Archive for July, 2006

Did You Select a Professional Logo Design for Your Company?

Monday, July 31st, 2006
Designed Checks
Simon Nelson asked:

There are some professionals who are over confident about their abilities. Being confident is good, being over confident is dangerous and at times it can create problems that leaves them with no escape route. These professionals try to save money when it comes to get a professional logo design done for their organization. They have no idea of logo design yet the call the professional designers to their office and direct them to use his ideas. One can be rest assured that the custom logo design made as per their directions will ultimately spoil the image of the company in the eyes of its clients. A professional job is best left in the hands of professionals and then nobody should interfere when they are going about their work.

The same stand good for all type and fields of work and it is true for the designing and printing industry too. However, the smart executive thinks he knows more about Professional logo design than the accomplished artists are. When you are utilizing the services of a professional for your organization’s logo design services, it is understood that you are the boss and will be pulling the strings. This is understood and accepted by the designing agency that will undertake the job of designing the logo for your organization. These artists know that the executive will make corrections in the logo designs submitted by them and they know that some of the changes will not be suitable for the logo.

They can then suggest what they think is not good for the logo and hope that the executive will agree with their point of view. However, this does not happen all the time. Since the executive has called the agency to do the work, he believes that he knows the entire job, even though he cannot even draw a circle or even a square. Yet he will try to impose his views on the business logo design of the company. Suggesting changes in the design to the advertising agency after they have submitted a few samples is one thing, but telling them how to design the logo from scratch is blasphemy. You can be rest assured that the professional artists will lose all interest in the job and they will not focus their minds on the same any more.

If you are interested in getting a professional logo design made, leave it in the hands of the professionals instead of trying to impose your point of view. They have undertaken many such tasks before are know more about logos that you might ever learn during your lifetime. It will be wiser if you spent you time telling them some details about the company and what it does. This will give the designers a base on which to conceptualize their design. Check out any professional logo and you will find that there is a hint of the work done by the company it depicts. There are some companies whose logo does not portray anything. These companies are so famous that they need no add any other things to their organization’s logo.

For the first few days the professionals from the designing agency might bother you to know more about the company. This helps them to provide you with a professional logo design. They might even check the existing stationery of the company to learn about the color schemes used. This will help them to plan the color scheme of the logo so that it’s color does not clash with the colors of other elements in the page. One classic example used by many organizations is to use a cream colored paper with the text in jet black and the logo in red. This makes an excellent combination and if the types and logo used are appropriate, they are sure to attract one’s attention. Professional logo design means that the logo should be catchy and at the same time it should be simple.

It should not leave the viewers wondering what the logo means. If people start thinking about what you logo stands for, it is high time you got a change over done. While your sales representatives work for 5 days a week, and take holidays during Christmas and summer holidays, the logo keeps on working without complaining 365 days a year. They are the best friends your company has. Is it not their due that they were made using professional logo design? If you are an executive that wants to poke his nose in the initial stages of the professional logo design of your company’s logo, here is a hint. There are many books available which have collections of the world’s best and award winning logos.

Purchase a few of them and go through the different logos they contain and try to visualize which one would best represent your company. Once you have been able to target a few of them, get Photostat copies made of them. This can be showed to the professional designers when they pay you a visit in context with the professional logo design of your company. Do not try to impose yourself on these artists and let them guide you. If you are patient enough you will see that they will soon come down to your wavelength and then you can also make your views regarding the professional logo design understood by them easily.

Professionals are professionals and they take pride of their work. If pinches them when someone who does not know anything about their profession tries to pass on advice to them. It is best to approach them in a friendly manner. Once you approach them as a friend, the entire scene changes. They will be willing to hear you out patiently. If you want to get the best-designed logo for your organization’s logo, it is best to leave the entire thing to them, right from the visualization to the printing stage.

Checks for You

The Origins of the Contact Lens

Thursday, July 27th, 2006
Contact Lens
Steven O Myros asked:

 

Many people believe that the contact lens is a modern invention, but that’s actually not the case. In fact, the origins of the contact lens extend as far back as the early sixteenth century. Even the modern form of contact lenses first emerged several decades ago. Since the very first conception of the principle behind contact lenses, these optical devices have undergone many different changes at the hands of several different inventors and eye care professionals. In fact, contacts have gone from cumbersome and uncomfortable devices made of glass to today’s plastic lenses which offer a high level of comfort while providing sharp, clear vision for those with a wide variety of vision problems.

 

The history of the contact lens dates back to the early sixteenth century. More specifically, in 1508 Leonardo da Vinci came up with the general principle behind contact lenses. While he didn’t actually create such a lens and wasn’t necessarily concerned with correcting vision, da Vinci sketched and described a variety of ideas involving placing a lens directly on the eye in order to aid vision and alter the corneal power of the eye.

 

During the following century, in the 1630’s, France’s René Descartes proposed the idea of a corneal contact lens. His idea involved the use of a liquid-filled glass tube placed directly against the cornea of the eye and shaped to provide corrected vision. In 1801, a scientist by the name of Thomas Young developed Descartes’ idea by conducting experiments using a liquid-filled eyecup, the outer end of which contained a microscopic lens.

 

Also in the nineteenth century, British astronomer Sir John Herschel proposed ideas for correcting vision with a jelly-filled capsule and a corneal mould. These ideas were published in a footnote of the Encyclopedia Metropolitana in 1845. Although it’s believed that Herschel never actually tested these ideas himself, they did provide the basis for experiments and inventions later on which would eventually lead to the creation of lenses shaped to fit the eye.

 

Just over 40 years after Herschel’s ideas were published, in 1887, Germany’s F.E. Muller created the first usable contact lens. Muller was a glassblower who made artificial eyes and while his contact lens could be seen through and could be tolerated for a few hours at a time, it was made of glass and was not very comfortable. Yet, just one year later, there were reports that both a German physician and a French optician were using contact lenses to correct vision problems caused by optical defects. In fact, the German physician, Adolph Eugen Fick, is sometimes credited with the invention of the contact lens. Fick develop Herschel’s ideas and created scleral contact shells. He then experimented with fitting the lenses on rabbits and then on himself. However, as Fick’s contact lenses were still made of glass, they were very uncomfortable and could only be worn for a couple of hours at a time.

 

Although glass contacts were so uncomfortable, they were the only type of contact lenses available until the 1930’s. That was when polymethyl methacrylate was first developed. This new material led to the advent of the first lenses made of a combination of glass and plastic, which were introduced in 1936 by a New York optometrist by the name of William Feinbloom. Around 1950, an optometrist from Oregon developed the first corneal contact lens. Since corneal contacts were smaller than scleral lenses, they were more comfortable and could be worn for far longer periods of time.

 

These developments led to a vast increase in the use and appeal of contact lenses throughout the 1960’s. Over the years, several significant advancements were made regarding the manufacture and the sophistication of contacts. One such advancement included the development of the first soft contact lens. These soft lenses were made available in some countries during the 1960’s and were first launched in the United States in 1971.

 

Since that time, contact lenses have continued to improve in quality and comfort, and several new varieties of lenses have also been developed. For example, toric contact lenses were first approved for use in the United States in 1978, and the first rigid gas permeable lenses hit the market in 1979. Bifocal and tinted contact lenses became available during the 1980’s while the 1990’s saw the introduction of daily disposable and ultraviolet-absorbing contacts.

 

Clearly, the contact lens has a long history and numerous significant advancements have been made in recent decades. In fact, now people with astigmatism and many other types of eye diseases and vision problems can use contact lenses to see clearly and comfortably. Contacts are also becoming increasingly affordable and are available from a variety of discount retailers such as CoastalContacts.com. Considering the history of the contact lens, advancements in design and manufacturing will most likely continue to occur, making contact lenses even more of an excellent option for correcting all types of vision problems.

Order your Lens

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

Saturday, July 15th, 2006
Photograph
Elaine Mora asked:

When planning your wedding, you’ll no doubt be spending a lot of money on quite a few different things. While everything else as a whole might total more, the cost of a wedding photographer will always seem a little daunting at first. Though, making photography a big part of your budget is more important than you’d think. This is a day for all of your friends and all of your family to remember, not to mention you and your loved one.

Where To Look. One of the best places to look is the internet. Don’t stop with a simple google search for “wedding photographer + city name” as this is extremely vague. Try logging onto photo publishing sites such as flickr.com or smugmug. Most of these photo sites are home to a huge array of professionals looking for work. Do a search for “wedding” near your hometown on one of these sites and I’m sure you’ll be able to find hundreds, if not thousands, of photographers eager to shoot your wedding.

How To Choose. The most important thing you’ll need to take into consideration about a photographer is whether or not you like them and their work. Emailing back and forth, looking at randomly chosen portfolio pictures online is generally never enough. You need to develop a relationship. Call each photographer on the phone and talk. A photographer will feel more connected to your wedding and will be a lot more relaxed, and most of the time will be able to produce better results. If possible, visit the photographer’s studio. If they don’t have one, schedule a meeting at a Starbucks and ask him to bring examples from past weddings - make sure these samples are of one complete wedding and not just highlights from multiple events they’ve covered.

Digital Versus Film. While many photographers still use film (and can produce equally good results), you’re most likely going to want to make sure you’re looking into one who’s using digital. In this day in age, digital has surpassed film for multiple reasons. On top of being much more immediate, the creative freedom digital has lets photographers shoot much more quickly. Being able to check and make sure the image is good gives photographers a second chance if they’ve missed something. And there’s never any worry about whether or not something could go wrong in post processing. If a photographer insists on using film, it’s most likely because he’s never tried digital.

What To Ask. Many professional photographers either have their own studio or work for one. Since building a relationship with your photographer is key to getting great results, the most important thing to ask them is if they’re going to be the actual photographer shooting your wedding or if they’re going to be sending someone else. If the latter is true, see if you may meet with the person shooting. Secondly, make sure that there will only be one photographer. Having multiple photographers means your guests won’t know which lens to look at. One photographer is generally able to turn out anywhere from 500 to 1000 images on their own, so you can image how hard it would be to look through double that amount.

Can I Get Reprints? As soon as a professional photographer snaps a shot, he owns the copyright to that image. Even if you pay a fee to get your high resolution digital files from the wedding, the photographer has a legal right to charge you if you ever want any reprints later on. Usually, if you are paying for the digital negatives, a photographer won’t mind if you get your own reprints, but make sure you talk to them about it first. If you can, get it in writing.

Photography

Teaching ESL in Korea

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
BusanKevin asked:

Update: October 2008…
For newer information about getting your E2 visa, check out this vid by “zedg04″
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=c47rHsMIgzQ

Thinking of teaching English in South Korea? I was there for several years and wanted to give some honest advice for those who are thinking of making the leap. This is a very general overview of different types of jobs you can get and what might be best for you. Some of the advice recruiters may tell you isn’t always so honest, since they are trying to make a dollar.

This is a huge subject so if you have any specific questions send me a message or write a comment. I’ve been around the block in Korea as a teacher, teaching kindergarten through adult ages.

I’ve made a few other vids on this topic.

Teaching ESL in Korea….part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNRUpUWnsdk

Teaching ESL in Korea…viewer questions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmQJKOOQGnw
(This is the most recent)

LOOKS LIKE VISA RULES FOR ESL TEACHER IN KOREA HAVE COMPLETELY CHANGED (AS OF DEC. 15TH 2007) AND HAVE BECOME FAR MORE STRINGENT. YOU NOW MUST HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD BACKGROUND CHECK, HIV TEST, DRUG TEST, ETC. CHECK OUT MORE AT THIS LINK:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2883449

If you find this vid useful…please SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL…there will be more useful vids about teaching esl in Korea to come!

Some good job resources are:

www.englishspectrum.com
www.pusanweb.com
www.worknplay.co.kr
www.eslcafe.com

My own blog is usually “esl” based…normally news and scandals in the Korean esl world!
http://kevinoshea.blogspot.com

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