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No matter what anyone says, everybody wants to hit the golf ball a mile. When we see Tiger Woods and John Daly on TV hitting the ball 350 yards, we are envious. We desire to do the same thing when we get together with our Saturday foursome. It’s only natural to want to drive the golf ball as far as possible.

While you may never be able to hit your drives as long as Phil Mickelson, you can still learn how hit the ball farther off the tee. You can also lower your golf handicap and develop a much better technique.

These 7 keys will help you increase your driving distance:

- Give yourself a wider stance for increased stability

- If you’re right-handed, point your left toe more inline to the target

- Waggle the club head back and forth over the ball

- Stay calm and don’t hurry your backswing

- Take the club back as far as possible on your backswing

- Swing harder and put more of your right hand into the hitting the ball

- Take full advantage of the elements, especially the wind

Good technique promotes good shots. Of course, that’s easier said than done. You should always practice your technique as often as possible on the golf practice range. Whether you’re driving, putting, chipping, or hitting pitch shots. Practice your technique. Remember, good technique begins with your addressing the ball.

When you’ve decided on your target and determined your ball’s path, get set up in an address that is designed to give you maximum power. Be sure to widen your stance, which gives you more stability and provides a solid base to allow a more powerful golf swing. You want approximately 60% of your body weight on your left side. This will give you a more powerful coil.

Greg Norman will do a couple of other things to generate more power when he swings. He will point his left toe toward the target slightly and he waggles the club above the golf ball, which gives him a smooth one-piece takeaway. It also gives him more rhythm in his swing.

When you’re at the top of your backswing, be sure to turn your shoulders a full 90 degrees. Your back should actually be facing the target. Look at John Daly when he drives the golf ball. He has a massive shoulder turn. Many players ask him all the time how he does it. He says it’s due to having a sound technique and a wide swing arc. He always has a rhythm to his golf swing and is never out of sync on his swing.

After you reach the top of your backswing, you’re ready to begin the downswing. Do not rush your downswing. If you do, you’ll have an increased chance of swinging straight down on the ball and eliminating any power you had going. You will also most likely chilli dip and miss hit the golf ball. Look at Fred Couples and his downswing. It’s nearly flawless.

Make sure to keep your left arm straight during your transition. When you keep your arm straight it enables the club head to remain square and hit the ball properly. Don’t have a herky-jerky swing. Keep your golf swing smooth. Picture yourself hitting through the ball, not just to it. Hit hard with your right hand.

Be sure to take advantage of the playing elements to help give you more distance. Especially using the wind to your advantage. When you have the wind at your back, tee the golf ball higher than normal. This gives you a higher ball flight with more carry in the air. That means greater distance.

When you’re playing into the wind you want the opposite. Tee the ball down a little more than usual.

Once you’ve practiced these golf techniques, you will begin to see dramatic improvements in distance and control. Who knows, you may even start driving the ball like John Daly.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Golf

If you’ve been lurking around any technology forums, or you just plain live and breath the stuff, chances are you will have come across the term “Semantic Web.”

Maybe you’ve even attempted to get a handle on the whole thing, and started throwing around terms like, RDF, Core Metadata, and all sorts of artificial intelligence concepts. Or, perhaps like me, you stumbled across some of the resources on the web, only to find you can’t make much sense of something that you think might just be really, really important.

Well, let’s see if we can get a handle on this… without making it overly complex.

To put it simply… the Internet is on the verge of another revolution. The development of the World Wide Web made the Internet accessible to millions by making it easy for anyone to publish and access documents on the Internet. However, the explosive growth of the Web has led to the problem of information overload.

Because of this, researchers from industry and academia are now exploring the possibility of creating a “Semantic Web,” in which the “human” meaning of web pages is made visible to computers, allowing machines to process and integrate Web resources intelligently.

Beyond improving quick and accurate web searches, this amazing technology may also allow the development of intelligent Internet agents and help promote communication between a wide array of web-enabled devices.

The Semantic Web will help to bring much needed “structure” to all that valuable content on the Web, making sure that software “agents” can go from webpage to webpage, with the swift grace of a human Internet user.

The Semantic Web is not a separate Web but simply an extension of the current one, where webpages are given well-defined meaning, making it possible for computers and people to work together more effectively.

The first steps involving the development of the Semantic Web into the current structure of the existing Web are already well advanced. Very soon, the Semantic Web will provide a whole new level of functional tools, as computers and software becomes better able to “understand” all the content currently available on the Web.

This is really significant, because up until now, the Web was developed as a medium for sharing content between people. The Semantic Web will allow for a huge amount of such content to be “processed” by computer agents, and software.

Plus, the Semantic Web will make this possible very quickly.

For the Semantic Web to grow at full speed ahead, computers must have a structure, and set of rules for making sense of all that data.

The biggest challenge facing the Semantic Web then, is to provide a language that represents meaning and logic. No simple feat to be sure. The two most important technologies for developing the Semantic Web are already in use by many web developers: eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and the Resource Description Framework (RDF). In short, XML allows web developers to add the “structure” to their documents but says nothing about what the structures mean. Meaning is then expressed by RDF.

The Semantic Web Report is an ezine focusing on up-to-date, cutting-edge applications and business tools designed around the Semantic Web. Created specifically for business people, the Semantic Web Report, distils all the current technological, marketing, and business development potential of the Semantic Web. For more information visit, http://www.semanticwebreport.com

It’s really no secret that search giant, Google.com, wants to own the gateway to all media online.

They operate the Web’s most popular search engine, largest free blogging service, and one of the largest news services online.

Recently, Google started offering video from their website. Google’s video offerings so far, comprised mostly of documentaries, news, and daytime talk TV programs, represented a testing device to get the kinks out of their video delivery and search system.

Now, thanks to widespread availability of high-speed Internet access, inexpensive desktop video editing, and the emergence of portable video players, Google is steadily ramping up what will surely become the Web’s first video “vending” machine.

Log on to Video.Google.com and search a limited number of available TV shows.

Curiously, most do not allow you to play video, only to see still screen shots of the show and read a transcript taken from closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

However, based on the fact that Google recently started accepting video submissions through their website, this format is about to change drastically.

Originally, speculation about Google’s new video service centered squarely on video “blogging, ” where online pundits would share their thoughts in video rather than written form.

However, after releasing more details, it appears that Google maintains much grander plans for online video than just allowing people with a camcorder to rant and rave.

Currently Google is in the “gathering” stage. This means they are accepting video submissions from content providers with very few restrictions.

Basically, Google says they want original content, no porn or offensive content, and they want it in a very specific video format (mpeg2 or mpeg4 with MP3 codec).

Other than that, the sky is literally the limit. For specifics, log on to https://upload.video.google.com/ and click the “Find out more” link.

Right now it appears that Google decided to gather as much content as possible before offering any of it to the public, so you currently can’t view any videos.

Google also states that they will allow content providers to either charge for their videos or allow viewers to watch them for free.

Google states they will collect the money, take a small fee, and pay the content provider. This alone should excite anyone who sells content online because the barrier to entry (high-speed servers, video delivery, credit card processing, customer service) just got a lot lower.

Plus, it’s a safe bet that Google will find a way to integrate revenue producing videos into their pay-per-click program.

Combine all this with the recent emergence of truly portable digital video players (Sony PSP, Creative Lab’s Zen Media Center), and beginning of video-on-demand through the Internet just arrived. Now this doesn’t mean growing pains won’t occur.

The biggest drawback to searching for and finding online video is that each video file must have a text transcript associated with it in order to get properly indexed by a search engine.

In the beginning, this will slow the production of new material.

Despite these and other growing pains, plan on Google opening up the first and largest video “vending” machine online within 12 months.

© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved - http://www.thenetreporter.com

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links…

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Laptops seem to be the current popular thing this year. Taiwanese manufacturers have said material scarcities will affect shipments this year due to the enormous demands. Laptop computers have just been an incredible business to keep tabs on. There has been no let up on shipments. New notebooks are popping up all the time that litterally create new sectors in the laptop computer business.

A number of manufacturers have been releasing gaming laptops recently. The price points on new technology usually slips rapidly nowadays because everybody is always waiting for the next product to be released. Notebook computers can now genuinly be used for gaming by game players due to the advanced performance of up to date computers. What stuck me the most is how slim and attractive some gaming laptops are getting compared to earlier years. Still there is a great gap between the speed of notebooks and desktops however desktops are more spacious to allow for improved cooling and such things that all help. Could gaming laptops ever get extremely slim? I think this is a sector to watch.

Even though the market share is ruled by brands marketing via retail outlets I think the direct channel and custom built laptops will forever be around. The main thing with custom laptops is that you can attain higher spec components. You can normally save money on components you don’t desire by specing the notebook to your needs. Notebook computers sold in high streets are typically made for the mass market and possibly this isn’t you. Custom made laptops are here for this reason. They give things that others cannot. You can find of manufacturers who sell direct so there is a lot of choice too. To a few consumers this is very significant.

Amazing is a thought that comes to mind when thinking of the next rang of notebook computers. Tiny internet laptops are the new development to get mass market desire. I was never predicting a large number of consumers to like the device. I would like to see a bigger edition of these low cost umpc’s. I think it would be a big success. This is a thing that can be accomplished even now if we let go of performance. We’re witnessing sleeker gaming laptops now and it seems this will keep on going. We techies will see something exciting in the coming months that’s for certain.

I’d recommend gaming laptop at rizeon.

Kona has been in the business of selling mountain bikes ever since they sold their first Kona Mountain bikes called, “Whistler Blackcomb” back in 1998. This is what showed the world they knew what they were doing and where one of the bests around.

Since 1998 Kona has created more and more bikes for all different types of bike riders. You’ve got the Rocky, Scott, Kona, GT, and many other types of bikes that a rider will use. The Kona Mountain bike is durable and always ready to be put to the test. Find out if the bike dealer will let you try them out before you purchase one.

Kona may have started off as just a design for a bike competition but it has since grown into a huge production line of nothing but the best. Kona doesn’t only sell bikes though, these days they are doing accessories as well as clothing. There are the DH Jackets ad ripstop pants that make biking in any weather great. They’ve even got gloves, socks and hats.

Finding something is never a problem either, if you can’t find it simply ask and they’ll be able to tell you what you need or direct you to someone that does.

If you are interested in investing, one of the best forms of investing in the real estate market today is foreclosure investing. It is a great option for those who want to invest in real estate that brings back great returns. However, this is not a field that is great for the faint of heart, the uneducated, or those who simply don’t know what they’re doing. If you want a cheap way to invest and make money, this type of investing is for you; however, it’s important that you know what you’re getting into before you try to invest in a foreclosure property.

Benefits of Investing in Foreclosures

If you are interested in getting involved in foreclosure investing that will bring back great profits for a cheap investment, you may want to take a look at all the benefits that you can enjoy. These are just a few of the great benefits that you’ll be able to reap when you get involved in this type of investing.

Cheap Ways to Invest

One of the main benefits of foreclosure investing is that it offers you a cheap way to invest your money. In fact, most of the time this is the cheapest way that you can invest and maximize the returns that you get back as well. Some properties are sold far below the market price, allowing you to really make a huge amount of profit on the property.

Low Risk Investments

Not only will you find that foreclosure investments are a cheap way to invest, but they are also low risk investments. Since land is a resource that is quite scarce, this is a low risk market. Even though the real estate market may see a down trend in the near future, land values are still going to rise, so there is very little risk with this type of investing.

Get a Background in Foreclosure Investing Before Trying It Before you get involved in foreclosure investing, you need to develop a good background in this type of investing. Even though it is a cheap way for you to invest, if you make a mistake, you can totally lose all of your capital if you make the wrong move and invest in the wrong foreclosure property. There is a lot of knowledge that you need to have in order to go about getting involved in foreclosure investing and you need to have this knowledge to be able to avoid common problems that can happen when you are investing in this field.

For more information on asset management contact Nigel Walter.

Many people believe that a real estate broker is needed to sell their house. So they post it with a broker who may or may not sell it and if they do charge exorbitant fees. One would think that that commission would inspire to work harder for you. In some cases it does. In many others though, we have heard of houses sitting on the market for over a year with the realtor only showing it once.

The next option that you have is to sell it yourself. But how? Is placing a sign on your front lawn enough or do you have to spend thousands in advertising? There is actually a way to get the ads that you place and the sign on your lawn to have your phone ringing off the hook with excited buyers.

That way is owner financing. With the economy what it is, many individuals’ credit have dropped making it more difficult to get a bank loan. Many of them are good people who were laid off for a while or have had a sickness in the family. They are back on their feet and ready to buy a house but don’t have a ton of cash to put up front and the banks turn them down. This is where you come in. You are not just selling them a house. You are their problem solver. Instead of paying payments to the banks, you can arrange it so that you are the one who receives a monthly mortgage payment and the best part is you can demand top dollar.

Need cash now? Create a note giving you the legal right to these payments then sell that note for a lump sum to a note broker. A good note broker will even show you how to structure your note to receive top dollar for it.

About The Author

Caterina Christakos has worked with note brokers, mortgage brokers and realtors. She can help make your next home sale easy and commission free. For more information and a free course in the mail showing you exactly how to structure your notes for maximum payment email Caterina at CChrist896@aol.com

Its been a long time since I raced in Kona, but I don’t believe the Ironman-Hawaii course has changed all that much.

The swim course I’m sure, is much the same as it was back in the early 80’s. Its truly unforgettable. Water so warm, that wetsuits are unnecessary. Tropical fish to marvel at for pretty well the length of the entire course. Water so clear, the bottom is clearly visible. The better to see the scuba divers sitting on the ocean floor, waving at you. Then making the turn at captain bean’s boat with the bright orange sails—crowded to overflowing with spectators.

Best of all is the current that seems to propel you towards shore as soon as the turn is made. The one downside to the entire swim experience is the sun that will be glaring into your eyes if you breathe to the right on the way back. For this reason alone, I would be sure to be able to breathe comfortably on both sides so you can have at least some relief from the sun if necessary. Also, tinted goggles are a big help. When you can make out the church steeple through the sun’s glare, you are almost home and finished the first leg of Iroman-Hawaii.

The bike leg for the most part has stayed intact as well. There is no escaping the endless miles of hot ashphalt of the now famous King K highway. The heat made even more oppressive when its absorbed and reflected by the lava rock that monopolizes the landscape. On the very hot Ironman days, heat waves are clearly visible as you strain to see the road ahead. In 1984 they were our constant companion as the temperature broke through the 100 degree mark out on the highway. To this day Ironman-Hawaii 1984 is still the hottest Ironman on record

Then there is the long climb to the turn-around that is much more than just another hill. The hot winds sweep in from the ocean and can throw you to the ground in a second if you allow yourself to lose concentration. Finally, on the way home and waiting expectantly for the tailwinds that are sure to come, but for some reason never materialize.

Its with a great sense of relief and accomplishment that one reaches the bike-run transition only to head back out into nature’s oven once again.

The run course thankfully is fairly flat and the climb out of Kona might be the biggest hill of all. I’m not entirely positive as some of the run course has changed. Still once again, there is no avoiding the oppressive heat that has spelled the end to many Ironman dreams, especially for many pros as they are running full out in the heat of the day.

If there is any consolation to being an age-grouper intent on just finishing the Hawaii-Ironman, its that you get to run in the coolness that comes with the setting sun.

As you make the turn and head home for the final time it is truly a spectacle to behold as lite-sticks dot the landscape like yellow diamonds flickering in the sudden darkness of the Hawaii night.

The most welcome sight an age-grouper can see is the glow from the lights of Kona as you edge closer and closer to your Hawaii-Ironman dream.

The town is packed with spectators as you reach the long finishing stretch and make the final dash over the same ground that has seen so much drama over the years. Dave Scott, Tinley and the Puntos twins. Mark Allen and Julie Moss. Erin Baker, Paula Newby-Fraser and who can forget Laurie Bowden and husband Peter.

So much history and so many great names. If only it were possible for every Ironman to compete on this hallowed ground. It is just so moving and an experience one can never forget. If you are indeed “Ironstruck,” it should be your mission to be part of the grandfather of all Ironman events worldwide. Ironman-Hawaii–so much more than a race.

My name is Ray and I have competed in endurance events for over 25 years. Including 14 Ironman races. Also, I’ve created a site called “Ironstruck” full of racing and training tips for the beginner triathlete/novice ironman. triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com

While California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his action films, few knew of his affinity for the sun. Turns out he is hell bent on converting California to solar.

3.2 Billion Dollar Plan

This past week, the State of California became the undisputed biggest proponent of solar power in the United States. Faced with a growing population, limited energy sources and the occasional rolling blackout each summer season, the state really had no choice. With backing from Governor Schwarzenegger, the state has just implemented the biggest solar industry subsidiary every undertaken by a state in an effort to quell the energy crunch.

On January 12, 2006, the California Public Utilities Commission voted 3 to 1 to adopt a plan to encourage the use of solar roof systems by residents through a 3.2 billion dollar rebate plan. Known as the California Solar Initiative, the goal is to convert as much as six percent of the peak energy demands in the state to solar platforms. Put in practical terms, the goal is place solar systems on roughly one million homes in the state, particularly new homes. Approximately 15,000 homes in the state now have solar systems for energy generation.

When in use, the residents will receive an astonishing rebate of $2.80 cents per watt on their utilities bill. On top of this subsidy, state residents will be able to claim tax credits from the federal government as well as direct subsidies.

In turn, California is hoping to both reduce the stress on the current electrical grid system while also avoiding the costs associated with building and running massive new power generating stations necessary to feed the energy crunch associated with a growing population. It is estimated the power generated through California Solar Initiative will be sufficient to replace the need for five massive, expensive new power generation complexes.

In addition to the economic benefits of the new plan, Californians going solar can reap significant benefits through net metering laws. Under such laws, residents will be able to tie solar platforms into utility electric grids and effectively sell power back to the California utilities. Depending on the size of the solar platform, net metering can result in reduction of electrical bills from 50 percent to complete elimination.

For a state suffering growth problems, the California Solar Initiative is a major move. After a crushing defeat at the polls in late 2005, the Governor has something to cheer.

Rick Chapo is with www.solarcompanies.com - a directory of solar energy and solar power companies. Visit www.solarcompanies.com/articles to read more solar electricity articles.

To ensure that your deck has a long, trouble free life, it’s important to use the right fixings used to fix the planks to the bearers. This choice can be influenced not only by the prevailing climatic conditions, the proximity to marine environments, but also the actual wood used. As your deck will around for a long time, it’s best not to compromise too much on the fixings as the higher cost of better quality products will be repaid many times over with a longer service life and better looking deck.

Normally, standard iron nails should not be used on external decking as they can rapidly corrode in certain climatic conditions or close to marine environments and not only leave black stains around the nail holes, but can eventually corrode so extensively that they will simply snap. Remember that all wood will twist and warp to some extent so its important that wood planks are firmly fixed to the bearers at regular spaced intervals to keep the timber from moving. If you wish to use nails, then you should use a good quality galvanized nail, recommended for exterior decking. Note that some species of lumber - in particular, Western Red Cedar, Merbau and Redwood - contain tannins that can cause corrosion to occur more rapidly than with other species of lumber.

If using screws to fasten the decking planks to the bearers, then again you shouldn’t use standard steel screws, but either stainless steel or good quality plated screws. But there are many different methods of plating screws and some of the cheaper products may look great in the packet when they’re purchased but not so pretty after a few years of use. Plating may be only superficial at best and in the process of fixing screws into the plank, the plating can be damaged which allows corrosion to start from day 1. So it’s important that you use a good quality plated screw and is specifically recommended for use on exposed decking.

For the best long term results, stainless steel screws will always be the best option. Although these screws can be significantly more expensive, the extra cost will be repaid in their long life, their ongoing appearance and lack of blackening around screw holes. Note also that in marine environments, stainless steel screws should always be used, as even plated screws can be subject to significant corrosion problems in such harsh environments.

Apart from nails or screws, other fixing devices are also available on the market. These devices generally rely on the metal fixture (typically galvanized iron) being driven into the sides of the planks rather than the top, and the fixing itself is nailed to the bearers. One of the obvious advantages of this fixing method is that there are no screws or nails visible on the top surface. However, one of the disadvantages of this particular fixing system is that if you need to replace planks at any time, it’s very difficult to both lift up and replace any plank in the middle of a deck. Normally the replaced plank would need tobe fixed in a conventional manner with nails or screws. Fortunately such replacements are rarely needed so, this may not be such an important issue.

It’s also possible to cover a deck with a timber surface that does not require any nails, screws or any other fixing devices. Modular wood decking tiles are available on the market which simply lock together by means of an integral plastic base. The base not only allows any water to drain away freely from underneath, the tiles but keeps each tile, securely locked together. Whilst such decks cannot be installed over traditional timber bearers, they can be very useful for covering old concrete patios and courtyards to avoid the trouble and expense of ripping up the lot and rebuilding.

Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com