In spite of the growing popularity of IP telephony, there are still many people who do not know what a VoIP phone is. What is the difference between a VoIP phone and an ordinary phone?
As far as you are concerned, probably not a lot. You can still use your own land-line phone if need be, though in it's simplest form there is no VoIP phone handset as such. Just a microphone and speakers will do. All you need is some software which is supplied by the provider.
You can use your normal land-line phone. Just like digital TV requires a box, either set-top or included in the set, VoIP needs a box which you can either buy yourself, or get from your VoIP provider. Once you connect your phone to the box and the box to your internet connection, you have your VoIP phone system using your own phone. Due to the connection speeds involved you have to have broadband or another high-speed internet connection.
Your telephone conversation passes through the internet in packets in the same way as any other file does. As you speak, your analogue voice signals digitized by the VoIP software into binary form, and the digital stream broken up into small packets which are sent through the internet. These packets each take their own fastest route through the internet, from computer to computer, till they reach their destination. This is the way that all files are sent through IP.
The problem with a streamed signal, such as a VoIP phone conversation, and a packet system, is that the packets do not always arrive in the correct order. This is due to the relative amount of internet traffic each packet comes up against, and the fact that they can each take different routes. Also, some packets are lost, or 'dropped'.
Modern software is becoming increasingly better at arranging packets in the correct order (often through slight time delays which allow them to be rearranged) and covering up 'dropped' packets. VoIP phone conversations are therefore more audible now than they were in the early days of VoIP phone systems.
As I said, you can use your computer microphone and speakers to make and receive conversations, but you can also get a dedicated VoIP phone if you prefer. It's all a matter of choice and does not significantly affect the services you can have.
Some of the services supplied free with VoIP phone systems are:
* Caller ID
* Call waiting
* Call forwarding
* Voice mail
* Conference calls
* Call transfer
* Group pick-up
Once you have your box, any calls you make to another VoIP are free–anywhere. For calls to non-VoIP phones there is a charge, but this is generally lower than normal land-line charges.
Your phone number relates to the adapter, so you can take this with you and use it on any computer with fast internet connection. You can also buy a VoIP phone to go with your laptop and make telephone calls anywhere at any time; just as you can with a mobile, but at a fraction of the cost, and usually free to any other IP phone. This is an excellent inexpensive solution for businesses with a network of offices – all calls between them will be free throughout the world.
Another cool feature is virtual phone numbers. You can get local area numbers allocated to your regular phone number, so that if your family live in LA and you are in New York they can ring your LA local number with their land line and speak to you in New York at local rates.
A VoIP phone is now an attractive option for anyone, both as a cheap alternative to a mobile phone and as a complete replacement for a land-line.
--
Peter Nisbet is an industrial chemist with a great interest in internet file transmission and reception systems and runs many websites. Find more information on VoIP communications on http://www.data-voip-solutions.com where many aspects of VoIP phone services and systems are discussed.
What Is VoIP?
Calling Cards and Prepaid Phone Cards
Many have heard of the VoIP phone service, but are unsure what the term VoIP stand for. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. “Great, but what does that mean and how does it affect me?” I can hear you say. I though the same when I first heard the term.
In simple terms what the VoIP service does is to convert an analogue audio signal into a digital audio signal that can be transferred over the internet. In order to understand how this works and why it is necessary, you first need to understand how the internet transfers files. In order for a file to be transferred over the internet from one computer to another, the signal has to be cut down into small pieces, called ‘packets’. This can only be done if the information being cut up is in binary format, i.e. in the form of a stream of 1s and 0, such as 11000010. very basically, such a stream of binary digits can be cut into small packets such as 1100 and 0010 , sent over the internet, then put back into order when received to read 11000010. As I said, this is a simple example, purely to give a rough idea of how a VoIP phone service sends the data throughout the internet. In practice the VoIP data streams are very much larger as are the packets.
Since the VoIP information has to be in binary form, the signal, of course, has to be a digital one. The digital signal is ‘packetized’ then the packets sent over the internet. The way this is done is to send the signals from one computer to another until it reaches the destination computer, rather like cell phone signals are sent from one antenna to another till they reach the one nearest to you, then from there to your mobile phone receiver.
In fact the packets will take the quickest route through the internet which can sometimes cause problems in that they may arrive at the receiving end in a different order to that in which they were sent. Some may even be lost, or ‘dropped’, leading to a less than perfect signal. The VoIP receiver must therefore be equipped with the means to put them back in the right order and compensate for ‘dropped’ packets.
The digital information is then converted back to an analogue signal so that it can be detected by the human ear. Normal digital phones can work this way, but the VoIP service uses the internet rather than conventional telephone system.
It is easy to see the potential benefits of this type of telephone system. It should be completely free of charge, other than the cost of the internet connection, since there are no wires or dedicated transmission and reception equipment required. The voice signals are sent as easily as you would send email. In fact VoIP services can completely change the way in which we make phone calls; as revolutionary as the change to mobile cell phones, and many phone companies are wakening up to this and are now selling complete VoIP phone systems for residential users and global corporate companies.
How do you make a phone call using a VoIP service? There are a number of ways:
1. The easiest way is from one computer to another. All you need is the software required to convert, packetize, transmit and receive the signal, a microphone and speakers. Once connected your only cost is the normal payment to your internet provider such as AOL or whichever you use. There is no regular payment for the VoIP service itself other than the initial software.
2. You can use an analogue telephone adapter (ATA). You plug your normal telephone into the ATA, also called a ‘Gateway’, then connect the ATA to your internet connection. When make a phone call, the ATA changes the analogue voice signal into a digital one, packetizes it and you can then send it on its way along the fastest route each packet can find to the destination computer.
3. The third way is use an IP phone which looks just like a normal handset. They contain all the software necessary to make a call and plug directly into an RJ 45 Ethernet connector on your computer. This type of VoIP service is popular with medium to large companies operating VoIP networks.
One thing you will need for an efficient VoIP service is a fast internet connection such as cable or broadband. An old modem connection won’t be much good for VoIP. You can also take your VoIP phone with you, much as you do with your mobile. With most VoIP service providers, however, you can get free calls and the phone is, in effect, your home telephone with your home telephone number. It’s just like carrying your home phone around with you.
Many companies operate a VoIP service on their internal networks, and calls between users on the network are free. Thus the Hong Kong office could call the London office completely free of charge.
FEATURES
The features available with VoIP services generally come free with the system and include useful features such as call waiting: you will be informed that another caller is waiting for you to finish the call you are on, conference calling, caller ID by number and name, call transfer: you can transfer calls to another phone or even to your mobile, repeat dialing, auto dialing, etc. Many of these are normally chargeable with ordinary phone services, but are generally free with the VoIP service.
These are just a few of the many different services available with VoIP phone systems. If you intend to purchase one for yourself or your company you should make a list of what services you require, which are essential and which are ‘nice to have’ then call in an expert to make the recommendation. You may be able to use some of your existing hardware if you are currently operating a digital phone system, as most medium to large company telephone systems are these days. This doesn’t apply to residential users who just need an interface between their phone and internet connection as already described.
I have often been asked if the person you are calling has to have a VoIP service. The answer is no, but if you are calling from an ordinary phone to VoIP or using a VoIP service to call an ordinary phone, call charges will normally apply whereas FROM VoIP service TO VoIP service, they normally do not.
--
Peter Nisbet is an industrial chemist with a great interest in internet file transmission and reception systems and runs many websites including http://www.data-voip-solutions.com where many aspects of VoIP services and systems are discussed.
Canada phone cards and UK phone cards
Many have heard of the VoIP phone service, but are unsure what the term VoIP stand for. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. “Great, but what does that mean and how does it affect me?” I can hear you say. I though the same when I first heard the term.
In simple terms what the VoIP service does is to convert an analogue audio signal into a digital audio signal that can be transferred over the internet. In order to understand how this works and why it is necessary, you first need to understand how the internet transfers files. In order for a file to be transferred over the internet from one computer to another, the signal has to be cut down into small pieces, called ‘packets’. This can only be done if the information being cut up is in binary format, i.e. in the form of a stream of 1s and 0, such as 11000010. very basically, such a stream of binary digits can be cut into small packets such as 1100 and 0010 , sent over the internet, then put back into order when received to read 11000010. As I said, this is a simple example, purely to give a rough idea of how a VoIP phone service sends the data throughout the internet. In practice the VoIP data streams are very much larger as are the packets.
Since the VoIP information has to be in binary form, the signal, of course, has to be a digital one. The digital signal is ‘packetized’ then the packets sent over the internet. The way this is done is to send the signals from one computer to another until it reaches the destination computer, rather like cell phone signals are sent from one antenna to another till they reach the one nearest to you, then from there to your mobile phone receiver.
In fact the packets will take the quickest route through the internet which can sometimes cause problems in that they may arrive at the receiving end in a different order to that in which they were sent. Some may even be lost, or ‘dropped’, leading to a less than perfect signal. The VoIP receiver must therefore be equipped with the means to put them back in the right order and compensate for ‘dropped’ packets.
The digital information is then converted back to an analogue signal so that it can be detected by the human ear. Normal digital phones can work this way, but the VoIP service uses the internet rather than conventional telephone system.
It is easy to see the potential benefits of this type of telephone system. It should be completely free of charge, other than the cost of the internet connection, since there are no wires or dedicated transmission and reception equipment required. The voice signals are sent as easily as you would send email. In fact VoIP services can completely change the way in which we make phone calls; as revolutionary as the change to mobile cell phones, and many phone companies are wakening up to this and are now selling complete VoIP phone systems for residential users and global corporate companies.
How do you make a phone call using a VoIP service? There are a number of ways:
1. The easiest way is from one computer to another. All you need is the software required to convert, packetize, transmit and receive the signal, a microphone and speakers. Once connected your only cost is the normal payment to your internet provider such as AOL or whichever you use. There is no regular payment for the VoIP service itself other than the initial software.
2. You can use an analogue telephone adapter (ATA). You plug your normal telephone into the ATA, also called a ‘Gateway’, then connect the ATA to your internet connection. When make a phone call, the ATA changes the analogue voice signal into a digital one, packetizes it and you can then send it on its way along the fastest route each packet can find to the destination computer.
3. The third way is use an IP phone which looks just like a normal handset. They contain all the software necessary to make a call and plug directly into an RJ 45 Ethernet connector on your computer. This type of VoIP service is popular with medium to large companies operating VoIP networks.
One thing you will need for an efficient VoIP service is a fast internet connection such as cable or broadband. An old modem connection won’t be much good for VoIP. You can also take your VoIP phone with you, much as you do with your mobile. With most VoIP service providers, however, you can get free calls and the phone is, in effect, your home telephone with your home telephone number. It’s just like carrying your home phone around with you.
Many companies operate a VoIP service on their internal networks, and calls between users on the network are free. Thus the Hong Kong office could call the London office completely free of charge.
FEATURES
The features available with VoIP services generally come free with the system and include useful features such as call waiting: you will be informed that another caller is waiting for you to finish the call you are on, conference calling, caller ID by number and name, call transfer: you can transfer calls to another phone or even to your mobile, repeat dialing, auto dialing, etc. Many of these are normally chargeable with ordinary phone services, but are generally free with the VoIP service.
These are just a few of the many different services available with VoIP phone systems. If you intend to purchase one for yourself or your company you should make a list of what services you require, which are essential and which are ‘nice to have’ then call in an expert to make the recommendation. You may be able to use some of your existing hardware if you are currently operating a digital phone system, as most medium to large company telephone systems are these days. This doesn’t apply to residential users who just need an interface between their phone and internet connection as already described.
I have often been asked if the person you are calling has to have a VoIP service. The answer is no, but if you are calling from an ordinary phone to VoIP or using a VoIP service to call an ordinary phone, call charges will normally apply whereas FROM VoIP service TO VoIP service, they normally do not.
--
Peter Nisbet is an industrial chemist with a great interest in internet file transmission and reception systems and runs many websites including http://www.data-voip-solutions.com where many aspects of VoIP services and systems are discussed.
Canada phone cards and UK phone cards
Are You Working Too Hard At Saving Money?
Copyright © 2006-2007 Darlene Arechederra
You work hard for your money. And chances are, you work even harder to "save" some of that money. But what happens when a year later you're not any closer to achieving your savings goal?
That's exactly what happened to Heather. See if you can relate to her experience during rush hour on a sweltering, humid evening not too long ago...
...Heather dragged her tired body from the passenger seat of the tow truck, relieved when her heels hit the surface of her driveway. A few minutes more and she could soak up the air conditioning inside and worry about how to get to work tomorrow.
Heather handed over her credit card information, hoping the driver would be quick about it. She'd dearly love to step away from these diesel fumes. The humidity alone made it difficult to breathe, and she was exhausted. What a day it had been!
But, at least she was finally home - three hours and $65 later. How could she have known the transmission would call it quits right in the middle of rush hour? Her mechanic had been warning her for months now. She'd hoped it would hold out until she had money for the repair work. But it certainly hadn't worked out that way.
As it stood now, Heather had no money for a transmission, whether used or new. She couldn't afford new car payments, either. And, she'd been using her credit card more and more lately.
She'd certainly worked hard to save money over the past 12 months. She'd brought her lunch to work each and every day. She'd cut out all long-distance calling, as well as reduced her overall spending. She'd found more ways to save, absorbing every article and newsletter she could get her hands on. By her estimate, she had saved close to $3,000 just in the past year.
All that Work -- for Nothing?
But, where in the world was the $3000 Heather had worked so hard to save? It wasn't in her checkbook today, when she truly needed it. And she knew without looking that it wasn't in her savings account.
Unfortunately, the "Money Sponge" had been visiting Heather's checkbook while she went about the business of living. This meant that, while she was so busy working hard to save more money, her money was quietly and steadily being absorbed by the Money Sponge.
Heather's $3000 wasn't taken out of circulation, put into a savings account, or otherwise tucked away. It was left high and dry, totally defenseless in her checkbook. Bite by bite, the Money Sponge absorbed it, and there is now no evidence that Heather saved that $3000.
She'd needed that money urgently today, but it simply wasn't there. It slowly got spent on other things. She had no idea what those things were, but tonight she's feeling that she's no better off than a year ago.
All that work for nothing!
The True Secret to Getting Ahead
Though she was discouraged, Heather learned a valuable lesson that day. She must put up "all" money she saves. If she doesn't, she'll continue to work hard at "saving" yet never really get ahead.
If the money will not be there when she needs it, why is Heather working so hard to save it? And, how long will she stay motivated if she never sees the 'fruits' of her labor?
Heather learned another great lesson as well. She discovered that, if she doesn't begin putting up the "smaller" amounts of money she's saved, chances are she'll never put up any "larger" amounts. That day simply won't arrive. Small truly is better than nothing.
Now, the Money Sponge is sitting there quietly, comfortably settled in for the years ahead. But Heather will win this battle, hands down.
How about you? Has the Money Sponge been visiting you lately? Why not cut off its supply by deciding exactly "how" you'll tuck away that little bit of money, even if only $5 at a time.
You work too hard for your money, and you use a lot of energy to avoid spending it. Why not take it out of circulation - and celebrate each time you move a bit closer to your goal!
You work hard for your money. And chances are, you work even harder to "save" some of that money. But what happens when a year later you're not any closer to achieving your savings goal?
That's exactly what happened to Heather. See if you can relate to her experience during rush hour on a sweltering, humid evening not too long ago...
...Heather dragged her tired body from the passenger seat of the tow truck, relieved when her heels hit the surface of her driveway. A few minutes more and she could soak up the air conditioning inside and worry about how to get to work tomorrow.
Heather handed over her credit card information, hoping the driver would be quick about it. She'd dearly love to step away from these diesel fumes. The humidity alone made it difficult to breathe, and she was exhausted. What a day it had been!
But, at least she was finally home - three hours and $65 later. How could she have known the transmission would call it quits right in the middle of rush hour? Her mechanic had been warning her for months now. She'd hoped it would hold out until she had money for the repair work. But it certainly hadn't worked out that way.
As it stood now, Heather had no money for a transmission, whether used or new. She couldn't afford new car payments, either. And, she'd been using her credit card more and more lately.
She'd certainly worked hard to save money over the past 12 months. She'd brought her lunch to work each and every day. She'd cut out all long-distance calling, as well as reduced her overall spending. She'd found more ways to save, absorbing every article and newsletter she could get her hands on. By her estimate, she had saved close to $3,000 just in the past year.
All that Work -- for Nothing?
But, where in the world was the $3000 Heather had worked so hard to save? It wasn't in her checkbook today, when she truly needed it. And she knew without looking that it wasn't in her savings account.
Unfortunately, the "Money Sponge" had been visiting Heather's checkbook while she went about the business of living. This meant that, while she was so busy working hard to save more money, her money was quietly and steadily being absorbed by the Money Sponge.
Heather's $3000 wasn't taken out of circulation, put into a savings account, or otherwise tucked away. It was left high and dry, totally defenseless in her checkbook. Bite by bite, the Money Sponge absorbed it, and there is now no evidence that Heather saved that $3000.
She'd needed that money urgently today, but it simply wasn't there. It slowly got spent on other things. She had no idea what those things were, but tonight she's feeling that she's no better off than a year ago.
All that work for nothing!
The True Secret to Getting Ahead
Though she was discouraged, Heather learned a valuable lesson that day. She must put up "all" money she saves. If she doesn't, she'll continue to work hard at "saving" yet never really get ahead.
If the money will not be there when she needs it, why is Heather working so hard to save it? And, how long will she stay motivated if she never sees the 'fruits' of her labor?
Heather learned another great lesson as well. She discovered that, if she doesn't begin putting up the "smaller" amounts of money she's saved, chances are she'll never put up any "larger" amounts. That day simply won't arrive. Small truly is better than nothing.
Now, the Money Sponge is sitting there quietly, comfortably settled in for the years ahead. But Heather will win this battle, hands down.
How about you? Has the Money Sponge been visiting you lately? Why not cut off its supply by deciding exactly "how" you'll tuck away that little bit of money, even if only $5 at a time.
You work too hard for your money, and you use a lot of energy to avoid spending it. Why not take it out of circulation - and celebrate each time you move a bit closer to your goal!
Nike+iPod
Two of the biggest brands in the world came together today in New York to announce a partnership for a new product. Nike and Apple - who wasn't content just with opening a store on 5th Avenue - announced the Nike+iPod - a wireless system that can track your running progress and allow you to choose a "PowerSong" to pump you up when you hit a wall. The sensor fits into a special compartment under the insole and a receiver attaches to the iPod (which only works for the Nano). With the sensor, a voice can tell you what your progress is through the headphones with the touch of a button. Nike is rolling out several new Nike+ shoes in the fall, with the Air Zoom Moire as the first in the Nike+ line. There's also a pretty spiffy Nike+ website where you can track your run history and set up competitions with your friends. The Nike+iPod sports kit has a retail price of $29 and will be in stores in 60 days.
On hand (in addition to Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs) were Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe - both of whom talked about running briefly. Armstrong - who is training for the New York City Marathon and is the 7 time Tour de France champion - said that he's been training 45 minutes - 1 hour a day and hopes to come within one hour of Radcliffe's finishing time. A tall task for most considering she finished the London Marathon in the world record time of 2:15.25. Radcliffe said that she's been running in Central Park while she's been here.
gothamist
And I have a video iPod, not a nano. oh well.
How A Man Makes Over 2 Million Dollars A Year... Chasing The Geese Away
David Marcks discovered a lucrative business opportunity when he used his dog to solve a problem that he constantly faced working at a golf course - the proliferation of geese. Geese love to inhabit open spaces that provide them with water and plenty of food (such as short, tender grasses). While adding a "natural look" to golf courses, no one would want to play in a golf course where the grass couldn't be seen under the cover of goose droppings. Imagine wading in the middle of goose droppings to hit a golf ball. Yikes!
David and other fellow golf superintendents tried several approaches. According to David, "We tried everything - sprays, pyrotechnics, flags, fences. Everything worked for a little bit and then it would stop working." Until he discovered that his dog, a Border Collie, was a natural in driving geese away. As he recalls, "It was so successful that I never looked back and we've been doing it ever since."
David started Geese Police in 1986, as the solution to driving away unwanted geese from town parks, corporate properties, golf courses, or even front lawns. Using trained border collies, they drive away the geese without harming them. Today, Geese Police has considerably grown and expanded, earning just under $2 million in 2000. David has also begun to franchise his business to a highly selected group of individuals.
About fourteen years ago, David Marcks never thought that chasing geese as a way to keep his hyperactive dog busy could become a lucrative business.
David, then 23 years old, was working as a golf course superintendent in Greenwich, Connecticut. As he recalls, "I had a problem with 600 geese residing on the golf course." They tried several options: goose-repellent chemicals that don't always work, to streamers or other "goose-frightening" props that altered the appearance of the golf course. Killing or injuring the birds was out of the question.
At the same time, he got his first Border collie. After trying various approaches unsuccessfully, he stumbled on the idea that he could perhaps train his dog to drive off the geese. "I contacted the American Border Collie Association, told them about what I want to train the dog to do and they thought I was a lunatic."
It worked! As David proudly recalls, "Once I had my dog for 6-8 weeks, I didn't have any geese on my golf course. Of course my neighboring golf courses suffered greatly because all the geese went someplace else."
With the geese gone, however, a new problem popped up. David had a new problem: what will he do with the dog?
"What nobody told me when I got my dog was that border collies make lousy pets. Now we had this highly intelligent working breed dog with nothing to do. She was driving me crazy. She was chasing squirrels, rabbits, golf balls, etc. Once I had a little irrigation break on a green, and she was being difficult, more so that particular day, so I put her in my office. I left for 20 minutes, and went down to the golf course and checked on the problem. When I came back, she ate my office - I mean literally -- my desk, the chair, the garbage can, and three sets of computer cables."
While some may have gotten rid of the dog, David thought otherwise. "I know she was a great dog; but she just needed to be kept busy."
What David did next laid the ground for Geese Police. He offered the services of his dog to herd away the geese in neighboring golf courses, with no charge for the service. After all, it was simply a way to keep his dog busy.
"I asked the neighboring golf course if they had any problems with geese. So I brought my dog and introduced her, and asked if I could possibly stop by every morning before work, during lunch and after work to herd the geese off the golf course. They agreed. So that's what I did. Everyday, I dropped by before going to work, then came back during lunch break and after work and herd the geese off another golf course."
Four to six weeks later, the neighboring golf course didn't have any geese on their property. So David was back to square one. His dog had again nothing to do. "She was being a menace and I have to look around for something for her to do."
Word about David and his dog started to spread among golf course operators in Connecticut. Another superintendent was playing in the neighboring golf course that David and his dog serviced. With the noticeable absence of geese, he asked the superintendent whatever happened to the geese. The superintendent replied, as David recalls, "Oh you've got to see it. This kid comes down and he has this dog. They come down here and drive away the geese."
The guy called up David and said, "I'd pay you to chase the geese off my golf course." That started Geese Police.
While Geese Police started in the golf course sector, David says that, "Golf courses are now just about 5% of my business. The majority of my business now, about 90%, are corporate parks and playgrounds - corporate and township properties."
David continued working as a golf course superintendent, while squeezing in his business on the side. Word soon spread about his services, "Next thing you know, word got out; I never advertised." He was soon doing 3 or 4 golf courses. However, he was faced with the difficulty in balancing his work with the responsibility to his customers.
"What was happening was that I couldn't get to all of them during my lunch break. Sometimes in the morning, it was taking me too long to get through them and I didn't want to be late for my job. So what I started to do was I hired a retired old guy who used to come in the middle of the day and come take my dog for my jobs - going before work and after work."
Dave then moved down to New Jersey, working in the county park system for the next three years while doing Geese Police on the side. He then had three employees. During this time, the business has been operating without a formal legal structure.
Until someone asked him for insurance.
"I was doing a job at that time for Bell Telephones and someone asked me for an insurance certificate. I said, "Why do I need insurance? I've got a dog; I run around your yard."
David realized that he needed to establish the legal entity of his business and all the attendant requirements including insurance, if he wants to continue tapping big companies as his clientele.
"That's when it all became a little bit more serious and it became The Geese Police, the company. After several years, I just went from Geese Police the company to Geese Police Incorporated on the advice of lawyers and accountants. Things started picking up, and they advised me that I should really incorporate. So it changed into a corporation."
Fourteen years after, Geese Police has remained at the forefront of the industry that it pioneered. David proudly announces, "Right now, we have 27 trucks on the road. We own 32 dogs. We service throughout the state of New Jersey and parts of New York -- and that's just for my main office here. We also have franchise offices now in Chicago, Virginia and Maryland, and an affiliated office in Seattle, Washington."
David Marcks Story
http://www.geesepoliceinc.com
David and other fellow golf superintendents tried several approaches. According to David, "We tried everything - sprays, pyrotechnics, flags, fences. Everything worked for a little bit and then it would stop working." Until he discovered that his dog, a Border Collie, was a natural in driving geese away. As he recalls, "It was so successful that I never looked back and we've been doing it ever since."
David started Geese Police in 1986, as the solution to driving away unwanted geese from town parks, corporate properties, golf courses, or even front lawns. Using trained border collies, they drive away the geese without harming them. Today, Geese Police has considerably grown and expanded, earning just under $2 million in 2000. David has also begun to franchise his business to a highly selected group of individuals.
About fourteen years ago, David Marcks never thought that chasing geese as a way to keep his hyperactive dog busy could become a lucrative business.
David, then 23 years old, was working as a golf course superintendent in Greenwich, Connecticut. As he recalls, "I had a problem with 600 geese residing on the golf course." They tried several options: goose-repellent chemicals that don't always work, to streamers or other "goose-frightening" props that altered the appearance of the golf course. Killing or injuring the birds was out of the question.
At the same time, he got his first Border collie. After trying various approaches unsuccessfully, he stumbled on the idea that he could perhaps train his dog to drive off the geese. "I contacted the American Border Collie Association, told them about what I want to train the dog to do and they thought I was a lunatic."
It worked! As David proudly recalls, "Once I had my dog for 6-8 weeks, I didn't have any geese on my golf course. Of course my neighboring golf courses suffered greatly because all the geese went someplace else."
With the geese gone, however, a new problem popped up. David had a new problem: what will he do with the dog?
"What nobody told me when I got my dog was that border collies make lousy pets. Now we had this highly intelligent working breed dog with nothing to do. She was driving me crazy. She was chasing squirrels, rabbits, golf balls, etc. Once I had a little irrigation break on a green, and she was being difficult, more so that particular day, so I put her in my office. I left for 20 minutes, and went down to the golf course and checked on the problem. When I came back, she ate my office - I mean literally -- my desk, the chair, the garbage can, and three sets of computer cables."
While some may have gotten rid of the dog, David thought otherwise. "I know she was a great dog; but she just needed to be kept busy."
What David did next laid the ground for Geese Police. He offered the services of his dog to herd away the geese in neighboring golf courses, with no charge for the service. After all, it was simply a way to keep his dog busy.
"I asked the neighboring golf course if they had any problems with geese. So I brought my dog and introduced her, and asked if I could possibly stop by every morning before work, during lunch and after work to herd the geese off the golf course. They agreed. So that's what I did. Everyday, I dropped by before going to work, then came back during lunch break and after work and herd the geese off another golf course."
Four to six weeks later, the neighboring golf course didn't have any geese on their property. So David was back to square one. His dog had again nothing to do. "She was being a menace and I have to look around for something for her to do."
Word about David and his dog started to spread among golf course operators in Connecticut. Another superintendent was playing in the neighboring golf course that David and his dog serviced. With the noticeable absence of geese, he asked the superintendent whatever happened to the geese. The superintendent replied, as David recalls, "Oh you've got to see it. This kid comes down and he has this dog. They come down here and drive away the geese."
The guy called up David and said, "I'd pay you to chase the geese off my golf course." That started Geese Police.
While Geese Police started in the golf course sector, David says that, "Golf courses are now just about 5% of my business. The majority of my business now, about 90%, are corporate parks and playgrounds - corporate and township properties."
David continued working as a golf course superintendent, while squeezing in his business on the side. Word soon spread about his services, "Next thing you know, word got out; I never advertised." He was soon doing 3 or 4 golf courses. However, he was faced with the difficulty in balancing his work with the responsibility to his customers.
"What was happening was that I couldn't get to all of them during my lunch break. Sometimes in the morning, it was taking me too long to get through them and I didn't want to be late for my job. So what I started to do was I hired a retired old guy who used to come in the middle of the day and come take my dog for my jobs - going before work and after work."
Dave then moved down to New Jersey, working in the county park system for the next three years while doing Geese Police on the side. He then had three employees. During this time, the business has been operating without a formal legal structure.
Until someone asked him for insurance.
"I was doing a job at that time for Bell Telephones and someone asked me for an insurance certificate. I said, "Why do I need insurance? I've got a dog; I run around your yard."
David realized that he needed to establish the legal entity of his business and all the attendant requirements including insurance, if he wants to continue tapping big companies as his clientele.
"That's when it all became a little bit more serious and it became The Geese Police, the company. After several years, I just went from Geese Police the company to Geese Police Incorporated on the advice of lawyers and accountants. Things started picking up, and they advised me that I should really incorporate. So it changed into a corporation."
Fourteen years after, Geese Police has remained at the forefront of the industry that it pioneered. David proudly announces, "Right now, we have 27 trucks on the road. We own 32 dogs. We service throughout the state of New Jersey and parts of New York -- and that's just for my main office here. We also have franchise offices now in Chicago, Virginia and Maryland, and an affiliated office in Seattle, Washington."
David Marcks Story
http://www.geesepoliceinc.com
How Airlines Reach Out to Serve You
In a world where people are more mobile than in any previous generation, travelers have come to expect many little, and not so little, extras from the airlines. From a young mother keeping her attention focused on small children, to a business person experiencing their own particular pressures, the challenge of time spent traveling can be daunting.
Even ten years ago the actual time in the air was small compared to the challenge of traveling to the airport, and once there finding a parking spot and getting from the car to the check-in-counter. Long lines were not uncommon and there was nothing to do but stand there. Layovers in other airports could be frustrating, wasted hours. While an actual flight might be three hours, the time in the air wasn't conducive to productivity.
The airline's desire to provide real service is reflected in their adding many benefits for business flayers - benefits that take place long before the plane takes off. The flayer can often request an airline to provide chauffeur service from his/her home or office to the airport. For those who drive their own car, the airlines will often park your car for you and then retrieve it when you ask. Expedited check-ins have eliminated much frustration, allowing the traveler to check in at curb-site, or at special check-in lines inside.
Accomplishing work and also having fun are now part of the actual flight process. One of the great amenities that some airlines are now providing is the use of a power port. Looking like a cigarette lighter plug-in, it allows travelers to recharge their laptops and cell phones. The problem of long flights and dead batteries is now resolved. Families are also benefiting from the power port, as DVD players, CD players, electronic and video games become part of the flying adventure.
Over the years the airlines offered movies to the travelers to lessen the boredom of a long ride. However, viewers had the option of either watching the movie or not watching it. Variety was not an option. Now the traveler's can bring their own portable CD or DVD player, along with their personal choice of entertainment. The mobile technology of today has opened many options for a traveler who used to be weary.
For those who don't want to lug their own equipment around with them, flights on many airlines have the option of individual screens with a catalog of choices where you can select a movie - or even a video game. And, many provide you with the opportunity to even check your e-mail. Home and office travel right along with you.
Even ten years ago the actual time in the air was small compared to the challenge of traveling to the airport, and once there finding a parking spot and getting from the car to the check-in-counter. Long lines were not uncommon and there was nothing to do but stand there. Layovers in other airports could be frustrating, wasted hours. While an actual flight might be three hours, the time in the air wasn't conducive to productivity.
The airline's desire to provide real service is reflected in their adding many benefits for business flayers - benefits that take place long before the plane takes off. The flayer can often request an airline to provide chauffeur service from his/her home or office to the airport. For those who drive their own car, the airlines will often park your car for you and then retrieve it when you ask. Expedited check-ins have eliminated much frustration, allowing the traveler to check in at curb-site, or at special check-in lines inside.
Accomplishing work and also having fun are now part of the actual flight process. One of the great amenities that some airlines are now providing is the use of a power port. Looking like a cigarette lighter plug-in, it allows travelers to recharge their laptops and cell phones. The problem of long flights and dead batteries is now resolved. Families are also benefiting from the power port, as DVD players, CD players, electronic and video games become part of the flying adventure.
Over the years the airlines offered movies to the travelers to lessen the boredom of a long ride. However, viewers had the option of either watching the movie or not watching it. Variety was not an option. Now the traveler's can bring their own portable CD or DVD player, along with their personal choice of entertainment. The mobile technology of today has opened many options for a traveler who used to be weary.
For those who don't want to lug their own equipment around with them, flights on many airlines have the option of individual screens with a catalog of choices where you can select a movie - or even a video game. And, many provide you with the opportunity to even check your e-mail. Home and office travel right along with you.
How A Lady Stumpled Upon A $100000 A Year Business Working On Sundays
Debra Cohen Story
After buying their first home, Debra Cohen and her husband faced the unenviable chore of finding reliable home improvement contractors. Fed up with blindly picking names from the Yellow Pages and waiting for contractors who didn't show up, it occurred to Cohen that if she and her husband were having trouble finding contractors, other homeowners in their community must be facing a similar predicament. This bleak reality sparked the creation of a unique service that has since expanded into a profitable cottage industry across the U.S. and internationally.
After extensive conversations with lawyers, business consultants, contractors and insurance agents, Cohen, 38, started Hewlett, New York-based Home Remedies of NY Inc. from her home in February 1997. This stay-at-home mom used a $5,000 loan, a computer and a refurbished fax machine to launch her part-time business. Right away, the response from homeowners was tremendous, and after three months in business, she repaid her loan. Her gross earnings in the first year were almost $30,000.
Today, Home Remedies is a contractor referral service that matches home-owners with reliable home-repair workers. The appeal to customers is that the company takes on the time-consuming task of locating and screening qualified contractors, checking to make sure they're adequately insured and licensed, and serving as a liaison between the contractor and the homeowner throughout the course of a job. Home Remedies provides a win-win situation for both parties: Services are provided free of charge to the homeowner, and contractors represented by Home Remedies only pay a commission for any work they secure.
At first, Cohen worked approximately 15 hours to 20 hours per week; she now works about 30 hours per week. Last year, sales for Home Remedies exceeded $100,000. Cohen earns additional income by selling manuals and packages on how to get started in the referral business.
http://www.homereferralbiz.com/
After buying their first home, Debra Cohen and her husband faced the unenviable chore of finding reliable home improvement contractors. Fed up with blindly picking names from the Yellow Pages and waiting for contractors who didn't show up, it occurred to Cohen that if she and her husband were having trouble finding contractors, other homeowners in their community must be facing a similar predicament. This bleak reality sparked the creation of a unique service that has since expanded into a profitable cottage industry across the U.S. and internationally.
After extensive conversations with lawyers, business consultants, contractors and insurance agents, Cohen, 38, started Hewlett, New York-based Home Remedies of NY Inc. from her home in February 1997. This stay-at-home mom used a $5,000 loan, a computer and a refurbished fax machine to launch her part-time business. Right away, the response from homeowners was tremendous, and after three months in business, she repaid her loan. Her gross earnings in the first year were almost $30,000.
Today, Home Remedies is a contractor referral service that matches home-owners with reliable home-repair workers. The appeal to customers is that the company takes on the time-consuming task of locating and screening qualified contractors, checking to make sure they're adequately insured and licensed, and serving as a liaison between the contractor and the homeowner throughout the course of a job. Home Remedies provides a win-win situation for both parties: Services are provided free of charge to the homeowner, and contractors represented by Home Remedies only pay a commission for any work they secure.
At first, Cohen worked approximately 15 hours to 20 hours per week; she now works about 30 hours per week. Last year, sales for Home Remedies exceeded $100,000. Cohen earns additional income by selling manuals and packages on how to get started in the referral business.
http://www.homereferralbiz.com/
Unusual Household Object Blogging - On the Road
I'm not in my own household, so instead I have something from where I am staying!
I am staying in a house so crammed with unusual objects that it is a little bit of sensory overload.
I am staying in a house so crammed with unusual objects that it is a little bit of sensory overload.
It's So Strange
Walking back up to Adams Morgan tonight after dinner with a bunch of friends, it really hit me: it's so strange to be back. Everything here is so familiar, so laden with memories. DC is not the place I have lived longest as an adult (that's Boston) but it is long, and recent, and so it feels very comfortable. In Houston I'm "that guy from DC." I know, having up and moved somehwere new before, that it will take a long time for that to fade. Meanwhile, DC feels like hom in a way nowhere else really does.
And so being here is seductive and dangerous. I am in the lucky and strange position of being able to go anywhere on the planet I choose to right now. And this is home, and familiar, so there's always a little voice inside me saying, "so why not come back?" On one level it would be so very easy.
On another level - the practical one - it would be a horrifying nightmare. This city has become even more overpriced that it was when I lived here. While I made a boatload of money selling my house, that was months and months ago. After living less than a year in a place where the basics of life don't require a salary well above the average income, I've gotten used to a more sensible, normal way for things to work.
Bottom line, if I needed life to be that difficult financially, forget DC, I'd just move to LA or NY and live somewhere far more interesting and thus worth the hassle.
But. But. But. This still feels like home. I love those other big cities but they don't feel like home, they aren't filled with memories. They aren't filled with people I already know. They aren't as easy (mentally) as DC.
That's what's so funny: not living in DC, I can appreciate how settled in I was here. Because all the negatives fade away when you don't actually live here; I can just breeze into town and shrug off the hostility, the competitiveness. They are not my problem, so now, having left, I'm finally free to enjoy what I always liked about this town.
But that's also why I can't come back. I am at a point in life when everything is in flux, and moving forward means looking forward, As pleasant as it is to return, I think it will be a while before I'm back. My friends need to visit me in Houston. I need to put my energy other places. So as I walked up 18th Street on this mild winter night, it felt like a last taste of dessert before the meal ended. This is nice but not good for me, and I need to stay away for a while.
And so being here is seductive and dangerous. I am in the lucky and strange position of being able to go anywhere on the planet I choose to right now. And this is home, and familiar, so there's always a little voice inside me saying, "so why not come back?" On one level it would be so very easy.
On another level - the practical one - it would be a horrifying nightmare. This city has become even more overpriced that it was when I lived here. While I made a boatload of money selling my house, that was months and months ago. After living less than a year in a place where the basics of life don't require a salary well above the average income, I've gotten used to a more sensible, normal way for things to work.
Bottom line, if I needed life to be that difficult financially, forget DC, I'd just move to LA or NY and live somewhere far more interesting and thus worth the hassle.
But. But. But. This still feels like home. I love those other big cities but they don't feel like home, they aren't filled with memories. They aren't filled with people I already know. They aren't as easy (mentally) as DC.
That's what's so funny: not living in DC, I can appreciate how settled in I was here. Because all the negatives fade away when you don't actually live here; I can just breeze into town and shrug off the hostility, the competitiveness. They are not my problem, so now, having left, I'm finally free to enjoy what I always liked about this town.
But that's also why I can't come back. I am at a point in life when everything is in flux, and moving forward means looking forward, As pleasant as it is to return, I think it will be a while before I'm back. My friends need to visit me in Houston. I need to put my energy other places. So as I walked up 18th Street on this mild winter night, it felt like a last taste of dessert before the meal ended. This is nice but not good for me, and I need to stay away for a while.
Compassionate Conservatism
Up in Collin County, the wealthiest county in Texas, how do they take care of health care for people with no money? They ship them next door to Dallas and let Dallas County taxpayers pick up the tab, the Houston Chronicle reports.
This is the usual Republican "I don't want to pay taxes" crap: everyone must be self reliant, except me!
Read the quotes from the Collin County commissioner in the story. Really disgusting.
This is the usual Republican "I don't want to pay taxes" crap: everyone must be self reliant, except me!
Read the quotes from the Collin County commissioner in the story. Really disgusting.
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