Author Archives: schatzi

Wi-Fi For a Hotel – What to Think About

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When planning for installing a Wi-Fi network in a hotel there’s much to be considered. Tread lightly …. it’s not quite as hard as you may think. But it isn’t simple either.

First, the hotel’s Wi-Fi strategy needs to be finalized, and following this you would know where the service needs to be available, if it will be free, if it will be solely used for guest browsing, or if it will also facilitate value added services to the hotel itself …. such as wireless point-of-sale, wireless security, wireless signage, wireless VoIP on the compound, etc. There are a plethora of resources online that you can check for the technicalities of some of these types of equipment – this is not a challenge.

After this, everything begins with an on-site survey to determine the layout of the hotel, and placement of the access points. This should include RF mapping for larger properties (or any property for that matter, since it removes a lot of the guesswork).

Bearing in mind you’re working with a budget, you need to let that budget dictate the type of equipment you’re going to use. From Access points & routers, to POE switches, packet shaping & filtering, to billing & authentication platforms. Or whether you’re going to do it all with a cheap and simple Dlink setup, complete with login ticket printers. There are a multitude of different architectures for these networks.

You will also need to agree upon work schedules with the Hotel Management, because they may not want technicians and engineers visible throughout the compound while guests are enjoying their stay there. This can lengthen or shorten the duration of the project (depending on what Hotel Management decides) and can have direct effects on project cost. All of which needs to be presented to Hotel management in different scenarios.

One of the make-or-break details that often get overlooked is the available bandwidth being piped into the hotel to feed this Wireless network, and depending on the size of the hotel, it needs to be considerable. I’d suggest a minimum of DS3 bandwidth.

Once you’ve done a simple traffic analysis to quantify bandwidth requirements, based on information from the hotel such as average room occupancy percentages throughout the year, you can determine what is required. Once you can get this required bandwidth from a service provider, you’re golden. Whether or not the budget allows, you should always push the Hotel to choose a corporate data package with an service level agreement (SLA) attached to it, so as to guarantee uptime for the guests. This is critical if the hotel has a high percentage of business travellers.

For assistance in finding just the right bandwidth solution … at best price …. I recommend using the free services at Bandwidth Solution.

Once the physical aspects of the network is in place and everything has been neatly tucked away, you need to develop a nice walled garden for the hotel – although this is something the larger hotels normally do, for branding and marketing purposes. However, this is an additional step that needs to be done, whether or not it is your responsibility. This can facilitate something as simple as the logon splash screen, or it can offer more interactivity based on the tech savviness of the hotel.

Finally, this can be as simple or as complex as the hotel and their budget requires, but even in the most complex scenario it really is quite simple and is one of the easier wireless implementations to deploy.

A List of High Cholesterol Foods

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High cholesterol levels in your blood system are a health risk factor that can cause heart disease. To avoid death by heart attack due to your poor eating habits, formulate a diet plan that consists of foods that will lower your cholesterol levels. Invent recipes that have ingredients that are low in cholesterol and of course exercise regularly. Foods that are high in cholesterol should be avoided completely or should be consumed in very small quantities and on rare occasions

Identifying foods that are high in cholesterol should not be very difficult; one of the best ways to do this is by consulting a doctor who will inform you on those particular foods that you should avoid. Make a list of all the food items in your home and place them in three different categories. The first category should have all the food items that you enjoying eating the most, regardless of whether they are high or low in cholesterol.

The second category should contain food items that the doctor advised on their minimal intake.

These food items should be consumed once a week or after every two weeks and preferably the individual should cease their consumption completely. Such foods include, candy bars, chocolate bars or chips. In the third category indicate all the food items that you rarely consume and which the doctor advised completely against. These types of foods are easy to avoid because you hardly buy them, nevertheless it is important to list them so as to avoid them even in future.

Having finished this process, identify those food items that are high in cholesterol and see what you can substitute them with that are low in cholesterol. Keep in mind that the reason for the exercise is to improve your health by lowering your cholesterol levels. Create a list of food items that you plan to incorporate into your daily diet.

Once you know the foods to eat and those to avoid, prioritizing becomes easier. If your health is at risk because you have bad eating habits, the good news is, you have a chance to rectify the problem using natural remedies and without having to take prescription pills. Your health should be of priority and keeping to a low cholesterol diet with regular exercise will keep you feeling strong and healthy.

Key Destinations When Moving to Southern Europe

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Getting to identify the countries that comprise Southern Europe can be a bit tricky. This is because some of these countries are technically considered as part of Central Europe as well. A good example of this is Austria where Vienna is the premier city and a place where people living abroad have formed various social groups in order to answer their need to belong.

The idea of working abroad and consequently living abroad in Vienna can be a bit daunting for the average expatriate worker, including British expats. This is because Austrians, particularly the Vienesse, are very reserved people; they do not readily welcome foreign workers.

Nevertheless, many expatriates like British expats have come together in Vienna to form many different groups catering to a wide variety of interests. These include book lovers, writers, mountain climbers, museum workers, and many others. The aim of these groups is to make working abroad in this particular city in Southern Europe better and more manageable.

When it comes to medical healthcare, Austria is said to be among the best providers this side of Europe. This is because medical healthcare is extended to both Austrian citizens as well as tourists at no cost to the party involved. Additionally, all expatriates who have found employment in Austria should be enrolled in an expatriate health insurance system where they are expected to make monthly contributions. The amount involved in a given expatriate health insurance in Vienna will normally be based on the salary scale of the expatriate worker involved.

One other country in Southern Europe that many British expats will find inviting is Greece. For starters, the cost of basic commodities here is about 30 percent lower when compared to other countries in Europe. At the same time, however, the average Greek salary is just as low. Still, the equally low rates for social security more than makes up for this, enabling many expatriate workers working abroad in Greece to lead generally comfortable lives.

Unfortunately, when the issue is about medical healthcare, Greece is one of the few countries in Southern Europe which is unable to provide this particular service, even to expatriates. If you have plans of living abroad in Greece, it will definitely be a good idea to consider getting an independent expatriate health insurance to keep you protected.

Despite this grim scenario, Greece is one European nation that welcomes expatriate workers like British expats even if this is not really among their top destinations. This is mainly due to the lack of multinational firms operating in these parts where these expats can easily find employment.

Changing Corporate Culture – A Three Step Process of Recognition and Praise

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Saying “thank you” is a special art. When someone does something that we want to compliment or are grateful for, many of us give a common passing “good job, I appreciate it” remark. A simple thank you can become profound recognition by following a three-fold method of giving thanks:

Step one

– make the general remark that you are used to making.

“That was a very good presentation you made, Rob.”

Step two

– tell the person specifically what you liked, what behavior you are especially trying to reinforce. “I particularly liked the way you used humor to make a point about the changes we’ll have to make in the department.”

Step three

– generalize from this specific instance to a personality trait or character strength. ” Your sense of humor always gets us through rough times. I sure admire that.”

In I Saw What You Did & I Know Who You Are, Janis Allen, a consultant from Atlanta, Georgia, calls using a positive statement about a specific performance- a “lead-in to universal praise.” “Think of it this way,” she says. “If you can name a specific behavior that someone does or has done, and go on to say, ‘This conveys your professionalism, your diligence, your eye for detail,’ then you’ve done a good job of reinforcing. You are telling that person, ‘This specific event is indicative of something I’m proud of about your habits and I like the way you run your life.’ Who couldn’t use hearing a remark like that once in a while.'”

A smile or a compliment can go a long way. These simple acts are the foundations of true recognition. Phase one recognition is AWARENESS – letting someone know that you know that they exist – that who they are makes a difference, that they matter, that they are important. And, that’s at the heart of what we all want most of in life..

APPRECIATION is phase two of Recognition – when we let someone know we are grateful for what they have done. If we use the three-fold approach of expressing gratitude, highlighting specific behavior and then generalizing to a universal quality of the person, we have gone a long way in helping to change those negative imprints. People must first believe in their own quality before they can produce quality work.

Phase three is ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. When our compliments and thank you’s are universalized to a person’s qualities or character, we’ve begun to understand acknowledgement. Actually, the acknowledgment phase is essential for recognition to have any lasting effect. Becoming master acknowledgers requires understanding human nature, human behavior, and what motivates people. We feel acknowledged when we can say, “they really know me; they ‘get’ who I am.” When this goes a step further, and we really let people know that they are worthwhile individuals, we have moved into the phase of Recognition known as ACCEPTANCE. It is at this phase that recognition progresses from being something nice to do to a life-changing appreciation of the uniqueness of each individual.