Archive for September, 2003

What You Need to Know About Cigar Accessories

Monday, September 29th, 2003
Cigars
Shane Wilson asked:

With every hobby or lifestyle there are certain accessories that are a must have, cigar smoking is no different. To get the full enjoyment out of smoking a cigar you can’t just light one up without the right cutter and lighter. Don’t worry, below are listed the various cigar accessories you’ll need to fit right in at your next social function.

First, you have to get to know a little bit about the cigar your smoking. You can do this by picking up a cigar magazine or by visiting some top cigar sites like Apexcigar.com. There are so many cigars out there to choose from. To get the one you like it really takes a little bit of research and trial and error.

After you have found a brand of cigar you like, next

you’ll want to invest in a cigar humidor. cigar humidors help preserve your cigars by maintaining correct humidity levels and temperature. Usually cigar humidors hold from 20 to 25 cigars but some can hold upwards of 100. You might be surprised, but there are a tremendous amount of types of cigars out there. stick with some of the top brands like CAO and Savoy.

Now, you can’t exactly carry around a cigar humidor with you, there pretty big and bulky in some cases. What you need is a cigar case or pouch. These can fit right into your coat pocket and can hold up to 5 cigars, sometimes more. They are good for transport, keeping your cigars clean and prevent them from being crushed. They also enable you to have a cigar of your choosing whenever you want.

Next your going to want to pick up a nice cigar cutter. Cigar cutters give you a clean end instead of bitting the tip off of one. I mean were not animals here. Cigar cutters can range from a couple of bucks to around a hundred dollars. Just depends on your taste.

Finally, the only way you are going to be able to

enjoy your favorite cigar that you just pulled from

your case is to have a fashionable lighter? Don’t even think about picking up an everyday bic and lighting up either. You need something with a little style and class. There are various types of lighters like the Colibri and the Lotus. Just select a lighter that looks great to you and

that you’ll feel comfortable pulling out and lighting up.

So now you know the cigar accessories that you need to become a professional cigar smoker. Once you have all the right accessories smoking a cigar will be a much more pleasurable experience. So I guess there is only one thing left to do, light

up!

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Atutor – Online Learning Management System

Monday, September 8th, 2003
Online Learning
Robert Baird asked:

The emergence of the internet and the prevalence of personal computers in almost every sphere of human activity has also made its foray into the academic sector and a new concept has been introduced, this latest innovation is referred to as online learning or e-learning and it promotes online education to all those individuals having access to a computer and it involves learning through interaction with qualified tutors online and upon the conclusion of the course, online degrees are handed over to the selected successful candidates. It is interesting to note that unlike traditional educational system by means of which knowledge is imparted to the students manually, here interaction is based on a medium which facilitates transfer of knowledge. Therefore there is required certain tools which would aid in this mode of online learning. Such tools are known as learning management systems which comprise of a set of software applications which in their turn provide certain functions which are extremely beneficial in contributing to the cause of online learning. One of the most popular among the various learning management content systems or LCMS is known as ATutor and it is also an open source application which came into being for the first time in 2002 and there are multifarious reasons because of which ATutor is considered to be one of the most prominent online learning management systems. ATutor is distinguished to be the first among the learning content management systems to abide by the various accessibility specifications laid down by the W3C WCAG 1.0 and XHTML 1.0. While the latter allows ATutor to be displayed in all similar technological specifications, the former enables this learning content management system to gain access to the various categories of its operation at any point of time by any user.

In terms of adaptability functions, it is to be noted that ATutor can function in any given learning or teaching environment and there are certain features which reflect its mode fo functioning. These include themes and tool modules as well as study groups and other privileges. For long, it was considered to be a shortcoming on the part of the learning management systems as they were unable to provide the benefits of online learning to the blind and disabled candidates. But applications at ATutor has enabled these disabled candidates in gaining the advantages of online learning and it also provides various professional development courses designed for the teachers and researchers as well.

How to Choose a Cigar?

Friday, September 5th, 2003
Cigars
Denis K. asked:

For the young Cigar Entrepreneur, choosing the right smoke can be the most difficult of matters. One has to know what one is looking for, as well as looking at. There is such a wide variety of high-profile cigars on the market today, that one just about has to have some instruction prior to that first purchase.

First, we will cover the subject of flavor. The layman would assume that all cigars are made from the same tobacco, as well as have the same flavor. The truth is, there is a massive variety of tobacco flavors available, each particular flavor having its own level of intensity. Your own personal favorite could very well be one that everyone else despises. Everyone has a different pallet for a cigar. Regardless, the actual mix of tobacco, the time elapsed since the making of the cigar, the condition it is in (storage, humidor, etc) and what you have drank or ate before or during the smoking of the cigar all have a bearing on the actual taste.

As far as only being one flavor of tobacco initially grown, this also is a fallacy. Tobaccos will attain different flavors depending upon the soil in which that particular plant is grown. In addition, different parts of the actual tobacco plant are utilized to define a particular flavor. All of these factors are blended together by cigar gurus who know what will go well with what to produce an original and excellent cigar.

With all this in mind, we can assume that picking that right cigar is going to be difficult at best. It takes more than just a random pick or a glance. It takes knowledge.

First, always refer to a smoker. If you know someone within your circle that enjoys a good high-quality cigar, ask him or her about what they like. Tell them your favorite flavors of food and fruit. This will give them a good idea as to what will lay best on your pallet. If you don’t know a connoisseur of fine cigars, ask the individual that runs your cigar shop. He/She may not smoke, but you can be certain that they know what cigar smokers come back for over and over.

Once you have chosen a cigar for consideration begin your inspection. Before we go too deeply into this, however, let’s discuss the occasional white powdery substance that you may come across on a cigar. Do not let this turn you away, as this is what is called “Bloom.” Bloom is simply the result of ageing on a cigar and is in no way a bad thing. Actually, it may very well be considered a positive aspect. This enhances the flavor. Mold, on the other hand, should be avoided. If a cigar is kept at extreme levels of humidity, it will form a blue-green tint on the packaging. Avoid it at all costs.

Ask yourself if you would prefer a mild cigar, or a more full-flavored smoke. If you would lean more towards the full-flavor option, then choose a cigar with a larger ring. The ring is the actual diameter of the cigar. The larger the diameter, the more intense, and multiple blends you will experience.

Another way to get a feel for the taste of a cigar is the smell. Take a good whiff of it. If the smell is overwhelming, then it will likely be very strong. Take notice that we use the word “likely” in that reference. This is not always the case. Some smokes smell a level or two more intense than they actually taste.

Next, how long do you want to smoke a cigar? Common sense tells us that the longer the cigar, the longer the smoke-time. However, another way to tell is to gently squeeze the cigar ¾ of the way up. If it seems very tight, it will have a more difficult draw and take longer to smoke. If it is loose, the smoke will proceed at a faster rate.

Moving on, we have the construction of the cigar. Does it appear lumpy or feel loose at spots here and there? If so, you probably do not want it. You see, the creation of a good hand-rolled cigar is actually considered a work of art in some circles. The way a cigar looks is at least 40 % of the selling value. If it does not look good, it is far more difficult to move, commercially speaking.

In choosing the right cigar for you, the one and only true manner is to just shop around. Research reviews online. There are a number of very effective and consistently updated review sites, such as Cigar Inspector. These sites will give you individual reviews by people who have tried the cigar. Then, once you pick out one to try, do not go in with the attitude that if you don’t like this one, you will never try another. Expect to invest a little time in finding your perfect cigar. Even then, when you find that perfect Robusto or Maduro, keep shopping. Variety is truly the spice of life.

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