Archives for April 2020

Best Smartphones for Watching Videos

TVs have got much bigger since the turn of the 21st century than they were before it. Those tiny boxes turned into giant flat-screen smart TVs and we’ve created little cinemas in our own homes. Sometimes though, it’s better to watch TV on the small screen we carry around in our pockets.

The great thing about watching videos on your smartphone, is that you can carry it around with you while you do other tasks. This makes it great for having as a companion while you cook, clean, or do other chores, as you can stream videos through the device while you do it.

You can also take your smartphone with you while you travel, catching up on TV shows on your commute to work, or watching a film to pass the time on a long flight.

Both Android and iOS devices have a wide range of streaming apps available. The includes mainstream services like Hulu and Netflix, along with niche platforms like PokerStars TV, which streams action from live events and full-length TV shows, and BroadwayHD, which carries many Broadway classics like Jekyll &.Hyde. So, you don’t need to worry too much about one OS being better than the other.

If you’re looking for a new phone to watch your favorite films and TV shows on, then why not consider some of these?

iPhone 11 Pro Max

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the largest and most powerful iPhone that Apple has ever built. The 458 ppi display measures 6.46 inches (14.9 cm) and has a resolution of 2688 x 1242. While impressive, the refresh rate is only 60 Hz, which is less than most other top of the range phones on the market today.

A higher refresh rate creates a smoother transition between frames, which is most noticeable in fast-moving games and videos. 60 Hz is still good enough for most people, but if you are the type of person that focuses on your FPS rate, then this might be a niggly problem for you.

There are rumors that Apple’s next model, likely called the iPhone 12, will have a 120 Hz display, but you probably won’t get your hands on one until the end of the year.

There’s also no 5G, so you won’t get to benefit from the faster streaming speeds that the new technology offers.

OnePlus 8 Pro

OnePlus is a brand that came from nowhere just a few years ago. It is now one of the most popular and respective manufacturers on the market.

Its latest handsets, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, come with 5G support for faster streaming, an eight-core processor, and Adreno 650 graphics chip to ensure there are no bottlenecks in your video processing.

The OnePlus 8 Pro has a 120 Hz display that measures 6.78 inches (17.2 cm). It has a higher resolution of 3168 x 1440 and more pixels per inch (513) than the iPhone.

It’s also one of the first smartphones to use a 30-bit panel to display 1 billion separate colors, significantly more than even the OnePlus 8, which supports 16 million.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Samsung’s latest flagship phone is its first device to support 5G, giving you the fastest possible download speeds for buffer-free streaming.

The 6.9-inch (17.5 cm) display is the largest of the three, giving you a touch more real estate to play video on. The downside is that all displays have the same 3200 x 1440 resolution, meaning the S20 Ultra’s 511 ppi is lower than the 563 ppi in the base model S20.

Even at 511 ppi though, the S20 Ultra still beats the iPhone.

All models in the S20 range, including the Ultra, have 120 Hz refresh rates, giving you the smoothest viewing experience on the market.

Which is Best?

All the phones here will produce excellent quality video, whether you’re streaming or playing directly from the device’s storage, but the Android devices have a slight edge over the iPhone. There’s not much to choose between the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the OnePlus 8 Pro, but the latter is several hundred dollars cheaper, so offers the best bang for your buck. Often it comes down to personal preference, but on spec and price, Android shows a small edge.

Reinventing the game of bingo as a competitive online platform

If you still correlate the word bingo with community halls visited from senior citizens, you are 10-20 years late in terms of the technology. Online and mobile bingo are experiencing tremendous growth and progress over the last ten years, thanks to the internet advancements and interest from the younger audience. The need for access and mobility created by smartphones and tablets changed the way these games are optimised for different devices. According to the latest bingo statistics, these days more than half of the online bingo players are aged 35 or less. In this article, we will look at the key innovations that made the game of bingo popular again.

The revival

Online bingo became a popular activity in the early 2000s and brought millions of active players. The comeback did not happen overnight though, but it did come as a surprise to many representatives within the gaming industry. As years passed by, entrepreneurs and game developers were busy investing in online gaming. The early focus was to replicate the land-based experience and deliver games to a broader audience. To say that this strategy has turned out to be a spot on would be a massive understatement.

Online games have become popular thanks to the success of online slots and online poker rooms. This prompted further investment in the sector, quickly leading to a competitive growing industry. One of the areas that had been unfairly left behind by businessmen was bingo. However, this did not escape the attention of the small and savvy community of entrepreneurs. At around the mid-2000s, many startups invested in online bingo platforms. Within a few years, these new bingo sites have reached an impressive level of success, leading to a wave of investments in the platform and gameplay. Now, almost every major gambling company either runs its own bingo site or owns a subsidiary platform.

Innovations in mobile technology

Advances in the online gaming technology in the 2000s enabled the explosion of different types of online games, including the bingo. Similarly, innovations in mobile gaming technology brought larger mobile screens and faster computing networks that have further enabled the development of better mobile bingo experience. Representatives from the game development sector noted that the roll-out of 5G will enable players to enjoy desktop quality games on the go. They also pointed out that technological advances would further encourage “hybridisation” between live and online bingo.

New means for social interaction

The bingo hall has been known as a place for social interaction and mobile bingo operators have tried to transfer the social aspect to their own platforms. The earliest online bingo sites included forums where players had the opportunity to discuss strategies and good practices. More recently, most operators have introduced live chat rooms and options to their platforms.

Now, mobile bingo apps are going a step further by integrating rich text messaging into their platforms. This represents the latest improvement in text messaging technology. It comes with cool features like group chat, image sharing, making GIF animations and video calls.

Types of bingo games

The last innovation we like to discuss does not refer as a technological breakthrough, but as an advance in imagination and creativity. Land-based bingo venues usually offer standard forms of bingo such as 90-ball and 75-ball bingo. Online and mobile bingo operators are less constrained by space and budget and offer a broader selection of games such as 30-ball bingo and themed bingo games.

While technological advancements have a lot to do with the growth of online bingo, we should not underestimate the impact of online bingo’s variety of themes. The new generations are known for being more flexible and able to adapt to changes and innovations, unlike people who grew up in the 60s and 70s. What people today want more than anything from technology is getting proper value for money and the ability to choose. Provide them with the feeling of choice and control over the game and they will definitely feel more comfortable playing along these preferences.

 

MUST HAVE ITEMS FOR PET OWNERS

Pets, just like humans, need many things to survive. However, the pet market has many products, and that might be tiring. Therefore, you must figure out the necessary items your pet will need.

TOYS

Although many people see toys for pets as luxuries, they are essential to the pet’s development. Ever noticed your dog scratching the wood or biting plastic? The pet may be bored. Therefore, toys do not only kill the boredom; the toys help your pets stay active, healthy, and friendly.

CLEANING SUPPLIES

As a pet owner who is not only concerned with a healthy and hygienic environment for your pets and yourself, you must have cleaning supplies within reach. You need to clean your pet’s dwelling as well as the pet itself to avoid germs, bacteria, and bad smells. Therefore, to achieve this, you need cleaning supplies like – Deodorizers, disinfectants, soap, pet sprays, and so on.

IDENTIFICATION

Just like humans, pets also need to have a sense of identity in case they wander or get lost. Getting your pets, a means of identification will go a long way to ensure that your pet gets returned to you if it gets missing. Apart from the usual tags and collars, you could also use microchips for the pet. Installing the chip can be done through surgeries.

A FIRST AID KIT

Having a first aid kit within reach is hugely beneficial for injured pets just as it for humans. All you need in this first aid kit is the same as that which is in the one for humans. However, you need to get a pet’s version of a digital thermometer.

TRANSPORT STORAGE

As a pet owner, you must get crates for transporting your pets. Crates are the best form of carrying your pets as they will protect and ensure that the pets do not distract you. However, you need to make sure that the crates are big enough for your pet to stand as well as change position comfortably.

A COMFORTABLE BED

Getting your cat a soft specialist cat bed or blanket will go a long way to help it feel secure. Dogs, on the other hand, will prefer an oversized cushion or mattress. Providing your pets with comfortable space will make them feel warm and relaxed.

FLEA TREATMENT

Another item you need to have as a pet owner is flea treatment. Having flea treatment within reach will help to prevent pest infestation around the house and on the pet. However, you need to be careful while getting flea treatment for your pet. You need to be cautious because not all treatments are suitable for all animals. Therefore, you need to consult your veterinarian to get what suits your pets best.

QUALITY FOOD

Feeding your pets with quality food may seem cliché, but it is crucial. As a pet owner, you need to get your pet quality foods. This item is essential to note as most pet owners buy any food for their pets. Hence, to keep the pets healthy, you must make sure to feed them with quality food and treats. Interestingly, you can get these items and many more at Values Pet Supplies.

 

Top Funding Options to Help Your Child Get Into a Top School

Parents want the best for their children. At the very least, they want their child to have all the opportunities that they had growing up. With the changing landscape and the cost of universities nowadays, however, this is becoming increasingly harder. Gone are the days when a summer job would pay for the year. Now children have to take a lifetime of debt on to go to school.

As a parent, it is a hard thing to watch, but with this guide, you can help them out by exploring and taking advantage of all of your funding options:

Academic Scholarships

Academic scholarships can be both incredibly difficult and easy to achieve. Some colleges offer scholarships simply to applicants who have a high enough GPA. They won’t be the top schools, however. Instead, they will offer these scholarships so that they can bring up their average and reputation.

Difficult scholarships are highly competitive. They will likely require some task to be completed as well, like an essay.

Art Scholarships

If your child is a natural-born artist, then there are art scholarships available. Again they will likely be given a task that shows off their skills. This could be a portfolio of work either curated from their collection so far or specially made for the scholarship in question.

Sports Scholarships

If your child is athletic and shines in the sport they love, then there is a good chance that they can secure themselves a sports scholarship later on. They don’t need to be the best of the best or the best player in a generation to earn scholarship money, either. You simply need to be smart about it. Sport scholarship coaching is available to help you and your child get noticed by scouts, secure a place at a top school, and help you receive an average of $30,000 a year. It is an ongoing process that is best started from when they are 12, to improve the chances of earning a scholarship and actually taking their skills on as a career.

Grants

Grants are another option and are often available in small amounts. They might be enough to cover the cost of textbooks, for example. You will need to apply to them.

Financial Aid

Colleges want students to attend, and though financial aid is not often available if the parents make above a certain income threshold, they are available, especially if hardship has fallen the parents during your child’s enrollment.

Financial aid isn’t there to cover the tuition cost in most cases, but living costs.

Prize Money

Colleges always aim to improve their reputation and international standing. This applies even to the Ivy Leagues. One way they do this is by hosting competitions and encouraging their students to apply. Most of these competitions will have prize money, so if your child has the talent, there is no reason not to encourage them to apply. If they win, they will have boosted their resume and earned some more money to help them through life.

Loans

Loans, of course, are going to be how most students pay for their school. Just because they are often inevitable does not mean you should not exhaust all your other options first to help lower the loan amount.

Why You Should Reward Your Employees

It can be hard being an employer. You want to get the best out of your employees, but you might not know quite how to do it – you might struggle to find ways to motivate them and to keep them happy. With time, this skill will come, and there are many hints and tips that can help you to become a better employer, one your staff will look up to and want to please. It all starts with how you treat your employees. If you are good to them while still being a leader, you will have a great, productive team behind you. One way to do this is to ensure your staff is rewarded when they do well. Here are three reasons why you should reward your employees.

Better Productivity

When you reward your employees for a job well done – whether you choose to give them extra vacation days, a raise, coupons for a meal out somewhere fancy, or anything else that they will appreciate and that you can provide – their productivity (and therefore the productivity of your business) will go up.

This is because your team will work harder in order not only to get the rewards, but to show you that they are worthy of them. They will also work harder because they appreciate what you are doing; rewards are an amazing boost to employee health and wellbeing, and by proving that you care about these things, you are proving that your team is important to you. This feeling of being needed is something all humans crave, and by offering it to your employees in the form of rewards, you can make a big difference to both their performance and their happiness at work.

Job Satisfaction

Happy workers are more productive workers; therefore, if you can provide your team with job satisfaction, you will have a much more successful business. Staff who have high levels of job satisfaction are always going to be much more loyal, and this is extremely important. Retaining existing staff is easier (as you won’t have to take the time to train anyone new) and less expensive (hiring can cost a lot of money, whether you place an ad in the local newspaper, or you use an employment agency). When you show you are thinking about your team by giving them rewards and acknowledging their hard work, their job satisfaction will rise.

Workers who have good job satisfaction levels are great for business, too. Your business will gain a reputation for being a good place to work, and customers who care about how employers treat their staff will be happy to buy from you. Not only that, but your staff will talk about the business outside of work, and you could find new customers that way, too. Plus, you’ll attract the very best candidates when you advertise for new positions.

Offer Feedback

When your team knows you think highly enough of them to reward them for doing well in their jobs, they will be more likely to be confident enough to offer you feedback about the business. This can be invaluable to your success, since it is going to be completely honest, and you can look into making any necessary changes that are going to not only boost your business but also boost employee retention and satisfaction, too.

Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital in Bangkok Review

In the early 1970s all around Bangkok there was a feeling of optimism for the future, the spirits’ and pride of the Bangkokians’ was running high off the back of a successful Asian games, which the city had hosted. Buoyed further by the merger of Bangkok and Thonburi provinces in 1971 into, officially, the City of Bangkok, the future looked rosy.

Then, at the end of March 1973 the Americans pulled out of Vietnam, along with their recall was a massive reduction in Dollar investment in the Kingdom of Thailand, of which Bangkok had been a major recipient. But the foreign investment void left by the Americans was soon filled. Japanese speculators took up the mantle, filled the void, and soon billions of Yen were flowing into the city.

The modernization of the city was rapid, construction projects sprung up all over the city. New projects to improve transport links were initiated and Bangkok became an attractive hub for business and commerce around the world, further increasing foreign investment from across the globe. Changes in the laws appertaining to foreign ownership of property kept the boom very much alive through the 1980s and into the 90s. The city’s expansion was only slowed by the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

At the beginning of Bangkok’s ‘Phoenix like’ rising in the early 70s one individual recognized that Bangkok’s health care facilities would soon be found wanting. This individual was Doctor Bajarisan Jumbala. With this concern in mind, he knew that Bangkok would have to offer a health care service that could, at least, equal that of any other developed country, and so set about achieving that task with a gritty determination.

His vision and plans were greeted with an agreeing listener in former Kasikornbank chairman Bancha Lamsam. So, together they shared the vision and moved it forward with a comprehensive action plan. As a result of their vision, planning and determination, in 1979 they opened the first Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital. Very soon the eyes of the medical world were upon it, some with envy, some in awe, but all with open acknowledgement of what they had achieved.

From day one the hospital was to operate with one single premise, that being, excellence! Across every aspect of every function within the hospital excellence was to prevail. From management and administration, to diagnostics and nursing care, treatments, and surgical procedures, in-patient and out-patient, the mantra remains the same.

All of this can only be achieved by having the very best staff at all levels and in all departments. At Samitivej Hospital all members of staff are competent in the English language, and many have abilities in multiple languages. Samitivej Hospital also became the first hospital to offer, on the rare occasion, free translation services to patients for which there was no suitable speaker on duty.

All hospital staff of all grades and disciplines are highly trained to Western standards, with many having practiced in the UK and the USA. It is this insistence on excellence which has earned Samitivej Hospital the worldwide recognition it now has. With multiple commendations and awards and prestige recognition from the World Health Authority, it is easy to see why Samitivej Hospital has become a world leader as an all-encompassing medical care facility.

There is no area of medicine in which Samitivej Hospital does not excel. Allergy and immunology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, ophthalmology, pathology, urology, oncology, pediatrics, rehabilitation and preventative medicine are all routine for the practitioners at Samitivej Hospital.

Medical tourism has become part of modern life, through the affordability of international travel and modern communication systems. Samitivej Hospital have always synchronized themselves with the evolving trends of the medical world, this includes providing a world leading service to the ever increasing numbers of people that seek expert medical treatment away from their home country, which could be for many reasons.

And so, Samitivej Hospital has found themselves as being the only hospital in the Land of Smiles to have the prestigious recognition of the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA). This respected organization reviews hospitals in Asia the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Their reviews are detailed and comprehensive and only hospitals that meet the exacting standards receive their recognition, Samitivej Hospital remains in the top ten of their accredited hospitals across the globe.

Visitors from other climes can expect standards of care that equal, and very often exceed, that of their home country with surprising affordability. Samitivej Hospital even goes as far as having designated staff to advise and assist patients with Thailand’s often confusing visa and immigration system. It’s all part of Samitivej Hospital’s insistence on excellence.

Visitors to Samitivej hospital seek treatment across the entire spectrum of modern medicine, from open heart surgery and organ transplants to joint replacement surgery. There is also extensive growth in the area of esthetic surgical procedures. In this areas Samitivej Hospital has an unapproachable reputation for being at the forefront in this area of modern medicine. Pioneering procedures and applications have made the hospital a world leader in personal enhancement surgery.

Another growth area of our modern times in which Samitivej Hospital excels is fertility treatment. The Hospital’s dedicated fertility clinic is equipped with state of the art equipment, its own dedicated team of experts who are leaders in their field. These gifted practitioners have bought much fulfillment to many young couples from across the world with a success rate which is now envied across the world.

For indigenous Thais, expats working or retired in Thailand, or for foreign visitors, Samitivej Hospital continues to provide the very best, all-encompassing medical care available anywhere in the world. The hospital continues to evolve and innovate, break new ground, advance its procedures and techniques, thus, ensuring that it remains a world leader in modern medicine. At Samitivej Hospital every patient can be sure that they are being treated by the most highly skilled practitioners available and that their treatment and service will never be compromised. This is all done at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital and other Samitivej hospitals, through its single drive for excellence.

4 Benefits to Running Corporate Events

Did you know that the meetings industry directly supports approximately 2.5 million jobs in the US? It also indirectly supports a further 1.5 million jobs and induces 1.9 million jobs across all sectors, which means that organizing meetings is not only useful for your company but your country, too.

Running corporate events can strengthen brand loyalty, employee loyalty, interpersonal relationships, and ensure that your company is in a great place to win new clients and close deals and sales.

Events come in many different forms, from events for employees – like retreats and recreational activities – to events for potential clients and customers, such as conferences, festivals, meetings, and seminars.

Running successful events can form a vital part of your business’s communication strategy, providing a chance for you to show off your excellent product or service to win external favors and turn your employees into fans.

Here are some of the benefits you may reap when you run a successful company event.

Show you care about the details

A great corporate event helps you build connections with your potential clients and customers, as well as develop interpersonal relationships with your staff. You can show that your company thinks about the little things that make a big difference, things like excellent and consistent decoration throughout, hiring professionals such as those at Event Bartenders to serve specialty drinks, security staff to look after valuables and keep everyone safe, and a well-chosen venue that matches the theme and has good transport links.

It’s these little details that will leave a lasting impression not only of your event but of your company, too.

Boosting communication and building relationships

A well-planned and well-executed event will help to build and foster relationships, both with staff and with your potential customers and clients.

Your employees will benefit too, as seeing their colleagues out of their usual context helps to humanize them, which is a powerful tool in building excellent teams.

Motivation Matters

As well as building great connections and strengthening interpersonal relationships, a great corporate event will get people motivated about your business and about your products or services.

It’s estimated that approximately 5,000 people attend Google’s annual developer conference, the Google I/O, with many millions more streaming it across YouTube, Facebook, and other live streaming services. Events like these help to boost fans’ desire for the products and investors’ interest in the company, and, of course, it gives employees an enormous sense of wellbeing and pride to see their company doing such an excellent job of communicating.

Corporate events are good for business

Of course, employee motivation and interpersonal relationships are vital in today’s working world, but the bottom line for any business is that if sales are not made, money will not come in, and the business will have to close its doors. When looking at a marketing sales funnel, we see that the top tier is always awareness, but right before sales comes some kind of connection. In-person connections are always going to be better than purely digital ones, and a successful event will do the work of making those connections and fostering growth.

There you have it: four benefits of running corporate events. Get planning!

 

How to make your home stand out from afar?

A lot of us imagine and think about having a dream home, right? It’s really natural to wonder about how would a perfect home look. With that being said, taking something from your imagination and making it work in real life is nothing but easy. This is the main reason why we’ve compiled a couple of tips, tricks and techniques to use which will make your home stand out from afar and up close as well.

White window shutters and frames

Amongst the grey’s, the blue’s, and the brown’s, it’s hard to miss a white accent. White window frames and shutters always add a European, Swiss-like, Alpine region charm which is hard to match.

For the most part, white window frames will not make your home 10-times better by themselves, but they’re eye-catching nonetheless. If you want people to notice, for a brief moment they most definitely will. Of course if your neighbourhood isn’t full of such coloured window frames…

There’s never too much glass

Large glass windows, especially if they’re oddly shaped are always an attention-catcher. Most modern homes have a box-like shape which requires large windows to look aesthetically. And you will definitely notice a house with large windows. Whether your close or further away, reflections from the glass won’t leave anybody different.

Premium quality wood siding

Regular wood is kind of boring. Charred wood fixes all of that. Charring means exposing to fire and there’s a specific Japanese technology for that. It’s called Yakisugi and it’s at least 3 hundred years old. By exposing the wood to fire, manufacturers like Degmeda are able to enhance the colour of regular wood and make the texture more visible which automatically demands more attention.

How And When Casinos Went Online

Right now, as you read this, an online casino company somewhere in the world is making thousands of dollars. Actually, that’s not true. Hundreds of online casino companies are making thousands of dollars. They do it every hour of every day, every day of the year. Considering the online casino industry didn’t exist at all thirty years ago, the fact that it’s now worth tens of billions of dollars each year is nothing short of extraordinary – but how did we get to this point?

As recently as twenty years ago, there was no such thing as a popular online casino, and certainly no such thing as an online slots website. Fast forward to today, and online slots websites are springing up everywhere, you will find hundreds of slots in A-Z list of mobile slots. Through a combination of being able to offer more games and also being able to offer better deals to players because of their lower overheads, online slots websites are becoming an existential threat to old-fashioned brick-and-mortar casinos the world over. It’s almost certainly the way of the future as far as gambling is concerned, but we don’t concern ourselves with the future on this website. We concern ourselves with the past, and so we’d like to know how they became a runaway success almost overnight!

The Most Unlikely Starting Point

When and where do you think online gambling began? We suspect most of you would guess Las Vegas if you had to. If we told you that was a wrong guess, we think you’d probably move on to Monte Carlo or perhaps London or Paris. All of those guesses would be wrong, too. Improbable as it might sound, the current era of online gambling was made possible by a seemingly-innocuous new law in Antigua and Barbuda in 1994. The law, known as the Free Trade and Processing Act, made the tiny Caribbean nation the only place in the world that could create and grant licenses for the creation of online casinos.

Thousands of miles away, on an island in the Irish sea just to the west of England, a company called Microgaming was opening its doors for the first time. They didn’t know it yet, but they would go on to become one of the most significant and prolific online slots development companies in the world. A law existed to make online casinos possible, and a company capable of creating them had begun trading. The die had been cast.

Diversification

Microgaming wasn’t trading for long before other companies started noticing what they were doing, and wanted in on the action. CryptoLogic opened a year after Microgaming, and they were followed by several more. In Australia, a small video game design company called Eyecon saw the way the wind was blowing, and immediately stopped making ‘regular’ video games and focused on making online slots instead. All of a sudden, numerous different companies were coming up with increasingly advanced games, and Antigua and Barbuda had never been so popular.

More and more companies offering access to internet-based casino games, and the competition grew ever more intense. Online slots were no longer enough on their own. Virtual versions of poker and roulette were added, and over time they were joined by ‘real-time’ games of poker and blackjack, played with real dealers. Every time one company took a step ahead with technology, everybody else raced to join them. Welcome offers were born out of competition between these new companies. It was a good time to be a customer. Everyone wanted your business, and everyone was prepared to undercut everybody else in order to get it.

Rise Of The Mobiles

While all this was going on, something else was happening in the field of technology. Laptops were getting smaller, faster, and more powerful, but mobile phones were accelerating at an even faster pace. The launch of the first iPhone changed the game when it came to what mobile phones looked like and how they were interacted with, and the wider screen areas made it possible for them to play games and video content in a way that had never been possible before. At the same time, internet connection speeds on mobile handset speeds reached the point of equivalence with desktops.

By 2016, mobile web use accounted for more traffic on the internet than desktop or laptop-based internet use for the first time ever. The pendulum has never swung back the other way since. With phone users suddenly the majority when it came to the internet, online casinos had to switch their focus. What were once laptop-orientated online slots websites suddenly became sleek, compact mobile slots websites. The look and feel of the games on the sites became tailored for the press of a finger rather than the click of a mouse. At first, there were a few compatibility issues, resulting in some companies releasing platform-specific versions of their most popular casino games. Eventually, though, HTML5 came along and made it possible to make any web page or app appear exactly the same on a phone screen as it would on a computer screen. In the here and now, there’s no difference in quality at all.

Nobody knows what the future might hold for online casinos. Many people believe that virtual reality will be the next great innovation, with players able to put on a headset and ‘sit down’ at a card table just as they could in the real world. Others think that a wave of regulation is coming that will force online casinos to strip back their offerings and moderate their prizes – although, given the amount of tax revenue they generate for their host countries, that seems unlikely. Maybe through next-generation VR and haptic feedback, we might be able to touch and feel our cards at a virtual poker table just as surely as we would at a real table. One thing’s for sure, though – it’s been a rapid-fire revolution, and the wheels of that revolution are still turning. An industry that didn’t exist thirty years ago is one of the fastest-growing in the entire world today – and it’s unlikely to slow down any time soon.

 

Power Rates on the Rise in Canada

In recent years power rates have increased in Canada. If you’re understandably concerned about rising power prices and how your monthly household budget may be negatively impacted by it, you’ve come to the right place. Below we have listed a number of things you can do to reduce the cost of electricity in your home. 

Power Rates on the Rise in Canada: A Handy Guide to Saving Money

Simple changes in your home:

Below are a few easy changes you can make at home to reduce your power bill to help with the continuing rise in electricity rates:

  1. Make sure to replace your air filters and fan filters around your house, in your bathrooms and the furnace. 
  2. Reduce heat and air conditioning waste by checking doors and windows for leaks. 
  3. Ensure that your appliances work properly.
  4. Unplug any devices not in use. 
  5. Install energy efficient lighting. 
  6. Use your appliances strategically. Don’t do your laundry or other household tasks that require a lot of electricity during peak hours. 
  7. Keep drapes and window shades closed when you’re not home to insulate your home better.

Image Source: https://sunly.ca/

Choose to have solar panels installed on the roof of your home:

Instead of paying high electric rates to power your home, it’s well worth considering solar panels installed on your property. With solar panels you will be able to power your home with renewable energy. Solar panels can be used in order to power your lights, air-conditioning units, heating units, electrical appliances and much more. To learn about this in detail, read below and be sure to check out the Sunly website

The most important reason why you should run your home off solar power is that, as each year goes by, energy prices in Canada could continue to rise. If you invest in installing solar panels on your property today, in the next 10 years, you will see your savings rise while your neighbours complain about having to spend more and more on electricity.

A Common misconception:

“You will be able to use the power which you’ve collected from your solar panels to power your home’s lights and electrical appliances when your neighbourhood experiences a temporary power outage.” 

As a safety protocol if the electric grid goes down no power is generated from the solar panels at that time either.  In many areas this is how the net metering program works. However if there is a battery backup installed you can power your house during temporary outages.  The only catch is that those systems are considerably more expensive and typically are not cost effective in today’s market.

If you were curious, yes solar panels are effective in collecting power in winter as well as in summer.  You will be able to live off your home generated power, all year round.

Use smart technology in order to control your home’s electrical appliances:

Another way to save money, when it comes to energy consumption, is to use smart technology in order to remotely control all of your home’s electrical appliances. For example, did you know that you can use apps and computer software in order to turn your home’s air-conditioning unit or heat pump on and off. Without having to be in the same room as your air-conditioning unit or heat pump.

If you invest in purchasing electrical appliances which can be controlled and monitored remotely, you’ll be able to save your household a lot of money. As an example, instead of keeping your air-conditioning unit on all day during the summer,  you will be able to turn it on 30 minutes to an hour before you leave work. By the time you get home, your house will be sufficiently cool. This has the ability to save your household valuable money.

Make sure that your home features modern, state of the art, energy efficient appliances:

You may be surprised to learn that old, outdated appliances can consume up to 90% more energy than new, state of the art, energy efficient Energy-Star appliances. Although it can be costly upfront, it’s well worth looking into replacing your outdated models for newer, more energy efficient ones. 

Final thoughts:

If you’re serious about decreasing your power bill and being less reliant on electric companies, you can’t go wrong following all of the handy energy saving advice, which has been listed out in the energy saving guide above. Just remember, that if you don’t want to be negatively affected by Canada’s increasing electricity rates, having solar panels installed on your property may be one of the wisest decisions that you’ll make this year. Especially as power rates and power bills could continue to increase for the foreseeable future!