Ereading - The Future of Reading

Over the last decade the advent of the electronic book, or ebook, has taken over the publishing industry. This new format allows for you to now carry along not just one book, but an entire library around with you where ever you might be traveling. Where before, a couple of paperbacks might have taken up your entire purse, backpack or briefcase, but now using an ebook reader you can have those same books and a dozen more in a machine smaller than even one of those paperbacks.

As this technology evolves, it is even allowing for your reading to move from one piece of technology to another. That means that you might have been reading your book on your computer this afternoon, then on your commute home continuing your novel using your smartphone, and at home enjoying your book while sitting in a comfortable chair with your Kindle or Nook. An ebook can be as close as you want it at any point in time.

The machines themselves are growing in features, including built in footnotes and annotations so you can see what the author was thinking when he wrote specific passages, linkable bibliographies that allow for you to see the references made with a click of your finger, as well as the ability to look up words that you aren't sure the definition of. Before, any one of these things would have taken you out of the book reading experience, but now they are all a simple part of the process.

A lot of the power in this format is that you can get a book in a matter of moments. Where before, you would have had to go to your local bookstore, or even waited while your favorite online retailer shipped it to you, now all of these books are available to you from your reader (assuming it has a wireless connection to the internet). You search through their online store, purchase your book, and in a matter of moments you are enjoying a book on the beach.

Some people will always stick to the traditional ink and paper books. They might find comfort in the smell of the paper or the heft of the book in their hands. The truth is though that more and more people are getting their hands on ebook readers because, much like with the advent of mp3 players with large amounts of hard drive space, people like to have options, and everything about ebooks is about having the choice to read whatever you want whenever you want.

Protect Yourself From Phone Surveys Which Could Cost You Dearly

A recent posting got me riled up about some phone survey scams that we can be subjected to while in the comfort of our own home. Let this serve as a reminder about how careful we must be because the scammers can be so slick and sometimes successful in getting valuable information from us. Each sounds so innocent, and yet, so read on.

Computer Equipment Survey Scam. It was reported that recently there was a survey being conducted over the phone by a supposedly well-known computer company, in which people were told that they would receive a free gift for participating in the survey. The survey simply included questions about the type of computer equipment that you owned. In return for answering the questions, you'd receive free software installed by a company technician who'd actually come to your home and install it, whenever it would be convenient for you. Ding, ding, ding - the bells should be going off for you. Why would you tell a complete stranger on the phone - what kind of equipment you have in your home, where you live, and when you would (and by deduction when you would not be home). If you answer the survey and follow-on questions, you've just given them the perfect opportunity to come to your home when you're not there and rip you off.

Smoke Detector Survey Scam. A very similar phone scam was pitched to residents of New York State, until the local police started warning residents. The caller would start by stating that this was not a sales call, but rather a survey. The questions being asked sounded innocuous enough such as does your home have fire extinguishers? How about smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? Does your home have a security system? Ding, ding, ding - again there should be bells ringing danger. Telling a complete stranger if your home's windows and doors are or are not protected by a security system, may be asking for your home to be broken into. This is information that you should never share with anyone who does not need to know, especially strangers.

Product or Service Survey Scam. Here people call you on the phone to ask about the merchandise or services you recently purchased, promising you money in return for answering the questions. For example, there could be questions about a visit to a restaurant such as - was the food good? Did you receive good service? Or there could be questions about the merchandise you just purchased at your favorite store. After answering these innocuous questions you might be asked for your bank account number so that a $100 payment can be directly deposited into your account. Or they could ask you for your credit card number to pay for a shopping spree gift card to be delivered to you by courier. Ding, ding, ding, of course these are just ruses to have you give up your financial account information. Absolutely never share this information with someone you don't know on the phone or online.

Legitimate merchants may want to conduct a survey, but it won't be over the phone or online. These days we have to be very protective of our personal information. For what it's worth, I decided several years ago to never purchase, sign up for, or answer any questions when someone calls me on the phone. I just state politely that I never conduct unsolicited business over the phone and immediately hang up, so that they do not have any hope of getting any information out of me.

And may these tips about phone scams be a reminder of just how vigilant we all must be. Make sure to share this posting with everyone in your family who answers the phone so that no one is caught off guard. Come visit us at http://www.HomeHowToGuides.com to find many more tips for making your home safe for your entire family including children and pets, helping you prepare for a potential disaster, to launching home improvement projects, and creating a home that is healthy.

Medical Tourism: Dangers and Disadvantages

Medical tourism has been a great trend which has accorded benefits and advantages galore to patients from all over the world. In fact, medical tourism has been a blessing for patients who cannot afford exorbitantly priced medical treatments and surgeries in their own areas of residence or native countries. Lately, Asian countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have made a foray into the field of medical tourism and reached the zenith in no time through their world class facilities, internationally-trained faculty, great infrastructure and wonderful attractions. However, it's not really as smooth a ride as it seems. There are several dangers and disadvantages associated with medical tourism that are not much talked about anywhere. However, one should be concerned of these maladies at an early stage itself.

First things first, medical tourism is a trade-off, purely! Undoubtedly, you are sure to receive quality health care, personalized attention, affordable pricing and an opportunity to experience a new region and culture, but you should be aware of dangers you lay yourself open to. Apart from sacrificing familiarity, patients also lose certain legal guarantees by going for health care outside their own countries. Most medical tourism facilities like hospitals and health care centers have medical malpractice insurance, but it can be quite a hard task to seek damages in case of negligence or incompetence. Of course, medical tourists have a medical recourse but pay offs would definitely be larger at your home turf. Another factor you need to be aware of before venturing out of your country for medical tourism is the type and procedure of the insurance you are covered by.

Many insurance companies might not cover the full bill in case of travel out of country. Seek information from your insurance provider regarding the procedure and the portion of the final bill they're ready to foot. Initially, medical tourism was largely about cosmetic surgery and other non-elective procedures. But today, most of the non-elective procedures too are part of medical insurance hence insurance has come to play a huge part. Get your facts right as soon as possible as your insurance provider is most likely to cover these only back home. Post-operative care is another area of concern for patients traveling abroad for critical surgeries. Most of the times, international patients prefer to recuperate in the same country where they're operated upon as they need to be constantly in touch with their physician for some time. Large number of patients can be seen recuperating and relaxing on the beaches of Phuket or Goa.

However, in case long-term post-operative care is required, patients would be required to make arrangements on their own. It is strongly recommended that patients traveling abroad do not venture out of their country alone. However, having a constant companion along is sure to raise your expenses as you'll then have to book flights and accommodation for at least two people. Lastly, not being able to physically check out the hospital premises and staff is a great disadvantage that most international patients have to be aware of.