Thursday, July 26, 2007

Satellite TV-More Channels Yet Cheaper Than Cable

Many people have satellite TV and there’s a very good reason for it: you get almost unlimited channels and it’s a price that most anyone can afford. When you compare satellite TV to its cable counterpart, you will automatically notice a difference in the amount of channels you get to choose from. With a cable package, you get to choose from different packages, and you have to pay more for premium channels, such as HBO or Cinemax.

More Channels Than You Can Handle With satellite TV, you get all the channels in one package.

That’s because the satellite dish that you have installed on or near your home is able to pick up many channels that your cable TV provider can’t offer you.
Free Installation With Some Carriers!
The best part about satellite TV is that most carriers will offer free installation. You simply pay a small monthly fee, such as ten dollars a month, and you get a technician to come out to your house to install your satellite dish. You can have all those channels at your fingertips in the same day as you pick up the phone and call the satellite TV carrier of your choice.

A Few Drawbacks There are some drawbacks to satellite TV that should be noted before a person commits to a contract.

For one, satellite, unlike cable, can be affected by the weather. If the conditions are hostile, such as a bad thunderstorm, your satellite TV may not work as well or the picture won’t come in as clear. Another drawback is that you may have to adjust your dish, depending on which channels you want.

Most satellite TV carriers offer a remote that allows you to change the position of your dish, but many see this as a hassle. With cable, you simply choose a channel and you don’t have to worry that your cable box is pointed a certain way. Satellite TV owners obviously don’t mind the drawbacks, as they are quite minute, and there are many satellite TV owners today.

So, if you’re looking for an almost unlimited choice of channels at a price you can easily afford, call your local satellite TV provider today. A technician will soon visit your house and, in minutes, you’ll be able to surf the many channels that you wouldn’t be able to see if you had chosen cable TV.
Here is one you can check out.

Hepa Filters For Your Home

Recommended by many doctors, HEPA purifiers are the most effective and widely used of all air purifiers in America today. The HEPA purifier employs a filtration system that is ideal for patient suffering from asthma or severe cases of allergies. HEPA purifiers usually consume a lot of energy and therefore are not generally used for the whole house. It is best to have two units of this — one for the living room and the other for the bedroom. This also ensures that it has to work on limited space, which would result in better cleansing.

HEPA which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter are the most effective when it comes to remove the suspended particulates in the air compared to other purifiers. These filters can be used alone as a purifier or may be used in conjunction with other methods of air purifying. Like the ionic air purifying technique.

That HEPA purifiers are highly effective cannot be questioned. A HEPA filter is good enough to catch any particulate above the size of 0.3 microns. Microns is the unit to measure the particulates floating in air. Since they are extremely small we use a separate unit to measure them. To give you an idea, a normal human hair is about 100 microns thick. Now we know how effective HEPA purifiers can be. In fact a HEPA purifier working in its prime condition can purify the air up to a level of 99.97%.

However, HEPA can be ineffective in some special cases. For example HEPA filters wouldn’t be able to deal with gases and odors. It will also not be able to deal with anything smaller than 0.3 microns. That means a large portion of microorganisms, including harmful bacteria and viruses will go free. You need to deal with them separately.

Another issue with HEPA purifiers is that it is generally noisy. Since a fan is used to draw in the air from the room a motor needs to work constantly. The sound of the motor is what creates the noise. The solution to this is to go for a higher capacity purifier than you actually need so that you can use it at medium to low speed.

If you are going for the basic versions of air purifier it is always advisable to opt for HEPA. If you plan to buy a more advanced device then HEPA filter will come along with other methods of purifying air, together in a single package.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Home Security 101 - The Basics

First things first, the problem of home burglaries and home invasions is an ever increasing threat to all American homeowners.
In the latest year that statistics were released, 2004, the Bureau of Justice reported that:

* Nearly one out of six homes was violated by a burglar.
* Three fourths of all crime was property related.
* In nearly 90% of all burglaries, the burglar gained entry into the house or other building.

This is something to remember: property crime occurs every 3 seconds, a home burglary every 15 seconds.
That's the bad news. The enormously good news is that almost any expert in the field will tell you that 90%-that's right 90% of all burglaries can be prevented.
So if the odds are so good that it will happen to you and it is such a preventable event-what is it you have to do to stop the burglars?
Let's start with the basics. There are several simple things that can be done to make your home more secure in the face of almost certain intrusion from a burglar. TIME, LIGHT, NOISE-they are the biggest enemies of burglars.
As a matter of fact, homes with a security system have far fewer break-ins than those that don't. This is not an all inclusive list but one that if followed will certainly go a long way toward making your home more secure.

1. Take a critical look at your house from the outside. Look at your home as a burglar would. Is your house well lit maybe with motion activated spotlights? Are there hiding places near doors and windows? If you can spot a potential weakness in your home’s “look” you can bet a professional burglar can exploit it. Remember that LIGHT is a burglars’ enemy-darkness a friend.

2. What could slow down a burglar from entering your home? Simple home security devices such as locks on doors (deadbolts are best) and windows, bars, grates-items that are visible from the exterior of the house will not only act as a deterrent but slow down an intruder should he decide to try to enter. The more time it takes to break into a home, the more discouraged a burglar will become. TIME is the enemy of the burglar.

3. How noisy can you make it if someone gains entry? NOISE is also the enemy of the burglar. There are many home security alarms activated by doors or windows opening or by motion. The sound of a barking dog, real or recorded, are very effective and will scare most burglars away.

LIGHTS, NOISE AND TIME-they are the three biggest enemies of an intruder. If you implement these home security tips to fortify your house you may well avoid a lot of potential break-ins. Implement these home security tips and you will be able to sleep better in a more secure home.