Mobile Phone Tips

A few things will make life easier.

Assign different ringtones to different contacts, such as your partner, boss, children or school, so you'll know if it's someone important calling before you've even got your phone out of your bag.

When you go on holiday, turn off your voicemail so callers can't leave a message, which you'll be charged for listening to if you're abroad.

To conserve a phone battery, turn the screen brightness down, cloase any apps running in the background that you don't need, and turn off 3G/4G, as these all sap power.

Various sources

Christmas Fun on the Internet

There are various sites to look at for Christmas fun.

The North Pole site includes ideas for fun activities, easy recipes, ideas for parents, and a section for teachers: www.northpole.com/

The Elf Yourself site offers a download in which you can add face photos of people to the dancing elves. The site is only available in the holiday season; when the site is inactive, OfficeMax provides the website with a placeholder image informing viewers that "the elves have left the building".

The Norad Santa tracking site allows you to follow Santa as he makes deliveries on Christmas Eve. The site is only active from 1st December: www.noradsanta.org

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Burglar Proof Your Home

Burglaries are never pleasant experiences and you may lose valuables and items of senitmental value. Here are some tips.

• Install an alarm approved by your insurer.
• Have the right locks on your doors (mortice type).
• Lock your windows.
• Look after your keys and valuables. Put away things like laptops and tablets.
• Be clever with lighting and fit outdoor security lights or motion sensitive lights but don't be a nuisance to your neighbours.
• Join your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
• Insure your possessions.
• Avoid sharing on social media the news that you'll be away. But do let your neighbours know so they can keep an eye out for unexpected visitors.
• Put away electric power tools and lawnmowers.
• Some plants (the prickly ones) are good burglar deterrents.
• Trellis panels on top of fences are too flimsy to support a person's weight.

Write It Down, Read From Paper

Keep writing by hand - e.g. thank you letters - as hand-writing can improve thinking skills. In one trial, students who took notes on their laptops understood less about their subjects than those who jotted things down. The act of writing seems to make us think harder and remember more.

Recent research also shows we are less likely to (literally) lose the plot when reading a real book rather than the same text on an e-reader. This might be because we use mapping skills to read and remember, which is easier when we turn a real page. That gives us more brain space to concentrate on the meaning, so improving comprehension.

Good Housekeeping, January 2015

Frost and Ice Removal Products

Snow and ice on doorsteps, paths and pavements are traditionally tackled using rock salt, but salt can attack surfaces and surrounding vegetation.

Crystal Clear "is a non-corrosive and biodegradable product. It is a tiny frost and ice removing pellet made from urea, which continues working considerably longer than other alternatives and is non-flammable, low in toxicity and easy to use. To achieve maximum protection, should be applied before snow has fallen or surface water has begun to freeze."

(Note: I've not tried this out, but it looks worth investigating.)

http://chemaide.co.uk/product/Crystal_Clear_non_corrosive_de-icer.html