is sinful to be unkind to them, so eating any meat is forbidden.

 

What other animal is so celebrated in works of art literature and popular culture?

 

Here are a few of the best:

 

Babe, Piglet from Winnie the Pooh and Wilbur in Charlotte's Web – the ultimate cute, loveable good guys

 

Napoleon in Animal Farm and Jodie from Amityville Horror – Scary and villainous

And, more famous today Peppa Pig, every toddlers favourite character.

Who else can you think of?

 

To recreate that fine dining experience at home, buy white truffle in any quantities small or large from the Truffle hunter store - now also selling the finest truffle oil made from fresh truffles.

Cool Stuff Animals images

A few nice stuff animals images I found:

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Nice Stuff Animals photos

Some cool stuff animals images:

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover

Image by BCPL Photo
BCPL: Pikesville Branch - Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover - April 22, 2013

Buy More Stuff, Black Friday 2008

A few nice buy photo images I found:

Buy More Stuff, Black Friday 2008

Image by Michael Holden
Buy More Stuff, Black Friday 2008

Buy More Stuff on Black Friday 2008. Check out www.buymorestuff.org for more details. More photos available at www.michaelholden.com

Dogs & Stuff - Our Imperfect Unions

by Lansing Public Library, Lansing Illinois

Those of us who "own" dogs are well aware of the laughable amount of control we exercise over our canine buddies. 

We may call ourselves "the master/mistress/alpha dog " or whatever, but when the kibble gets poured, and the treats are handed out, a more appropriate moniker might be "I've been had."  

Take for instance the relative of mine who claims she's trained Rugby to come to her door, rain or shine, bark loudly at precisely 8 a.m. (whether she's out of bed or not) to receive his dog cookie.  My thought here is, "Who's trained whom?"

Or the dear friend with a small white dog. Before it is possible to greet this friend, one must love the little dog, accept her wet kisses and praise her beauty - or she will bark nonstop and loudly until such obeisances have been made.

Or the many mornings I've woken up with Pippi on my/our pillow, her beautiful golden brown eyes staring into mine. One slight movement on my part leads her to herd me in the direction of the treats bag until - surprise surprise! - I give her one.

I bring up this imperfect union of dog and human because it reminds me of another imperfect union - between ourselves and our stuff.

I have helped many people clear out their stuff in my role as their organizer.  I see people agonizing over an item that seemed like a good idea at the time; an item never or rarely used; an item that may or may not have cost a lot of money (doesn't matter usually); but the presence of this item causes many feelings of regret, sadness, coulda/woulda/shoulda - all truly disproportionate to its importance in the great scheme of things. I'm often wondering, "Who owns whom here?"

Or the way that a bunch of stuff can truly suck the life energy out of a person - kind like a Dementor in the Harry Potter books - leaving a poor Muggle trembling in front of the pile of clutter - overwhelmed,  confused, brought to their knees by the thought of  "Where, oh where, do I begin?"

These imperfect unions, between dogs, stuff and humans, are made even more poignant by the fact that at one point a decision was made.  That decision ran like this:

· Yes, I want that dog.

Yes, I want that cherry pitter. 
Of course I'll use a bread machine.
I absolutely want to keep all the Pottery Barn catalogs - such great ideas!
I will get around to scrapbooking my children's photos. 
I love a dog that needs a ton of exercise - it will inspire me to get out too!

The good news here about stuff is that a decision was made to allow it into our lives - and a decision can be made to remove it as well.

It's not that easy to remove a dog from our lives; often quite traumatic as a matter of fact.

But as for stuff; a little training and support from your organizer goes a long way in clutter taming. Just like dog training is mostly about the dog owner, clutter taming is about the relationship between material objects and ourselves - it's not about the stuff, really.

If you're feeling like you'd love to become the "top dog" in your home, regarding stuff, that is, I suggest you give us a call.  We've got some great strategies, bred from experience, that have made a big difference in the imperfect union between our clutter and ourselves. Now, don't get all droopy-tailed on me - it is possible to create a peaceful, orderly environment - that is, until the dog comes in from her walk, covered in mud.  Good luck on that one!

Interested in more ways to clear clutter and gain control of your environment? Get great tips and motivating messages by subscribing to the Empty Your Nest newsletter at http://www.emptyyournest.com

Free Stuff - How to Get 100% Free Stuff

by ~dgies

Do you want to get 100% Free Stuff Online?

Finding stuff that is 100% free online can some times be difficult. Most of it comes with a catch. You either have to pay shipping and handling or they enter you into a monthly subscription service where the initial offer is free, but after that there is a monthly fee. Nevertheless there are plenty of things on line that are 100% free you just have to know where to look.

Why Companies Do It?

You might ask yourself why a company would give away something for free. Well the main reason is that most consumers are brand loyal to a product. So if they can get you hooked early on they know that they will likely become a lifelong customer if you like their products.

Ask Directly

One way to get free stuff is to go directly to large consumer house hold product companies such as Proctor and Gamble or Nestles. These companies often have free trials and give aways directed at consumers for most of their products. If you drop them an e-mail they will often provide you with a list of their current give aways.

Auto Fill Your Forms

To speed up the process of signing up for freebies you might want to consider getting an auto form filler. You can find one at Formautofiller.com for Internet Explorer or InformEnter for Mozilla. These tools will take care of the tedious task of entering in shipping address and e-mail information.

There are a number of websites out there that act as intermediaries for the companies that offer the free give aways. For one of them click on the link in the resource box below.

Click Here To Get 10-95% Off iPods, iPhones, Gucci, Prada, Sony, Nokia, Safeway, Canon, Nintendo...Save on Over 250 Million Products at Over 200,000 stores,with Over 1 Million Coupons. Save 00's Per Month!

Click Here To Learn More About How to Save Thousands per Month on Name Brand Goods.

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