One of the main reasons any business considers housing their IT infrastructure in a colocation facility is for cost reduction. When making this type of decision, it is important for the organization to understand what options are available and the fees that are associated.

The first aspect to consider when moving to a colocation facility is the space that the server, or servers, will occupy in the facility. In a colocation situation, a company is basically renting space from a data center to house its servers, along with any additional hardware required to operate the IT infrastructure.

Along with space, broadband costs are also necessary. A quality connection from your corporate locations to your equipment is just as important, and also has an associated fee. There are several common terms to understand in this process. These terms include racks, cabinets, amps, and bandwidth, each of which is described in detail below: Read more…

Learning a new language is a great idea for many different reasons. Anyone of any age group can learn a new language (yes, even those of you who hated French in school!) and it can be an excellent skill to have.

There are many benefits to learning a new language, across various aspects of your life. For example, only knowing one language limits yours social, economic and professional development!

Learning a new language can be great fun and comes in handy too if you love to travel abroad. Whether you’d love to speak a European language such as French or Spanish, or have your sights set on the more exotic Japanese or Punjabi, I strongly feel that a second language (or a third, or a fourth…) is a skill that everyone could benefit from having!

Here are my top three reasons for learning a new language: Read more…

John Hibbing was a traditional political scientist. He studied elections, researched through opinion polls, and worked to understand why some politicians retired and some continued to run. “As traditional as could be,” he said.

About a decade ago, Hibbing began to shift his methodology in such a way that is revolutionizing how we understand politics. He started to study the relationship between biology and political preference, an idea that was met with skepticism from his peers. At the Political Physiology Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, though, Hibbing and his collaborators have since compiled supporting scientific publications.

As an example, Hibbing exposed both liberals and conservatives to aversive stimuli in order to study their physical reactions, and found that conservatives tend to have a stronger startle reflex in response to a loud noise, but are less perturbed by threatening images. Read more…

Your immune system is your body’s defense against anything that can destroy it, whether it’s a virus, bacterium, fungus, or parasite. You need to keep your immune system working and well-maintained, or you could end up getting sick over and over again.

Many of our bad habits can wear out our immune system. For instance, if you neglect to eat a lot of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables, then you could end up shortchanging your immune system.

If you lack sleep, go to bed late, or have a less-than-refreshing date with your dreams, then you could also deprive your immune system the chance to regenerate. If you have a stressful life, say, because of a lot of work or school demands, then you could also tax your immune system. Read more…

Tough economic times are causing a shift in the way we spend money. In recent years, many households have cut back in order to build stronger bank accounts and protect themselves during uncertain economic times. Wasted money equals lost opportunity – a trait that does not mesh well with responsible savings.

No matter the climate, mastering the ability to spend wisely is an invaluable skill. Read on to learn about how to transform common money-wasters into instant savings.

Gym membership. Estimated annual cost: $720.

Yes, fitness is important. No, it doesn’t have to cost money. Achieving good health is an admirable goal, but who says it requires an annual fee? There are plenty of ways to exercise at home without sacrificing funds from your budget. Websites like bodyrock.tv offer free training with no equipment required. If you lack motivation, consider an average savings of $720 as a start. Invest your cash in a long-term plan and burn calories in your living room. Read more…

It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. One nasty malware program or virus could wipe out your entire operating system. Along with your operating system, your photos, music, files and programs will go up in smoke as well.

In most cases, unless you take precautions before something happens, you won’t be able to recover these files. When it comes to personal computer data, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Here are a few essentials to be aware of:

Anti-Virus Software

Use professional software from Norton or McAfee. Not all shareware anti-virus programs are updated as quickly as the “big guns” and they often lack the real time monitoring tools you need for secure web browsing.

It is always good to have at least one additional program like Malwarebytes installed. Malwarebytes has free and full versions and comes highly recommended by many anti-virus experts. Schedule regular scans and updates with all your anti-virus software. Read more…

Sailing and scuba diving go together like fish and chips. The chances are, if you’re enamored enough with all things aqua to go on a boating vacation, you’ll be tempted to slip beneath the surface and explore.

But where to go? The vastness of the ocean makes this a brain-tickling decision and divers are notoriously slow to divulge their secrets. The last thing they want is to come face to face with another snorkeler when they want to come face to face with a great white.

Not so Jacques Cousteau. June 25th marks 15 years since the death of the marine biologist, intrepid explorer, filmmaker, conservationist and author. He wanted to share his infatuation with the sea so much that he made 120 documentaries about it.

Who better to take diving advice from, than the man who invented the Aqualung, who won an Oscar for his marine documentary The Silent World, and who spent his life exploring the ocean? Here’s our pick of his 5 favorite diving spots, which happily also double as incredible sailing destinations: Read more…

There are many things in life that can be free, and making memories with your dad is one of them. Memories are one of those things that can comfort people and make them happy, sad, angry, joyful and many more things.

Creating happy memories for your dad on Father’s Day can take a little more effort than the run of the mill bought in a store gift, but the extra effort is definitely worth it.

Haruki Murakami once told us that Memories are what warm you up from the inside. But they’re also what tear you apart. How true that is.

John Green spoke about ‘Paper Towns’ - ‘The town was paper, but the memories were not.’ Also true. Memories with your dad can be solid or ethereal. A few ideas are outlined below to help you create your own memories with your father on his day, and some of the other 364 days of the year. Read more…