Going solar! (Sort of)

This has nothing to do with web pages but I like it and it is a passion of mine and that is to play with solar power and emergency back up power. I am slowly building a grid fall back system as I can afford to and have the time. What is grid fall back you ask? It is using solar panels, batteries and an inverter to drive up back up lights, fans, radios and more. I can now light up my basement and several key lights up stairs when power is down but these appliances will be eventually tied into a power panel downstairs with breakers that will have a switch over device once the batteries get flat and the panel switch over will switch those appliances over to regular power. Once the batteries go back to a good charge state, the switch will take us back to solar.  OK will I save a lot? Probably not but I will have total peace of mind that when the power goes off, I will still at least for a while be humming along.

Until next time...
Me

Think when you buy and do you really save money going cheaper?

I wonder when a potential customer becomes lost when they buy from another and say it was price only. Yes you were good, yes I liked you and yes trusted you but their price was $100.00 less! OK what did they lose for a mere $100.00?? Was the company a legitimate company doing business as a web company or were they a free lancer who use to work for a big company that starts with an S because they were recently let go.You were simply a way to pay a bill until they found another job maybe with a company in KC that starts with a C. When said free lancer gets that job, you are now forgotten because they are too busy with their new job to care. Many of us have gone through this and it is up to you to make the choice to go with a company with almost twenty five years of web experience or to choose a few dollars now for a big headache later when you need a change or a new widget or something.  Just something to thnik about.

Later

Joe Rossini

Meditation

At the pace most Americans live at today, stress is more than an inconvenience; it’s  a serious health issue.  It’s serious because it has proven to be a factor in a number of physical and mental illnesses and conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, headaches, depression, gastrointestinal disorders and even Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  Finding a way to cope with stress and reduce its negative effects on your health should be a priority in everyone’s lives.

One simple and practical way to do this is to practice meditation.   When some people hear the word “meditation” they automatically connect it with eastern religions, primarily due to the influence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularized the concept of Transcendental Meditation in the late sixties and early seventies.  Practitioners went through a ceremony at which they were given a “mantra” to repeat and focus on during their meditation sessions.

In the 21^st Century, meditation has become much more mainstream and practitioners can be from any background or faith or no faith at all. Simple meditation does not require any religious affiliation.  Meditation is as simple as breathing and that’s because it involves how you breathe.  It doesn’t require any special words or phrases, nor does it require any special kind of equipment.  There is no expense of any kind involved in meditation.

Meditation involves two things – clearing your mind and controlling your breathing.   Part of the reason stress afflicts so many people is that as a culture, we feel the need to multi-task.  If we aren’t immersed in two or three things at the same time, we feel as if we aren’t being productive.  Consequently, are brain is working at high speed overdrive.  When you meditate, the first step is to clear your mind.  Many people who are beginners at meditation experience something called “monkey-mind”.  Random thoughts seem to just appear in your consciousness.   When you meditate, the way to deal with this is by letting thoughts go.  Don’t focus on any of the thoughts that come into your head; just let them go. Some people compare it to lying on your back in a field and looking up at the clouds.  The clouds never linger.  They move in and out of your field of vision.  This is basically the same principle when you clear you mind.  Simply let the thoughts pass in and out of your consciousness.

One thing you will focus on, however, is your breathing.   Simple meditation involves slow breathing in and out through your nose.   In your head, count one on the in breath, two on the out breath, three on the in breath, four on the out breath…and so on till you get to ten.  When you reach ten, start over – one on the in breath, two on the out breath and so on.   Should you have a bout of “monkey mindedness” during your breathing and you lose count, simply start at one again.

Ideally, you should try to meditate for at least fifteen minutes, but even two to three minutes can help.  Sitting at your desk at work, when you feel your stress level rising, do a short meditation and you’ll feel a sense of relief.  The short term benefits of meditation range from reduced blood pressure,  reduced muscle tension to an overall sense of well-being.  Long term, many of the illnesses and afflictions mentioned previously can be avoided or the effects minimized.   Give meditation a try!  You have nothing to lose and something very important to gain – good health!

Your new car can be hacked!!!

Chrysler is recalling 1.4 million vehicles that can be remotely hacked over the Internet.

A flaw in several Chrysler models lets hackers remotely control them, posing an unprecedented danger for American drivers. Hackers can cut the brakes, shut down the engine, drive it off the road, or make all the electronics go haywire.

After the vulnerability was uncovered on Tuesday, Chrysler offered a software upgrade that it recommended customers install "at their earliest convenience."
Chrysler on Thursday upgraded its network, saying the update would prevent the remote hacking from taking place. It said that its update required no action on the part of customers and dealers.
Still under intense scrutiny, Chrysler opted to issue a formal recall on Friday to fix the vehicles themselves. Customers participating in the recall will receive a USB flash drive, which they can insert into their cars and upgrade their vehicles' software.
But Chrysler said Friday that the recall provides unspecified "additional security features independent of the network-level measures."
The cars involved in the recall include the following vehicles equipped with 8.4-inch touchscreens:

• 2013-2015 MY Dodge Viper specialty vehicles
• 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups
• 2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs
• 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs
• 2014-2015 Dodge Durango SUVs
• 2015 MY Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans
• 2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes

Chrysler said it is unaware of any accidents, injuries, warranty claims or complaints related to the software bug, other than a single incident reported by Wired on Tuesday. Researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek demonstrated the vulnerability by taking remote control of a Jeep.
The scope of the vulnerability -- the fact that it impacted several models of Chryslers -- was reported by CNNMoney on Tuesday.
On Friday, the stock value of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) dropped more than 2%. There was also an 8% drop in the stock value of Sprint (S), whose cellular network allows Chryslers to connect to the Internet.

How important is content

A guest blog by Tom Rambo:

How important is good content?  When you consider that the words on your website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter pages are often the first impression that potential customers get of your business, that makes content very important.

Imagine meeting a potential customer for the first time with the chili you had for lunch staining your shirt or having lipstick on your teeth. Some people wouldn’t hear a word you’d said because they’d be distracted by your appearance.  There is real truth in the old saying “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”   If that impression isn’t good, you may not get another opportunity to tell that prospective customer why your business would be a good fit for them.

When it comes to content, poor grammar and spelling make a bad first impression. Boring content makes no impression at all.  If you’re going to invest time and money into creating an Internet presence for your business, you want to make sure that you’re engaging your prospective customers, not pushing them away.  Content should make potential customers want to learn more about your business. Good content should educate and even entertain.  It can be the difference between a new customer or a blown prospect.

Rossini Management Systems has decades of experience providing customers with high quality website design that will draw traffic to your business.  Lately, they have added social media updates to their portfolio of services.  This allows you to do what you do best and let someone else keep your brand in the public eye with regular social media updates and even a blog. 

It is my belief that you can never have enough good content so if you need some help just let me know and we can post it for you.

Until next time....

Joe

So you want to blog?

I have been blogging for a while and the bottom line is I do it so as to keep my customers updated and to sometimes just blow off steam. Writing can be addictive and telling someone anyone about what you do or like or hate can be liberating. Write what ever captures your imagination such as for me solar power. I have quite a few solar panels on my house but none are very big. I am charging several batteries and when I lose power I turn on my inverters and then I have lights. Will these panels light my house? I actually think I could do it and still might but it will take time and planning. Right now I have two rooms that are solar/battery powered and I use one of them all the time. My basement has five lights and I occasionally just turn them on to see how they do. One big battery one small solar panel and eight to ten hours of full bright light if I need it. Want some info on this write me at jrossini@rossini.com and I will answer as many questions as I can.

How about ham radio! I have been a ham for a long time and now more than ever I am seeing more things mentioned about us then ever before. With all the hack attacks on almost everything, how long till our networks go down and we lose communications or worse yet power! One thing that they cannot do to me is take away my ability to talk for hundreds of miles and pass traffic to people in need. The wonders of ham radio, with or without power I can talk and be a fountain of information for those around me.  If you are interested  in ham radio go visit http://www.arrl.org/

Go along with blogging is my desire to write a sci fi novel and I am now at 80,000 words and charging. Soon my novel about going to Mars and finding something will be done so keep up with me and if you are interested to be on the first buy list (you will get a sizable) discount to read it please go to my e mail and send me a I want to sign up e-mail.  My e-mail is jrossini@rossini.com

OK last I am going to ask you that is you want to guest blog about what you do or like send me your article again to jrossini@rossini.com and if it is clean and good I will publish it and tell the world.

Ok enough for now, talk soon.

Joe

Guest blog from Randle Rundle

Did you ever stop and wonder who has the most traffic on a Rossini hosted website? Moreover have you been curious where that company is located and what that company does to earn a living.? Well you can wonder no more because today you will learn a little about that company where it is located and exactly what they do for a living.

The company is Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts and it is located at 415 Court Street in Clay Center Kansas. Randy Rundle is the owner of that company which has been in business nearly 30 years. Randy started the company back in 1987 to market his new invention a 6-volt alternator which makes antique cars and trucks more reliable and fun to drive. His invention put the end to yellowish dim headlights, hard starting and dead batteries all well known traits experienced almost on a daily basis by antique and classic car owners.

Little did Randy know then that someday his alternators would find customers in all of the fifty states and 18 foreign countries. He also could not have imagined that some day he would be working for the movie studios of Hollywood, preparing the vintage cars used in the movies.

His biggest “I could never have imagined in a million years event” was when he was called upon to complete a project for the Queen of England. What are the odds that the Royal Minister of Transportation for the Queen of England would call a company called Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts located in a small town of 4600 people in the middle of Kansas  and ask for Randy’s help? Well it happened but the project got off to a rocky start. Randy was convinced it was a prank call and hung up on the Royal Minister of Transportation after the caller’s five minute explanation and the bragging of all his credentials. Soon after a fax arrived on the Queens letterhead confirming the call was real.

Randy started his company with a single product and now manufactures over 40 specialized products for customers all around the world. To read more about his company and all of his adventures visit fifthaveinternetgarage.com

 

Randy is a very innovative owner who has a market that really is hard to compete against. If you like vintage cars visit his website.

More soon.

Joe