Home Interior Design-Series-019:The Many Types of Room Divider

Room dividers are available in many shapes and sizes, incorporate a number of materials and additionally serve several different usages. In selecting a room divider, your main deliberation is going to be the actual purpose of the divider.

Room or space dividers were at first employed simply for splitting a room into two spaces. If an individual lived in one large interior, then using a room divider could certainly divide the interior into a living area in addition to a bedroom. Nowadays, many people still utilize dividers for this reason, nevertheless a more prevalent use for room dividers is as a decorative ingredient.

Many people make use of dividers to add a particular look to a room. You can obtain room dividers that have a variety of designs printed on them. They are offered in most color styles, otherwise you could easily paint one in just about any color you wish.

The materials used to build room dividers are comprehensive. Wood, bamboo, leather, paper and even plastic. It is possible to obtain room dividers which fold up into a single panel, otherwise you can have solid standing room dividers.

Room dividers are also tremendous if utilized for storage spaces. It is possible to fold them alongside a wall nook to generate a space for storing all sorts of objects. Quite a few room dividers incorporate storage pouches within their folds, that are useful to store journals plus books or footwear. Some dividers also have decorative mirrors inside the panels, that are not just functional, but will also create an appearance of space into a room.

Quite a few room dividers offer shelving when opened. Additionally you can purchase dividers which hold photographs. Such a divider offers slots all over directly into which you could slip photographs.

A number of room dividers are named after places. For instance, you will discover French room dividers and also Asian dividers. The French design features an open composition which can be seen through, whereas Asian room dividers will often have delicate patterns and paper screens.

The initial concept of the space divider was to enrich living space. A divider is excellent for the purpose of separating a toddler’s nursery into not one but two parts. A room divider makes a sizeable room feel more compact and warmer. This may give a smaller sized room the appearance of more space. The use of a room divider is only restrained by your own interior decorating creativity.

Project Management-003

How to Plan Your Projects

It doesn't matter which industry you're in or project you're involved with, these 5 steps should be taken every time to properly plan your project:

Step 1: Set the Direction

Before you start out, set the direction for the project. Do this by clearly identifying the project vision, goals and deliverables. State the overall timeframes for delivery and clarify the amount of resource available. Determine what is "in scope" and "out of scope". Identify the benefits and costs in delivering the project and any milestones and constraints. Only once this is agreed with your Project Sponsor will you know what it is that you have to achieve.

Step 2: Task Selection

You're now ready to start planning. Identify the groups of tasks that need to be completed to build your project deliverables. Then for each group of tasks, breakdown those tasks into sub-tasks to create what is known as a "Work Breakdown Structure" (WBS). Your WBS is essentially a hierarchical list of tasks, in order. Assign start and end dates to each task, as well as task durations. Always add a little extra time (e.g. 10%) to your durations, providing you with contingency. Next add Milestones to your plan. These are tasks that represent major achievements along the way.

Step 3: Inter-linking

The next step is to add links (or dependencies) between project tasks. While there are a variety of link types, most Project Managers add "finish-to-start" links so that one task cannot start until another one finishes. To make your project achievable, only add links between tasks if there is a critical dependency between them. Remember, when one task slips, all tasks linked to it may slip as well. So use links wisely.

Step 4: Resource Assignment

Now comes the fun part, assigning resources. A "resource" may be a person, equipment, location or materials. Against each task in your plan, assign one or more resources required to complete it. As you assign resources, watch your resource utilization. In other words, make sure you don't over-assign a specific resource to multiple tasks, so that it’s impossible for that resource to complete everything assigned to it.

Step 5: Baseline, Actuals and Reporting

With a fully completed project plan, you're now ready to save it as a "baseline", so that you can later compare your progress against it. Then start recording your actual progress against the plan. Every day, record the amount of time you've spent against each task. Also record the new planned start and finish dates, and monitor the overall project completion date. Report on progress as you go. By regularly updating the project plan with your progress, you can control the delivery of your project and meet those critical goals set.

Virus Alert

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It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

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Project Management 002

How to create your "Project Charter"

The Project Charter describes the project vision, objectives, scope, organization and implementation plan. It helps you to set the direction for the project and gain buy in from your stakeholders as to how the project will be organized and implemented. It will also help you to control the scope of your project, by defining exactly what it is that you haveto achieve.

To define a Project Charter, take these steps:

Step 1: Identify the Project Vision

Vision: The first step taken when defining a Project Charter is to identify the project vision. The vision encapsulates the purpose of the project and is the defined end goal for the project team.

Objectives: Then based on the vision, list three to five objectives to be achieved by the project. Each objective should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART).

Scope: With a clear view of the Vision and Objectives of the project, it's time to define the project scope. The scope defines the formal boundaries of the project by describinghow the business will be changed or altered by the project delivery.

Deliverables: Then you need to describe each of the deliverables that the project will produce

Step 2: Describe the Project Organization

The next step is to identify how the project will be structured by listing the customers, stakeholders, roles, responsibilities and reporting lines.

Customers: First, identify the project customers. A customer is a person or entity that is responsible for accepting the deliverables when the project is complete.

Stakeholders: Then identify the project stakeholders. A stakeholder is a person or entity within or outside of the project with a specific key interest or stake in the project.

For example, a Financial Controller will be interested in the cost of the project, and a CEO will be interested in whether the project helps to achieve the company vision.

Roles: Now list the key roles involved in delivering the project.

Examples of roles include the Project Sponsor, Project Board and Project Manager. Then summarize each of the primary responsibilities of each role identified.

Structure: Once you have a clear view of the roles needed to undertake the project, you can depict the reporting lines between those roles within a Project Organization Chart.

Step 3: Plan the Approach to Implementation

You now have a solid definition of what the project needs to achieve and how it will beorganized to achieve it. The next step is to describe the implementation approach as follows:

Implementation Plan: To provide the Customer and Stakeholders with confidence that the project implementation has been well thought through, create an Implementation Plan listing the phases, activities and timeframes involved in undertaking the project.

Milestones: In addition, list any important milestones and describe why they are criticalto the project. A milestone is typically an important project event, such as the achievement of a key deliverable.

Dependencies: List any key dependencies and their criticality to the project. A dependency is defined as an activity that is likely to impact on the project during its life cycle.

Resource Plan: Create a plan which summarizes the resources involved in undertaking the project by listing the labor, equipment and materials needed. Then budget the financial resources needed.

Step 4: List the Risks and Issues

The final step taken to complete your Project Charter is to identify any project risks, issues, assumptions and constraints related to the project.And that's it. If you complete each of the steps above, then you will create a solid Project Charter for your project, helping you to manage scope and deliver consistently on time and within budget.

Home Interior Design-Series-018

Beautiful Glass World Globes

Glass world globes provide an elegance and delicacy that cannot be found in more regular globe materials such as plastic. I recently came across a selection of world globes made from glass and was highly impressed. World globes are usually used as educational tools in the school classroom, in a child’s bedroom or placed on a desk top in a home study or library.

However, glass world globes provide the option of a highly decorative feature in which to compliment existing interior design. The collection I found are all made from hand-blown crystal glass with accompanying display options depending on whether the glass world globe is illuminated or not. This Duorama Map effect allows for educational aspects of a world globe to be paired with the aesthetic charm the colors of the physical world provide.

Each world globe made from hand-blown glass comes with a unique base. Some are perched on a wooden base whilst others are held aloft with gold lacquered metal or stainless steel. Whether you’re looking for a purely educational tool or an attractive decorative feature that will gently improve your knowledge of geography, there’s something for everyone.

The Top 8 Billionaires in the World-Part-V

7) Bernard Arnault

Net Worth: $27.5 billion


Source: Luxury goods


Residence: France

• Bling is back, helping fashion icon grab title of richest European as shares of his luxury goods outfit LVMH--maker of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon--surge 57%.

• LVMH is developing upscale Shanghai commercial property, L'Avenue Shanghai, with Macau billionaire Stanley Ho.

• Renaissance man owns French tour operator Go Voyages, yacht builder Royal Van Lent; has a stake in French retailer Carrefour.

• Built Le Cheval Blanc in ski resort town of Courchevel, France, where he likes to spend New Year's Eve.

• Father, Jean, who died in January, made small fortune in construction; sale of that business later helped fund Arnault's move into real estate and eventually into luxury goods.

• Still a family affair: son Antoine, 32, and daughter Delphine, 34, sit on LVMH's board.

• Wife is a concert pianist; Arnault himself reported to be an excellent piano player.

8) Eike Batista

Net Worth: $27 billion


Source: Mining, oil


Residence: Brazil


• Vowing to become world's richest man--and he may be on his way. This year's biggest gainer added $19.5 billion to his personal balance sheet.

• Son of Brazil's revered former mining minister who presided over mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce got his start in gold trading and mining. Insists Dad didn't help: "All my businesses started from zero. My father was a problem for me because he never let me near Vale."

• Made a pile in resources and other services, but two-thirds of his fortune comes from relatively new source, OGX Petróleo e Gas Participações, the oil-and-gas exploration company he founded in 2007 and took public a year later.

• Police raided his home in 2008, alleging Batista smuggled gold and unfairly influenced the acquisition of a railroad. He denied all wrongdoing, emerged unscathed.

• Onetime champion offshore powerboat racer.

• Formerly married to Playboy cover girl.

• Provided financing to Rio de Janeiro's Olympic committee, helping the city win its bid for 2016 Olympic Games.

Home Interior Design-Series-017 25 White Wall Flower Decorations

Do you remember the burst of joy that fills your mind when you see the first flowers of Spring blooming in all their glory? Well, whether Summer or Winter, you can capture this burst of expression indoors with these white wall flower decorations. Twenty-five glorious open buds seemingly sprouting from your interior walls with wild abandon and excitement. The white wall flower decorations are in fact the perfect antidote for the Winter blues or concrete city living.

The white flower art decorations are easily to click and fix to almost any type of wall and can be taken down and used again in different locations and settings. For an up-lifting floral effect for your wall, these white wall flowers make an excellent choice. They can be used in a living room, bedroom or hallway, depending on the themes and styles you have existing already. This set of 25 wall flower art pieces will especially suit a girl’s bedroom or baby’s room.

Unlike real flowers, this bouquet of white wall flower decorations can last a life-time. They’ll certainly create an eye-catching accent piece to an interior that needs a little expression and a natural-world touch.

The Top 8 Billionaires in the World-Part-IV

5) Lakshmi Mittal

Net Worth: $28.7 billion

Source: Steel

Residence: India

• London's richest resident oversees ArcelorMittal, world's largest steel maker. Net profits fell 75% in 2009.

• Mittal took 12% pay cut amid slump but improved outlook pushed stock up one-third in past year.

• Looking to expand in his native India; wants to build steel mills in Jharkhad and Orissa but has not received government approval.

• Started in family steel business in India in 1970s; branched out on his own in 1994.

• Initially bought up steel mills on the cheap in Eastern Europe.

• Earned $1.1 billion for selling his interest in a Kazakh refinery in December.

• Sits on the boards of Goldman Sachs, EADS.

• Upped stake in struggling British soccer team QPR in February.

• Funding 400-foot sculpture to be built in London's Olympic Park in time for 2012 Olympics.

• Owns 12-bedroom mansion in London's posh Kensington neighborhood.

• Daughter-in-law Megha recently bought insolvent German fashion house Escada.

6) Lawrence Ellison

Net Worth: $28 billion

Source: Oracle

Residence: U.S.

• Oracle founder's fortune continues to soar; shares up 70% in past 12 months.

• Database giant has bought 57 companies in the past five years.

• Completed $7.4 billion buyout of Sun Microsystems in January; acquired BEA Systems for $8.5 billion in 2008.

• Studied physics at U. of Chicago; didn't graduate.

• Started Oracle 1977; took public a day before Microsoft in 1986.

• Owns 52% stake in business-software company NetSuite; shares worth $480 million.

• Racing junkie owns 453-foot yacht Rising Sun with pal David Geffen. Won America's Cup in February, besting longtime rival billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli.

Thippu Sultan

Dot Com's 25th BirthDay

The Top 8 Billionaires in the World-Part-III

3) Warren Buffett

Net Worth: $47 billion

Source: Investments

Residence: U.S.

• America's favorite investor up $10 billion in past 12 months on surging Berkshire Hathaway shares; says U.S. has survived economic "Pearl Harbor," but warns recovery will be slow.

• Shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric amid 2008 market collapse.

• Recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion.

• "We've put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble."

• Berkshire Hathaway book value was up 19.8% to $21.8 billion in 2009.

• Son of Nebraska stockbroker met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia.

• Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, used company as a vehicle to invest in insurance (Geico), food (Dairy Queen), utilities (MidAmerican Energy) and recently green tech (electric-car maker BYD).

4) Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth: $29 billion

Source: Petrochemicals, oil and gas

Residence: India

• Global ambitions: His Reliance Industries, already India's most valuable company, recently bid $2 billion for 65% stake in troubled Canadian oil sands outfit Value Creations.

• Firm's $14.5 billion offer to buy bankrupt petrochemicals maker LyondellBasell was rejected.

• Since September company has sold Treasury shares worth $2 billion to be used for acquisitions.

• Late father, Dhirubhai, founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died, Mukesh and his brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded over control; mother eventually brokered split of assets, with Mukesh getting oil, gas and petrochemicals businesses.

• Still at odds with Anil over gas supply agreement; awaiting Supreme Court's final ruling.

• Owns cricket team Mumbai Indians.

New Uploads

I plan to upload new some tips about "Project Management & Home Inerior Design" in Every Weeks in this blog.

The Top 8 Billionaires in the World-Part-II

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $53.5 billion

Source: Telecom

Residence: Mexico

• Telecom tycoon who pounced on privatization of Mexico's national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world's richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. Net worth up $18.5 billion in a year.

• Recently received regulatory approval to merge his fixed-line assets into American Movil, Latin America's biggest mobile phone company.

• His construction conglomerate, Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo, builds roads and energy infrastructure.

• Son of a Lebanese immigrant also owns stakes in financial group Inbursa, Bronco Drilling, Independent News & Media, Saks and New York Times Co.

• Newspaper outfit's stock popped in early March on talk he might buy a controlling stake; he denies the rumor.

• Donating $65 million to fund a research project in genomic medicine with American billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.

2) Bill Gates

Net Worth: $53 billion

Source: Microsoft

Residence: U.S.

• Software visionary is now the world's second-richest man. Net worth still up $13 billion in a year as Microsoft shares rose 50% in 12 months, value of investment vehicle Cascade swelled.

• More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft; investments include Four Seasons hotels, Televisa, Auto Nation.

• Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft in 2008 to focus on philanthropy.

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to fighting hunger, improving education in America's high schools, developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

Home Interior Design-Series-016 Pebble Rock Clothes Hook for Hanging Robes, Towels and Clothing

I have a great fondness for bringing natural materials into the home environment. This usually includes wood and plants but it also incorporates materials like stone. An example of this can be seen in this pebble rock clothes hook in the picture below. When materials from nature are combined with contemporary designs, the resulting item can be highly attractive and wonderfully unique in style.

The pebble rock clothes hook is an ideal accessory for a bathroom, hallway or basically anywhere you regularly hang coats, robes, towels, hats and scarves. Due to the natural look of the river rock which these stone clothes hooks are made from, the fixtures will merge in with most types of interior décor schemes. Aluminum posts connect the river rock to contoured hardwood backing which attaches to the wall.

As mentioned previously, the stone is real river rock and the complete pebble rock clothes hooks are made by skilled craftsmen in the New England region of the United States. Each rock is different, naturally and so no two hooks will be the same in size or texture.

World's Billionaires 2010-Part -I

Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World's Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man.

Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil (AMX), Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires.

Slim's fortune has swelled to an estimated $53.5 billion, up $18.5 billion in 12 months. Shares of America Movil, of which Slim owns a $23 billion stake, were up 35% in a year.

That massive hoard of scratch puts him ahead of Microsoft (MSFT) cofounder Bill Gates, who had held the title of world's richest 14 of the past 15 years.

Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50% in 12 months. Gates' holdings in his personal investment vehicle Cascade (CAE) also soared with the rest of the markets.

Buffett's fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK). He ranks third.

The Oracle of Omaha shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs (GS) and $3 billion in General Electric (GE) amid the 2008 market collapse. He also recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) for $26 billion.

In his annual shareholder letter Buffett wrote, "We've put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble.

"Many plutocrats did just that. Indeed, last year's wealth wasteland has become a billionaire bonanza. Most of the richest people on the planet have seen their fortunes soar in the past year.

This year the World's Billionaires have an average net worth of $3.5 billion, up $500 million in 12 months. The world has 1,011 10-figure titans, up from 793 a year ago but still shy of the record 1,125 in 2008. Of those billionaires on last year's list, only 12% saw their fortunes decline.
U.S. billionaires still dominate the ranks — but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40% of the world's billionaires, down from 45% a year ago.

The U.S. commands 38% of the collective $3.6 trillion net worth of the world's richest, down from 44% a year ago.

Of the 97 new members of the list, only 16% are from the U.S. By contrast, Asia made big gains. The region added 104 moguls and now has just 14 fewer than Europe, thanksto several large public offerings and swelling stock markets.

The new billionaires include American Isaac Perlmutter, who flipped Marvel Entertainment (MVL) to Disney (DIS) for $4 billion last December. The Spider-Man mogul netted nearly $900 million in cash and 20 million shares of Disney in the transaction.

Also new to the ranking: 27 billionaires from China, including Li Shufu, whose automaker, Geely, announced plans to buy Swedish brand Volvo from Ford in December. The deal is expected to close in March 2010.

Finland and Pakistan both welcomed their first billionaires.
For the first time China (including Hong Kong) has the most billionaires outside the U.S. with 89.
Russia has 62 billionaires, 28 of them returnees who had fallen off last year's list amid a meltdown in commodities. Total returnees to the list this year: 164.

Eleven countries have at least double the number of billionaires they had a year ago, including China, India, Turkey and South Korea.

Thirty members of last year's list fell out of the billionaire's club. Moguls who couldn't make the cut: Iceland's Thor Bjorgolfsson, Russia's Boris Berezovsky and Saudi Arabia's Maan Al-Sanea.

Another 13 members of last year's list died. Among the deceased: real estate developer Melvin Simon and glass tycoon William Davidson.

Earth's Speed

Europe's First 3D Newspaper in Tamil

Why Avatar lost: 5 theories

Is Avatar too anti-American? Too computer-generated? Inside the biggest Oscars' upset in years

The Na'vi aliens of Avatar - "totally racist"?

This was the year the Academy expanded the number of Best Picture contenders to 10,largely to give more popular films a chance. Yet James Cameron's Avatar, history's biggest box-office performer, lost the top prize to The Hurt Locker, the lowest-grossing movie to win Best Picture in recent times. Here's five theories on why Avatar got left in the dust:

1. Actors hate computer graphicsActors constitute the Academy's largest voting bloc, says Patrick Goldstein in the Los Angeles Times, and they're particularly "queasy about rewarding a special-effects driven film [like Avatar] that...did little to honor the actors' craft." The Academy, in general, still rejects "films largely created and sculpted in the computer," even "game-changing" blockbusters like Avatar.

2. Science fiction never wins Best PictureAvatar is just the latest hit "doomed because it's sci-fi, a genre that has rarely been rewarded by Oscar," says Alex Ben Block in The Hollywood Reporter. Remember: Star Wars lost to Woody Allen's Annie Hall, and E.T. lost to Gandhi. Though The Hurt Locker managed to avoid Oscar's "Iraq War curse," Avatar couldn't "sidestep the science-fiction label."

3. Patriotism beat out anti-Americanism Even though Hollywood is "overwhelmingly left-wing," it rejected the "overtly anti-American and anti-military" Avatar, says Nile Gardiner in The Daily Telegraph — uncharacteristically backing The Hurt Locker. This suggests that voters really considered it the better film. Hopefully Cameron will focus on a compelling storyline next time.

4. Hollywood is elitist and navel-gazing Avatar would clearly have won a national popular vote, says Brian Moylan in Gawker. But "the Oscars are not about America, they are about Hollywood," and shoring up its ego. Like Sunday's Oscars telecast, Hollywood is a "complete self-referential mess."

5. The Hurt Locker is brilliant in ways Avatar is not "The bottom line is that it's easier to make a movie with great special effects," says Zennie Abraham in the San Francisco Chronicle, "than a timely film with a good story." The Best Picture Oscar is supposed to go to the story that makes you think about the world around you, and The Hurt Locker, "in so many ways, was that movie." Avatar was not.