Crerar Library News

How to Save Money on Great Business Software

Finding the best deals on business software can be a time consuming and sometimes not particularly productive process. Here are some ways that you can change that for the better.

Look for Names You Know

Getting a software discount on well-known products should be your first goal. Established products like Evernote, MailChimp, and so forth already have plenty of reviews online and have great reputations. This means you don’t have to pour through information on the software to figure out how it performs and, in some cases, what it even does.

If you can find a software discount on a product you already know and trust, take it. It cuts down on the time you spend looking around and it cuts down on the time you’ll need to learn the software, and may feasibly entail no learning curve at all, since you may know it already.

Be Wary of Free Offerings

Software discounts are great, up to a point. Be very wary if you’re offered free software. In the best case scenario, it will be shareware—sometimes called nagware—that will bother you to “upgrade” to the pro version once you load it on your computer. Expect limited functionality until you do upgrade. In the worst case scenario, it will be malware or a virus and you’ll end up paying a lot more for it than you would have for a legitimate product, excepting that those payments will all go toward repairing the damage that the software does.

Expect to pay for good software. It’s worth it and the market for software is competitive enough that you shouldn’t have to pay that much.

Make Sure It’s for Business

Not all software is really made for business. Before you get too excited about a software discount, consider the following questions:

• Is the software scalable?
• Does the company that makes it support it?
• Is it updated with any frequency?
• Are updates included with the price?
• Is there an enterprise version available?
• How many licenses does each purchase come with?

If you can’t answer these questions about business software, you don’t know it well enough to purchase it. You always need to be sure that the software you’re interested in is made for business, that’s currently being supported by the company that makes it and that you get enough licenses for business use when you purchase it.

Make Sure the Site Is Good

If you’re buying your business software off a site that sells a large selection of programs, make sure it’s a good one. They should have some sort of a review of each piece of software on their site and they should have detailed summaries and other information about the software you want to buy. To put it bluntly, they should be in the business of selling software, not surprises.

If you find a good site, remember that they likely have alternatives to pricier software you might have been considering for your business. Sometimes the best deals on business software are obtained by purchasing software that hasn’t become a market leader yet, but that has all the features it needs to achieve that status.

You should be able to find excellent software discounts off there, and some of them are substantial enough to enable a business to get software they may have thought was too expensive for them at present. As the business grows, that better software will generally go with it, reducing the cost of IT in the future and allowing the business to capitalize on its own successes.

Does Mirena Cause Lower Abdominal Pain?

Are you feeling discomfort in your lower abdominal area? You may be surprised to hear that it may be due to your Mirena IUD. See more of what this can do to your body

Mirena Side Effects

Lower abdominal pain is just one example that women cite of the mirena side effects they have after getting this particular IUD. The Mirena type is becoming popular as it can stay in the body up to five years as a contraceptive device. Aside from the stomach troubles, other side effects may include lower back pain, heavy bleeding, mood swings, depression and acne.

Abdominal Pain

Mirena users sometimes feel a discomfort in their lower abdominal area, which may turn into a more intense, stabbing pain over time. The aching feeling may be a sign that the IUV had perforated the uterus; in this case it may float in the pelvis or damage other organs. The pain may be associated with a bloated feeling as well.

If you feel a stabbing pain in your stomach, regardless of whether it is your IUD or not that is causing it, go see your doctor as soon as possible. The physician is trained to detect the cause of your specific pain.

The professional will then create a plan for you to help alleviate the lower abdominal pain, based on its cause. If the removal of Mirena is the course of action that your doctor suggests, it must be removed by a surgical procedure. You may also simply want it removed for peace of mind.

Please note that not everyone with a Mirena IUD has side effects such as abdominal pain. Some women feel no pain at all with it over a five-year period. Also, it is not always possible to predict who will experience the stomach discomfort or not. To find out more about how to recover after mirena, go to MirenaDetox.com

Choosing the Right Grit of Sandpaper

Selecting the right grade of sandpaper for a specific task can often be confusing. There are multitude of grits to choose from as well as both open coated and cloase coated sandpaper. So which is the right sandpaper for your project?

Sandpaper is made by bonding grit (sand) to strong paper. The coarser the grit then the coarser the sandpaper. Coarse sandpaper presents many grit particle which have sharp edges and it is these that cut into the surface being sanded. Fine grade sandpaper uses finer particles of sand or mineral which present many more sharp edges which will cut into the surface that is being sanded. These cutting edges are much smaller than those presented by coarse grain sandpaper and therefore the sanding results are much smoother.

Another aspect of sandpaper design that needs to be considered is whether open coated and close coated is most appropriate. Open coated sandpaper has the abrasive grit distributed across the surface with gaps in between the grains. This means that there are fewer cutting edges in a given area but it also means that the paper will tend to clog less easily. Close coated sandpaper has less space between the abrasive grains which means there are more cutting edges in a given area. But this type of sandpaper will tend to clog more easily than open coated.

The abrasive minerals used in sandpapers tend to be sand (quartz), emery, aluminium oxide and silicon carbide. The bonding agent (glue) and paper used in sandpapers also varies. High grade industrial sandpapers use high quality, card-like paper and top quality bonding agents. Whereas cheap sandpaper uses far lower quality elements.

For further great information and advice on all aspects of sanding your should read the Abrasives for Sanding Wood post provided by Wood-Finishes-Direct.com.

So what type of sandpaper is best for your project? The short answer is - it depends on what you are doing. Regular sand based sandpaper is good enough for sanding timber, but doesn't have many sharp edges. Emery paper uses a mixture of corundum and magentite and is generally good on metals, for rust removal, paint removal and fine finishing. Aluminium oxide is popular on sanding discs used in electrical sanders. It's very tough and is highly suitable for steel, plaster, hard woods and even some forms of stone. Silicon carbide is a very hard and sharp abrasive that is suitable for paint removal, metals, hard woods, plastic and more.

Some sandpapers can be used wet or dry. Wetting sandpaper can help to reduce clogging and therefore maintain the sandpaper's usefulness for longer. It is generally a good idea to start with a coarse or medium coarse grit and then progressively work towards a finer grit for a smooth finish.

When sanding wood its best to sand along the grain rather than across it. When sanding metals or plastics a circular sanding motion is a good idea. Never apply excessive force when sanding, either by hand or with an electrical sanding tool. Doing so will cause the sandpaper to wear out prematurely and may damage the surface being sanded. And it's always a good idea to pause periodically to check for clogging. Clogged paper can often be cleaned with a light brush.

5 Awesome Tips to Visit the United States on a Budget

Travelling to the United States, especially for holiday can be a rewarding and fascinating experience. It looks to be a pretty good option for any holidaymaker who is planning to travel on a budget. However, one should be savvy in choosing some of the best ways of travelling to the stateside on a budget. Being a popular tourist destination, you should be well aware of the need to arm yourself with esta visa in order to avoid last minute hiccups at the airports or entry points. With all the issues pertaining visa and authorization in place, you should arm yourself with some of the awesome ways of travelling to the United States on a budget. Below are some of the suggested ways to ultimately enjoy your stateside visit on a budget.

Getting Cheap Flights
Flights that travel long distances are commonly a cheaper option when travelling in the United States. Their fares are always cheaper or lower compared to other airlines. Seeking the services of an airline agent who specializes in long haul flights may be instrumental. This agent will help you find operators who offer among the best deals for your preferred route. For instance, you are definitely sure to find some of the best flight deals if you opt for indirect routes instead of direct routes to the United States. A typical example is to fly, say from London to New York via a city like Reykjavik.

Rent a Home or a Condo instead of a Hotel Room
Renting a home or a condo instead of a hotel room is definitely one of the 6 awesome ways to visit the United States on a budget. Finding a perfect home to rent during your duration of stay in an affordable area can be an ultimate saving way, especially if you are travelling as a family or a group. A 3 bedroom property can cost around $300 a week during the period between July and August.

Wisely Choosing your City of Destination
Choosing your city of destination carefully is a very essential part of travelling to the United States on a budget. You have to be aware that some cities will be more expensive compared to others. For instance, visiting Dallas would be much cheaper than visiting Las Vegas. Again, you should be informed that flying to New York can be cheaper than flying to California.

Using the Unique Fly-DrivesFly-drives involve hiring a car in one city and using it before dropping it in another city, just within the same state. This can be an alternative way to transverse the country with no extra costs. Fortunately, some airlines have also followed suit. You can travel to any destination in the United States from one airport and return from another, with no any extra cost.

Coach Tours
Considering that rail travels in the United States are limited to certain areas, and can at times be unreliable, opting for coach tours can be a relaxing and cheaper option. You get the opportunity of sightseeing the stateside while on the coach. Again this is a perfect way of accompanying fellow tourists in visiting different states in the United State at affordable fees.