Finance a car, even with poor credit. | Drive Birchwood | Winnipeg ...

What you need to know:

Many people across Manitoba and throughout Canada are dealing with credit or budget issues. Marital breakup, job loss, disability are just some of the circumstances that can have a severe impact on a person?s credit. Whether you have credit issue because of a past bankruptcy, failure to pay a loan, or a simple lack of credit history, it is still possible to get a car loan in Winnipeg. Here?s what you need to know:

1. Most people are able to secure an approval for a vehicle purchase regardless of a budget or credit issue. The obstacle of a budget or credit issue can be overcome if you approach the right lenders and have a sound financial plan. At Birchwood Credit Solutions we are dedicated to working with you and are able to offer you several financing options.

2. Know your history. When you apply for financing the lender is going to perform a credit check with the credit bureau (either Trans Union, Equifax or both). Be prepared to review your credit history. At Birchwood Credit Solutions we will work with you and our lenders and arrange a financing option for you. We will complete a full detailed credit application with you and work with the lenders that have a program that can help you.

3. Repaying the loan on time will help you improve your credit. Even if you have poor credit, auto financing often helps to improve your credit by showing future lenders that you are able to pay off your loans on time and as promised. However, if you ever fail to repay a loan or if you skip a monthly payment, there will be a record of it on your credit history. That?s why you should only take out a loan if you are completely confident that you can repay it on time and without creating too much of a financial burden on you or your family.

We would be pleased to assist you.

As a part of the Birchwood Automotive Group we have access to 11 dealerships of inventory, a vast array of lenders and the most experienced staff in the province dedicated to working with you.

To begin the process we will need you to complete a credit application. You can do this on line at www.birchwoodcredit.com or call us direct at 1 888 598 7451.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Source: http://www.drivebirchwood.ca/2012/08/finance-a-car-even-with-poor-credit/

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Signs that Dementia Now Requires Senior Care or Senior Care ...

Watching a loved one become frustrated due to an inability to perform tasks that they have always done is heartbreaking. Making the decision to invite senior care services into your home becomes a sensitive subject. Families do not want loved ones exhibiting signs of dementia to feel like they are being discarded, so they procrastinate and avoid the subject of home care services. Dealing with people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's is tough enough without drawing out the transition to home health services.

Some people may not be aware of the early signs related to dementia that signal the search for senior care services. This guide will help you recognize those early signs so that arrangements for dementia care services can be made for the comfort of all.

Memory Loss

Memory loss that disrupts day-to-day life is an early sign of dementia. Do you find a loved one asking the same questions or repeating the same information repeatedly as though they are saying it for the first time or that they can't quite grasp the answer? This is a signal to have you loved one checked out.

Critical Thinking

Does a loved one experience difficulty in planning or solving common problems? This is an early sign of dementia. An example of this would be; during a trip to neighborhood grocery store, a place that your family has been going to for years, your loved one has a hard time navigating the aisles and finding the desired items.

Difficulty Completing the Known

A loved one who cannot complete an activity that they have successfully done for years, like tying their shoes or fixing dinner, could be experiencing a form of dementia.

Loss of Time or Location

We all have an autopilot that helps us navigate life when were tired but we maintain a sense of time and place. When a loved one loses track of time or fails to realize their location they are experiencing sign of dementia.

Misjudging Visuals

Frequent misjudging of visual images and spatial relationships are also a sign of dementia. For example; you misstep on a curb because they were sure it was closer or backing into a vehicle after glancing in the side-view mirror believing that the other car was farther away.

Vocal and Thinking Challenges

A loss for words can be a sign of dementia. While we all experience a lost thought from time to time, frequently lost thoughts and words can highlight a problem. For instance, when a loved one is asking for the salt to be passed, they will point to it and ask for the "white thing" more often than not.

Misplacing Items

The frequent misplacement of items in odd places is an early sign of dementia. A loved one can't find their glasses or wallet and a thorough search of the usual places does not reveal it, however, the glasses are found in the freezer or the wallet is found in the medicine cabinet with your loved one having no recollection of how they got there.

Decreased Judgment

A common sign of dementia is a decreased judgment. An example of this would be; a telemarketer calls and your loved one spends a large amount of money on something they never would have before.

Self Isolation

A slow and quiet withdrawal from favored activities, friends, and family is a signal of dementia. When a loved one ceases to attend the church that have gone to for years or stops getting together with friends for that weekly luncheon, it is worth paying attention to.

Not the Same Person

If your loved one becomes suddenly moody or no longer seems to be the person you have known all your life then it is a signal that dementia may have set in. Abrupt personality changes are a big red flag. For instance, becoming quickly angered when a drink is spilled when normally the person would simply clean it up and go on is a noticeable change.

When signs like these become more apparent, it is imperative that your loved one be diagnosed. In the early stages it is easier to begin home senior care services to establish a familiar routine instead of waiting for uncontrollable moments in which to consider it.

Carolyn Starks is a freelance writer for Visiting Angels, a provider of elder care and senior care services. To learn more about our senior home care services, please visit us on the web.

Keywords: home care agencies, elderly home care, senior home care, elder care services

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Surprisingly bright superbubble in nearby nebula

ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2012) ? A new composite image shows a superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located about 160,000 light years from Earth. Many new stars, some of them very massive, are forming in the star cluster NGC 1929, which is embedded in the nebula N44.

The massive stars produce intense radiation, expel matter at high speeds, and race through their evolution to explode as supernovas. The winds and supernova shock waves carve out huge cavities called superbubbles in the surrounding gas. X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue) show hot regions created by these winds and shocks, while infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red) outline where the dust and cooler gas are found. The optical light from the 2.2m Max-Planck-ESO telescope (yellow) in Chile shows where ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars is causing gas in the nebula to glow.

A long-running problem in high-energy astrophysics has been that some superbubbles in the LMC, including N44, give off a lot more X-rays than expected from models of their structure. A Chandra study published in 2011 showed that there are two extra sources of the bright X-ray emission: supernova shock waves striking the walls of the cavities, and hot material evaporating from the cavity walls. The observations show no evidence for an enhancement of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in the cavities, thus ruling out this possibility as an explanation for the bright X-ray emission. T

his is the first time that the data have been good enough to distinguish between different sources of the X-rays produced by superbubbles.

The Chandra study of N44 and another superbubble in the LMC was led by Anne Jaskot from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The co-authors were Dave Strickland from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, Sally Oey from University of Michigan, You-Hua Chu from University of Illinois and Guillermo Garcia-Segura from Instituto de Astronomia-UNAM in Ensenada, Mexico.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Chandra X-ray Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/eFvVNZbdtfU/120830130452.htm

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Dwarfs emit gravitational waves

Researchers have spotted visible-light evidence for one of astronomy's most elusive targets - gravitational waves - in the orbit of a pair of dead stars.

Until now, these ripples in space-time, first predicted by Einstein, have only been inferred from radio-wave sources.

But a change in the orbits of two white dwarf stars orbiting one another 3,000 light-years away is further proof of the waves that can literally be seen.

A study to be reported in Astrophysical Journal Letters describes the pair.

Gravitational waves were a significant part of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which viewed space itself as a malleable construct, and the gravity of massive objects as a force that could effectively warp it.

Catching sight of an actual gravitational wave, however, is a tricky business; their effects tend to be tiny and the have so far eluded discovery in Earth-bound experiments.

But the wider Universe provides a laboratory in which the indirect effects of gravitational waves can be measured.

Six-second switch

In principle, any two massive objects orbiting one another can emit gravitational waves, slowly losing the momentum of their orbits into the waves.

The effect is to slightly change the size of the orbits, and the time it takes to complete them.

A measurement of a minuscule change in the orbits of rapidly rotating neutron stars called pulsars garnered the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics.

But pulling off the same trick with visible light has seemed unlikely until now.

It is the extreme nature of the pair of white dwarf stars known as J0651 - each a substantial fraction of our Sun's mass orbiting each other at a distance just a third that between the Earth and Moon - that increases the magnitude of the gravitational waves.

As members of the same team reported in Astrophysical Journal in 2011, the pair orbit each other in less than 13 minutes.

Since that discovery, the team has been keenly watching the pair "eclipse" one another, with each briefly blocking out the other's light as seen from Earth.

Over a period of 13 months, the team saw the orbital period reduce by less than a thousandth of a second, but the effect also shifts when the eclipse time is expected to happen, and that has shifted back by some six seconds since the pair were discovered.

"A lot of these indirect measurements have taken people years, mostly because the orbits are so much longer," explained lead author of the study, JJ Hermes from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr Hermes told BBC News that he liked the idea that such a groundbreaking result was established in part by using a telescope nearly as old as Einstein's theory: the Otto Struve 2.1m telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas.

"There have been 30 years of using radio telescopes and timing pulsars, but this is the first time we've been able to detect the influence of gravitational wave radiation using an optical telescope," he told BBC News.

The team will continue to watch the pair's tightening orbit, and the expected eclipse time should shift back by another 20 seconds by next May. The results will also help guide observations from "direct detection" experiments.

These, such as the proposed eLisa project, aim to measure the tiny relative movements of vastly separated detectors as gravitational waves pass - a final, irrefutable proof that the waves are what relativity predicted so long ago.

"It would be a really nice confirmation if we got one of these laser interferometer missions going - we'd know exactly what to look for," Mr Hermes said.

"We've crunched the numbers, and eLisa would be able to detect this thing in about a week."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19408363#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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The Gamesville Blog: Best Pets: Jaiyana's Puppy Pals!

Written by megadestructo / August 28, 2012 12:12 pm / 12 Comments

Jaiyana's dogs! This week?s Best Pets comes to us from Gamesviller Jiayana of Waterbury, CT!

Distinguishing Personality Traits
Jaiyana had this to say about her two pups: ?Tennille (Lhasa Apso on the left side) is 12 years old and has had seizures (less since getting Angel, our rat terrier on the right). Our vet recommended getting a puppy to keep Tennille active. She is still playful and happy! Angel is 2 years old and is very alert to Tennille and keeps her going . She thinks she is Tennille?s Mother! They both love to snuggle up with each other every night to sleep, whether on my bed or theirs!?

Want to share photos of your own favorite pet with the Gamesville community?

Send photos to: members@gamesville.com

In addition to your pet?s picture, please be sure to include:

  • Your Gamesville member name ? I can?t award you GVs without it!
  • Your pet?s most distinguishing personality trait, their name and a little bit about them!

If we publish your pet as a ?Best Pet,? we?ll give you 5,000 GV Rewards. Submit your pet today!

Keep In Touch!

Subscribe to our email digest to receive future updates. Be sure to join our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to keep the discussion going!

Source: http://blog.gamesville.com/7357/best-pets-jaiyanas-puppy-pals

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Personality Sells Ebooks | BookBaby Blog

[This piece is excerpted from?50 Ways to Promote Your Ebook,?by guest contributor Patricia Fry. Download the whole book for FREE at?http://www.patriciafry.com.]

Many authors of ebooks believe they are limited when it comes to promotion. They think you can?t promote an ebook the same way you promote a print book. But that?s not exactly true. Here?s an example of how to use print book marketing strategies to sell your ebook.

Go out and talk about your ebook.

Now here?s the ebook promotion suggestion you didn?t expect to see here?the one you have been avoiding, you say, ?for obvious reasons.? Yes, I?m suggesting that you make public appearances with your ebook. Book speaking engagements at venues where your audience congregates.

So how does the author sell ebooks in the back-of-the-room after presenting a workshop or after entertaining an audience with stories from his fiction ebook? More and more people carry their electronic readers with them and may actually be able to purchase and download your ebook from your website or from Amazon on the spot. How cool is that?

For those who are not prepared to make a purchase now,??provide professional take-aways.?Design bookmarks or postcards with your amazing book cover on one side and a description of the ebook content or story and ordering information on the other.

Where would you speak?

For fiction, how about at book club meetings, libraries and college campuses? Some civic groups might welcome you to entertain members. Book presentations for club meetings or conferences related to your topic/expertise/genre. There are conferences and clubs formed around the themes of writing, art, ecology, pets, gardening, foods/cooking, auto, fashion, business management and so much more. Locate conferences on your topic or in your genre through these sites:

Or do an internet search to locate a conference or event near you by using keywords, ?conference? and ?your home town? for example.

Locate clubs and organizations that hold events and/or meet regularly through the local Chamber of Commerce or the city/county website. Contact their program chairpersons. You?ll find clubs and events listed in the calendar section of your newspaper. Some phone books list clubs and organizations in the front pages.

Additionally, you can:

  • Reserve booths at book festivals and flea markets.
  • Set up signings at unique venues related to the theme/topic of your book.
  • Develop workshops around the theme of your nonfiction ebook.

?Consider the advantages of doing personal appearances for an ebook:

  • You don?t have books to cart around.
  • You can concentrate solely on promoting your book?no sales or autographing to distract you. No making change.
  • You don?t have to worry about theft. Yes, people will occasionally walk off with a book without paying.

???????

Patricia Fry is the author of 35 books, including Publish Your Book and Promote Your Book (Allworth Press, 2011 and 2012). Watch for her upcoming book, Talk Up Your Book, scheduled for release in fall, 2012. She is the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) www.spawn.org. Follow her informative blog daily,?http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

[Photo of dog dressed in a suit from Shutterstock.]

About BookBaby

has written 81 posts in this blog.

Source: http://blog.bookbaby.com/2012/08/personality-sells-ebooks/

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You Are Going To Like Using Krill Oil | ArticlePDQ.com

University or college of Ga researchers have found something pretty amazing about Essential Fatty Acid (Neptune Krill Oil) supplements containing DHA. Fully grasp this: The truly help STOP the actual conversion associated with pre-fat cells in fat solar cells by causing them to die out just before they can older.

Many people choose natural supplements seeking to prevent hated diseases for instance Alzheimers. But go of them have got scientific supporting?

Doctors could recommend physical rehabilitation to help send out pressure to lower stress on a joint. Another pure way of strengthening joint wellbeing is the use of krill oil. It is fortified with omega-3 essential fatty acids and astaxanthin which will help to improve articulation movement. Mutual infections can affect any individual in addition to prevention is obviously better than a cure. This applies to any or all health issues, as they possibly weaken the male body?s immune system.

I really hope I became able to explain few the reasons why NKO krill is the better. Remember there are a lot of different brand names on the market.

Fish oil is the by-product of the fish whilst krill are only used in their oil. One company termed Whole Foods from the US has already forbidden krill oil supplements from all its stores nationwide due to worries over sustainability as they are the primary food source of several species.

This kind of oil is the major source of Environmental protection agency (Eicosapentaenoic acid) in addition to DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) that are good inside pregnant women. It may help in better formation in the brain, eye and nerves of the fetus.

Using presently there patented course of action Neptune or NKO holds alone in the marketplace. Neptune provides presently there krill to a number of companies and allows them to sell it.

The treatment was popular in early doing some fishing communities, praised for efficacy inside easing the joint pain along with skin conditions resulting from a harsh lifestyle. The ?essential? nature of omega-3 fatty acids regarding promoting growth and wellbeing was acknowledged back in the 1930?s. Continuing studies in the decades given that continue to record their physiological effects as well as suggest fresh potentials as well as applications.

They are both high in DHA extra fat and as long as these are molecularly distilled, they will be real. The best quality oils currently have added antioxidants like astaxanthin with greater quantities than krill oil in addition to salmon oil to produce even more health improvements.

There are about Five hundred million tonnes (same as the weight of almost almost all human beings on the planet) of krill walking around the North Pacific along with Antarctic Ocean by itself. 120,500 tonnes usually are caught or harvested yearly along the coastlines involving Canada along with Japan. These are typically used for numerous purposes like using it since fish bait as soon as fishing, utilized as tank food intended for domesticated fish at your home, eaten while okiami by the Japoneses, and the krill?s normal oil can be made and employed as appropriate food choices supplements that are right now commercially available in the market.

DHA is the most important omega 3 fat as well as responsible for strong anti-inflammatory qualities that help to significantly reduce your chance of a heart attack. Furthermore, DHA is vital for your correct working of your head and helps to prevent Alzheimer?s disease.

Recommended Resource

Source: http://articlepdq.com/health-fitness/you-are-going-to-like-using-krill-oil/

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News -turned FREE- Everyday Mathematics Addition Top It ...

by Matthew on August 28, 2012

iOS Universal

FREE
$1.99

Everyday Mathematics Addition Top It (Education / Math / 4-8 years old)

Appstore rating rating starrating starrating star

288 Ratings (Version: 1.0)

Quick Rating: 8/10

See full review in previous post here


McGraw-Hill?s Addition Top-It game offers a quick and easy way to practice and reinforce basic addition facts (0?10) and number comparisons. This two-player game runs on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Players take turns drawing two cards, finding their sums, and then comparing the sums. Players score points for correctly finding their sum, identifying the greater sum, and for having the greater sum. The player with the most points at the end of 8 rounds wins! Visual and audio reinforcement of correct and incorrect answers help players master addition facts and comparison skills.

Features of Addition Top-It:
- 2 players (for extra practice, a single player can play as Player 1 and Player 2)
- 8 competitive rounds of play
- Practices basic addition facts from 0 to 10 and comparisons of numbers
- Fully randomized number card deck
- Correct and incorrect answer feedback
- Guided/Unguided play
- Full tutorial
- Compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

?

Back to the top

Source: http://qappreview.com/news-turned-free-everyday-mathematics-addition-top-it-education-math-4-8-years-old/

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Anil Dharni of GREE on the OUYA: Is this a shake-up of the console ...

?

In our three part series on the Ouya console, we ask industry leaders in social, casual and mobile gaming if the surprising Kickstarter console can bridge the gap between core and casual, and successfully transition the Android OS to a living room entertainment device.

Part 1: Anil Dharni ? SVP of Studio Operations, GREE


What GREE does well: Given the company?s enormous reach and user base, it would be an understatement to simply say that GREE is a leader in the mobile social gaming space. With a sprawling global network of over 230 million users and a truly open-minded company culture, where all genres, preferences and devices are welcomed, GREE?s world domination continues through an impressive push to bring developers and players together on its recently launched GREE Platform.

Why OUYA could matter to GREE: In a nutshell, GREE is wide open to any platform or device that develops a healthy audience of gamers in the social gaming space. Unlike the trepidation expressed by some social mobile gaming network operators, GREE appears to see a truly viable and untapped potential Android marketplace on Ouya: The inevitable transition to the connected TV and living room. GREE will continue to gauge the Ouya?s momentum and observe how its owners cope with console-related challenges, but if the TV space becomes as fertile as they predict, and if the games and services make sense, it would only be a positive to offer the GREE Platform to Ouya users and developers.


Gamesauce: After talking to you and some of the other GREE representatives at Casual Connect, it sounds like there?s already an internal discussion regarding the Ouya console. Is that just general buzz talk, like everyone, reacting to the record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, or is there a real opportunity there for GREE?

Anil: I think a lot of our excitement is for the project itself, and we?re hoping the developers of Ouya can find a way to succeed, and of course make a great product, at the end of the day. Obviously there are a lot of challenges there. The Kickstarter campaign is definitely impressive ? not just the numbers, but the enthusiasm around it. One thing we were trying to figure out: Is that a lot of game developers putting their money in initially, or the backers, or primarily consumers? Wherever [the money] is coming from, I think it says a bunch of people are kind of fed up with the traditional console model.

Wherever [the money] is coming from, I think it says a bunch of people are kind of fed up with the traditional console model.

GS: That?s a fairly common sentiment whenever we get close to a console generation transition, but you?re right, there seems to be a real movement for some kind of shake up in the console space. It?s hard to extrapolate whether that movement is consumer or developer driven?

Yeah, it?s hard to say without some hard data down the road. That will be enlightening, when we see how the backers and interest break down. That being said, regardless, they are going after the right market. TV connectivity is going to be an active space; we already know who a lot of the big players are going to be, and it?s absolutely coming. The timing, at least, could work out very well for Ouya.

The second big factor: I think they picked a good platform in Android. More and more games are launching on Android now. It?s a very fast rising platform, so we?re very bullish on Android. You see what Amazon has been able to do, taking the Android source code and then modifying it to their needs and their ecosystem. It can be done. So I think they picked a good platform.

GS: You might say Android is the most neutral gaming platform out there, so it fits the Ouya?s goals rather well as an open game console ? as opposed to, let?s say, using their own proprietary OS.

Yes, they picked the right market and the right platform, but it?s still a kind of chicken and egg scenario. Will the developers come, given the model of the console? Can they succeed on the system, and what kind of games will do well? It?s something we?ve been thinking about for a long time: The TV question, and what kind of games we?ll see from Android developers for a TV experience.

GS: A huge slice of the active Android development community is made up of talented casual games studios. Do you think the Ouya could become a casual-friendly device with a mobile-style ecosystem of freemium titles, or will there be an expectation for larger, more expansive console-style experiences?

That?s another challenge, just finding out what people want out of an Android console.? From our perspective, we are free-to-play champions. We love free-to-play with great value. It?s really hard to know what can thrive on Ouya, but for us, we just make sure the content itself is great, and that?s for all players. The more people you can bring to the platform, the better it is in the long run. That?s how we look at it. And it won?t take long to figure out a really tight design that?s ideal for the console.

GS: So it?s going to be about existing and new Android developers incorporating features that support ? specifically ? the Ouya?s hardware specifications. That can be risky or costly, early on.?

But the hardware itself can help to keep game prices low, since you can also charge for things like extra controllers. It?s hard to say if developers will choose Ouya exclusively, or add console features to their existing tablet projects. If you look at developers right now, with a ton of studios working on iOS and Android, there?s a lot of movement towards iOS ? but a lot of people are placing long term bets on Android.

GS: For smaller indie teams, short term returns might trump long term bets. But the prospect of being an early title on a new platform ? especially one generating so much buzz ? could be just as lucrative.

You basically have to prioritize as an indie developer. You only have ten, twenty, thirty people ? max? ? on your team, and running on a limited budget? Indie developers have to prioritize a platform, risks and all. But I think that?s where the chicken and egg issue comes in again, and it?s going to become important for developers to see successful business models emerge on Ouya.? Is it going to be freemium, subscription, or free-to-play? ?We have to see.

GS: Let?s say you?re a tiny indie team: Six or seven guys working your butts off to produce polished games and carve a niche. Your collective dream is to make a cool console game, but XBLA and PSN are too cost-prohibitive to absorb. Does Ouya become the gateway device for a bunch of console dreamers, and can those guys charge XBLA and PSN-like prices?

Well, we do know that paid apps perform significantly lower on Android than they do on iOS. Having said that, they?re getting more and more used to it, and when they associate it with TV there?s a different kind of value perception there. I don?t have a crystal ball, but I think it could work; I think it?s an OK bet for people, especially those coming from the console side. I think we?ll see more trends from the console side than the social gaming side. For us, we want our games everywhere, on devices everywhere, so we think TV is going to be a great area.

GS: If you look at some of the Smart TV models coming soon, there?s going to be a renewed push towards all-in-one multimedia TVs. And that includes TVs with integrated game chipsets. Can the Ouya wiggle into that space as a game and media streaming device, maybe for consumers that bought their HDTVs three or four years ago and don?t plan on upgrading to newer connected TVs?

I think in that case, it may come down to how Google and Android actually propagates in the TV space and how people enjoy that experience. I don?t know all the technical details, but I know in the Ouya?s case they already have a prototype of the service; we just don?t know how it will compare to other Android experiences coming to TV.

GS: Let?s say the Ouya suddenly takes off and really validates itself a year from now, what?s stopping TV giants like Samsung from releasing their own spin on the Android console? They?re already entrenched in the Android device space, and dominant in connected TVs.

I think it?s true, they might do it if the model proved to be successful. My one caveat is that start-ups tend to be much faster, and a start-up with a real gaming background should have an edge there. We always thought Google could tap a lot of markets with Android, and Samsung is a great company with a ton of resources, but it helps to have a gaming DNA from the beginning like the Ouya people.

GS: Agreed, it helps to have that focus for a device. If you look at how the Kindle Fire is becoming its own Android-based ecosystem, you see the potential for specific game services on the OS.

Exactly ? here?s Amazon making a big move into the gaming side, because they know how to operate, without really being tied to the gaming space. So I think the Ouya might have that advantage of background and know-how in the console gaming space, and I hope they can build on that.

GS: It will be good to see games like Minecraft on Ouya, but it needs a few impressive exclusives to really define itself. The issue for developers is risk: Are you prepared to place all bets on an intangible gaming device? So I think we?re going to see a lot of tablet ports with tacked-on Ouya features.

Without a doubt, that?s going to happen early on.

GS: Do you think this kind of compromises the ?purity? of designing an Ouya game, in terms of the console?s features being a secondary consideration in design?

Yes it does, and that?s not really what you want to see developers doing. You want them to build for a particular console and context, and that?s when you really produce the stand-outs. Think of the first wave of Android games, where it was largely just porting titles: Besides a few exceptions, it just wasn?t working. Until developers decided: OK, we?re going to have a dedicated team and really understand the platform. Those are the teams that are thriving now. But it?s taken a while to reach this point.

GS: Do you think the Ouya?s price could have the ancillary effect of welcoming lower income families into the console gaming world, and thus expand Android?s presence in that demographic?

I don?t think it?s necessarily tied to how much a person wants to spend, although it?s certainly an interesting price option for a new console that people haven?t seen before. I think it?s more about the user and providing them the kind of games that belong on TV, and letting that content drive interest to the kind of users that would buy this type of console.?It will be more a function of that, and less about a specific spender.

I think it?s more about the user and providing them the kind of games that belong on TV, and letting that content drive interest to the kind of users that would buy this type of console.

GS: There?s also this contention, and I don?t know if it?s due to mobile propagation or technologies like Microsoft?s SmartGlass, that Ouya games need to include post-Ouya gameplay on phones and tablets, so the user can resume gameplay on a mobile device. Wouldn?t this also compromise the design of an Ouya game, by attempting to satisfy both player types?

That?s a good question. I think the perfect example I can point to is the study that PopCap presented in their session at Casual Connect. They said that most people, when they actually get into a mobile game, they?re sitting at home playing on the couch. I just think it?s interesting that someone finally did a real survey, and it actually points to that fact.

GS: That kind of tells us that short-session games may have a place anywhere, but medium-to-core level experiences have always had a place in the living room, regardless of device. That?s built into our home entertainment culture. And those are the players more likely to put in that extra hour, buy that extra level pack, and so on.

Right, the longer-session players. From a console developer?s point of view, the Ouya is an opportunity to find a middle ground. A lot of these guys, when they?re looking from console, to social, to mobile ? they?re going directly to mobile, and bypassing Facebook completely. So for a lot of these developers getting ready to push great mobile titles next year, they?re already prepared for Ouya. Whether it becomes a good marketplace for them, this remains the question. An [eight million] dollar Kickstarter is great, but will it require a twenty million selling console, or one hundred million, to really carve out a market?

A lot of these guys, when they?re looking from console, to social, to mobile ? they?re going directly to mobile, and bypassing Facebook completely.

GS: That?s the big question. It?s the type of console shake-up we welcome, but there?s no way to tell if it?s the definitive disruption or merely a foundation. Thanks very much for your perspectives, Anil.

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Source: http://gamesauce.org/news/2012/08/27/anil-dharni-of-gree-on-the-ouya-enigma-shake-up-of-the-console-market/

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The 3 Cs of effective credit risk management | Sydney Business Month

When you go into business, you?re also taking on a certain level of risk ? and none more so than when you extend credit to new customers. In an uncertain economic climate, small business owners are acutely aware that each day they are waiting for their invoices to get paid is another day money isn?t coming through the door.?

According to recent Dun & Bradstreet data, firms with one to five employees took 53 days to pay their bills, an increase of more than two days over the past year. Lengthened payment times are a leading indicator of cashflow pressures that can push a business over the edge if appropriate risk management strategies are not implemented.

While offering products and services on credit has widespread benefits for SMEs and customers alike, businesses should keep in mind the three Cs of credit risk management whenever they do so.

1. Conduct credit checks

Before you embark on a long-term relationship with a customer, you should consider running a credit reference check to gain a thorough understanding of who you will be dealing with ? this is the best way to assess their ability to pay.

A credit check can be conducted through a credit reporting agency such as Dun & Bradstreet. It can confirm a business? existence or identity, predict financial stability and payment patterns, and provide valuable information on legal or bankruptcy records. In particular, you should examine a potential customer?s trading record, connections with any companies that have failed and previous directorships to determine if executives have been on the board of failed companies.

Getting a sense of the character of the business and its key decision makers are critical in assessing a company?s ability to meet its financial obligations.

2. Consider your terms

Longer credit terms mean you?re not getting paid for longer, so it?s essential to periodically review your terms and evaluate if you need to shorten them. Your credit terms should be based on the level of available cash reserves and risk appetite ? for instance, if you are offering 45 day terms, you should have enough funds to pay your staff, overheads and other expenses. You should also be confident in your customers? ability to repay their accounts.

However, SMEs generally don?t have large cash reserves ? so it might be a good idea to stick to the standard 30 day terms or even reduce this to 14 or seven days depending on how much you sell. Alternatively, you can arrange a payment plan with your customers whereby they pay over several installments or provide an upfront payment.

3. Collect overdue accounts

If you have a credit policy in place, it?s likely you also have a procedure to collect overdue accounts, which makes up a crucial component of the accounts receivables process. A failure to recover outstanding amounts will result in write-offs and accumulation of bad debts, which means you will have to generate more sales to make up for these losses. Having a contingency plan will help prevent these outcomes, and this can be as simple as sending reminders for amounts that are a couple of days to a week late, and escalating this process as necessary. If there is still no response and the invoice is more than 60 days overdue, you may want to refer the matter to a debt collection agency.

In a climate where cash is king, don?t let your business get caught out ? implementing the above strategies to effectively manage your credit risk will ensure the ongoing financial health of your business.

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Source: http://sydneybusinessmonth.com/the-3-cs-of-effective-credit-risk-management/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-3-cs-of-effective-credit-risk-management

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