Rabu, 25 Februari 2009

Redkite Money Moves to Welcom Software’s Financier Managed Hosting Solution

Software is a leading solutions supplier class commercial and consumer loan software which is very high, eCommerce, retail and financial accounting software that has been signed up to Money RedKite managed host version of the leading loan management software solutions capitalist v7.06.


Based in Leeds and Watford, RedKite Money offers an extensive range of finance options including secured and unsecured consumer loans. Part of the wider RedKite Group, which includes subsidiaries RedKite Asset Management, RedKite Leisure and RedKite Search, RedKite Money sells direct to consumers and through brokers and intermediaries.



RedKite Money has been managing its loan book through Welcom Software’s Financier solution since the business was formed. A leading consumer and commercial lending software solution Financier has a proven track record in the finance industry and was developed in conjunction with some of the UK's key financial services organisations. Managing the entire loan lifecycle from quotes and applications to payment collections and settlements, Financier makes the process of applying for a loan and ongoing management more efficient.



Delivering the flexibility and scalability required by RedKite Money, the implementation of the managed hosting version of Financier v7.06. will provide the core lending engine to manage all loans for the business with the system accessible from any location. This managed hosting solution relieves RedKite Money of responsibility for servers, management, applying updates, data security, firewalls and data back-ups whilst helping to streamline business processes, enhance data capture, improve speed of processing and provide increased visibility across both locations.



Nigel Corp, Welcom Software Chief Operating Officer said: “We are thrilled that RedKite Money has upgraded to our Financier v7.06 Managed Hosting Solution. Our leading software Financier provides them with the secure and reliable system that they need to effectively manage their entire loan book. Easily configurable, upgrading to Financier v7.06 will not only enhance the loan management process but will also remove the costly responsibility for hosting management. Financier has also recently been upgraded to ensure it offers the required functionality for lenders to make sure they are compliant with CCA 2006 which takes effect in October (6th).”



Founded in 1978 Welcom Software specialises in providing market leading business software solutions, both customised and off the shelf, to the finance, retail and eCommerce sectors. The Welcom Software Group was established in 2007, following the strategic acquisition of e-inbusiness, a leading eCommerce and eMarketing specialist. Group clients include: Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Ltd, Redkite Money, The Loan Store, Airdrie Savings Bank, New Look, Farrow & Ball, Radley and Jacques Vert Group. To find out more visit: www.welcom.co.uk
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Pop Music

Pop music quite liberal and modern music including the category is not marked by artistic considerations but by the audience and promising future markets. Pop music that is calculated with the aim to influence the majority of contemporaries.

In contrast to music that calls for education or arrangement to appreciate, a significant characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it. Artistic concepts such as complex musical form and aesthetics are not a matter in the writing of pop songs, the key aim being audience satisfaction and commercial triumph. Although the aim of pop music is to sell records and do really well in the charts, it does not require wide acclaim or commercial success. There are bad or unsuccessful pop songs.

Originally the term was an abbreviation of, and synonymous to, popular music, but developed around 1954 to express a particular musical category. The stylistic origins of pop music is folk,jazz,R&B,rock and roll,traditional pop music.The typical instruments are electric guitar,bass guitar,drum kit and keyboard.The cultural origins date back to 1950's in the United States.It is popular worldwide since 1960s.
link jobs
The standard format of pop music is the song, usually less than five minutes in length. The instrumentation can range from an orchestra to a lone singer. In spite of this wide choice, a standard lineup in a pop band includes a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer (or an electronic drum machine), a keyboardist and one or more singers, generally not themselves instumentalists.

Pop songs are generally conspicuous by a heavy rhythmic element, a mainstream style and traditional structure. The most common modification is strophic in form and focuses on memorable melodies, catchy hooks and the appeal of the verse-chorus-verse arrangement, with the chorus sharply contrasting the verse melodically, rhythmically and harmonically.

Lyrics in pop compositions are usually simple and speak of universal experiences and feelings, moving away from incomprehensible or debatable issues.The international appeal of pop was evident in the new millennium, with artists from around the world influencing the genre and local variants merging with the mainstream. As of 2008, pop music is now currently the most popular style of music of youth culture, making competition with hip hop, dance and country.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

The Profiles of Some Famous Guitarists

people simply enchanted by the magic of guitar. The mesmerizing tune and sweet tingling of the guitar strings have enamored many a man who then moved to become a music legend in each niche. There is a list of famous and successful Guitarists who have mastered this enigmatic art of music.

Amongst the many legendary stalwarts, Jimi Hendrix undoubtedly tops the list of profiles of famous guitarists. A genius in its truest sense, the legendary Hendrix was born in 1942. An American by birth, the maestro was a singer and lyricist, and is considered around the globe as one of the most influential and enigmatic personas in the ambit of rock music. One of the milestones in his career was his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival which raised him to instant fame in the United States and was followed by many accolades.

Besides earning a huge name and fame for himself through his forte as a great singer and musician, the legendary maestro also improvised the art of rock music in his own signature way, and he incorporated a number of innovations and techniques into the older forms of rock and jazz music. Quite recently, Hendrix was inducted into the USA's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

The very meaning of rock music becomes insignificant without the mention of B. B. King, the master craftsman in the art of music. An ingenious guitarist and singer-cum-song writer in the American Blues, B.B. King was considered the Third Greatest Guitarist of All Time in the 2003 listing of Rolling Stone magazine.

The legendary musician started his journey in the world of music in 1946, and worked in the local R&B radio channel as a vocalist. However, soon after this he began recording under big names and became a prominent figure among the best musicians in the R&B music scene. Some of his greatest all time hits during this period include, "Whole Lotta Love," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "You Know I Love You," and "Please Accept My Love." Amidst his many achievements as a successful singer and composer, is included his most recent felicitation at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, for his maiden in radio broadcasting. Also, a grand memorial in the name of B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is all set to be inaugurated on September 13, 2008, in Indianola, Mississippi.

Robert Johnson is another of the famous names in the world of guitar and its magic. Born on May 8, 1911, as Robert Leroy Johnson, the veteran guitarist was one of the brightest stars in the entire Delta Blues group. The period between 1936 and 1937 saw him in great guns when he claimed and proved his forte as a brilliant guitarist and lyricist, as well as an awesome singer. Often regarded as the "Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll," Robert Johnson is believed to have been a great influence in the world of rock music, inspiring many legends of the same genre, including Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, and many others. Eric Clapton, another legend of the same kind, has called Johnson "the most important blues musician who ever lived."
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

CD Maintenance – How to make sure you CD stays in good shape

If you leave discs out near your PC or stereo, dust will settle or the data side will get scratched. Now the best way to prevent this happening is simple. They may sound straight forward but you'll be surprised how many times the CD & DVD is not protected properly. These easy steps will ensure you can use CD and DVD for dvd copying and cd copying for years to come.

Keep your CDs in there Jewel Cases. If not there are PVC wallets which act as ample protection or Card Wallets. For you DVDs you must keep them in their DVD boxes or, as previously mentioned, PVC Wallets and Card wallets will do.


If your CD or DVD gets scratched, you may think that it’s damaged forever……..Wrong! The scratching on the surface of the disc simply fools the laser and makes it skip. Or, if you’re player has difficulty in loading the data, it’s due the surface being scratched and unable to read the digital data below.

However, do not panic! There are plenty of repair kits around to eliminate this problem and allow you to perfrom that all important cd copying or dvd copying. If you’ve thought you’ve lost a CD forever due to mark or scratch, think again!

These repair kits are a compound mixture of polish, which are specially designed for plastic (which discs are made up of). The mixture interacts with the polymer and allows the polish to get to work on the scratch. This polish will remove the majority of the disc that has been damaged and restore the music/data back to full playability.

Therefore, you revive your discs using these kits. However, I suggest you look after your CD or DVD by putting them back into their Jewel Case, DVD box, PVC Wallet or Card Wallet. Keep them in a dust-free environment or storage case.
Keep your discs playing longer...

When you remove your discs from their CD Jewel Cases or DVD box then you risk the centre-hub cracking or breaking. This will lead to disc failures. Especially for console playing or DVD films. Having looked around for a remedy to this common problem, we have found a solution...

It’s in the form of a metal reinforced centre-hub. It’s easy to attach and will reduce the stress that is normally applied when removing CDs or DVDs from Jewel Cases or DVD Boxes. This will prevent the discs from cracking at the centre. “Hurray!” I hear you say.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

The Use of CD’s and their future?

CD begins with the first early music on the disk or audio format in the middle-to-late 1980s. CD-R's (R means the record) and then became popular when being produced. CD ROM's (ROM means Read Only Memory) then shortly followed to provide data for a computer disk that can not be written on.

CD-Rs – written to once only. This obviously didn’t help if you had made a mistake in creating your CD and was a waste of a disc, which was expensive back in those days. Unlike a cassette, where you could record over and over (do you know anyone who still owns a cassette these days?). Therefore, the CD-RW (CD-Rewritable) was created which means you could write over the data several times. The discovery of CD duplication and CD copying has also helped to keep the compact disc alive.

CDs today are used in all sorts of industries today. Obviously, the music industry is the main source of most of the discs we have around the house. However, over the past 5 years, CDs have become an essential tool for marketing, selling, promoting, learning, informing and many, many more. Examples are:

# Promotional CDs – marketing companies use them as handy aids to distribute either by post, or to hand them out at conferences

# Music/Audio – Artists use them to record albums and also use as language learning aids.

# Training – You can put a whole training manual onto 1 CD which is far cheaper to produce and much easier to send.

# Software – This is the most used second to music.

These are but just a few uses for CDs.

We all receive CDs in the post as part of product recognition or sales. Newspapers give us freebies with either music or software. CD printing has allowed these forms of marketing to be customized to improve the effectiveness of the overall campaigns. At the moment the demand for CDs is on the increase and looks to remain that way for the next few years anyway. However, just as it’s predecessor, the cassette, the CD may be superseded by the USB stick. Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Romancing The Stone Film Review

The plot of the movie revolves around romance writer Joan Wilder, played by Kathleen Turner, who travels to Colombia to find her kidnapped sister. In time she falls in love with a soldier of fortune [Michael Douglas] and the two become romantically involved as they search for a precious stone which the kidnappers want.

The beginning of the film shows Joan receiving a package from her dead brother-in-law. Soon after the package arrives she gets a frantic call from her sister Elaine[Mary Ann Trainor] informing her that she has been kidnapped and needs the map from the package as ransom. Joan flies down to Columbia but she gets lost on the way to her destination. But eventually she runs into Jack T. Colton [Douglas] and offers him some money if he would help her find her way to Cartagena. He helps her to elude a few unsavory characters who seem to be following her.Oneof these villains just happens to be the leader of the secret police who is responsible for her brother-in-laws death. The other two zany characters are Ralph [Danny DeVito] and Ira [Zack Norman].

Jack uncovers the map that Joan is carrying and after some convincing she agrees to go after the treasure. They agree that after finding the treasure they can then give the worthless map to the kidnappers. After some unbelievable escapes, they eventually find the treasure which turns out to be an enormous emerald called the malevolent. Zolo and Ralph steal it from them but then the Colombian police show up. After getting the stone back from Ralph, Joan and Jack get separated but agree to meet at Joan's hotel in Cartagena, but when Jack doesn't show up, Joan starts to get worried.

She then meets her sister's captors[Ralph and Ira] and turns over the map. They are interrupted by Zolo who knows that the map is worthless. Zolo's men are holding Jack who refuses to disclose the location of the emerald. Zolo uses Joan as bait and tells Jack that if he refuses to disclose the emeralds location he will be forced to feed Joan to the crocodiles. Jack relents and gives up the gem and tosses it towards the crocodiles.Zolo catches the stone but his hand, along with the gem, ends up in one of the crocodiles stomach. A gunfight ensues between Zolo's men and Ira's men. This allows Joan, Elaine and Jack to escape. After a prolonged fight with Zolo's men, Ira and his men escape, but Ralph is left behind.

Zolo catches Joan and Elaine. Joan tries to kill Zolo with his own switchblade,but Zolo blocks the thrown knife with a piece of wood. After Elaine faints from the sight, Joan pleads for Jack's help. He must decide whether to save her or hold onto the croc which has ingested El Corazon. He decides to try to save Joan by scaling a rock wall to reach her. However, he arrives moments after Zolo falls into a pit full of crocodiles. Seeing that the women are safe, Jack leaves to pursue El Corazon once more.

Joan then returners home to New York where she is confronted with lonely feeling towards Jack. She writes a hit novel based on her recent adventures. But one day, as she is returning home she is confronted by Jack,who is wearing crocodile skin boots, waiting for her in a sailboat that is parked on the main street in front of her apartment. It seems that Jack managed to catch the croc who had swallowed the gem. The croc had suffered a fatal case of indigestion from swallowing the gem. The ending is a not so typical love story showing Joan and Jack kissing on the deck of the Angelina, which was named for Joan's fictional heroine, as the trailer that the boat rests on drives off into the streets of N.Y. City.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Shopping for a Piano: Acoustic vs. Digital

for piano studying,piano teachers will adamantly point their students in the direction of an acoustic piano. For piano studying, I agree with this completely for reasons I will discuss shortly. But for many reasons, a genuine handcrafted instrument may not be the best choice for you. With the affordability, portability, and the many features that come with digital pianos, you may wish to head the other way. Summarily, the question of acoustic versus digital boils down to a matter of authenticity versus everything else.

Mostly, the drawbacks of an acoustic piano are matters of practicality, such as price. For what you could get a new, decent quality digital piano with, you’ll be dealing with a rather meager acoustic. This can encompass a number of problems. For instance, aside from any tuning it might need, the overall sound quality of a cheap acoustic piano can be quite poor. This may not just be an issue of old strings, but can result from an infinite number of possible factors arising from any of the complex mechanics of the piano being in disrepair. Other common problems of old pianos are broken keys and sticky keys, which is when the keys fail to spring up the way they should. There may also be faults with the framework that can range from nuisances to impending hazards. The trouble of a bad acoustic continues indefinitely, and the piano may need a decent amount of initial maintenance, in addition to periodic maintenance, which is likely to pull a few additional large bills out of your wallet right way.

Also, because of its bulk and weight, an acoustic may be a very difficult accommodation for people living in tight or elevated spaces, such as dorm rooms and certain city apartments. Some buildings may even prohibit pianos, particularly on floors above the ground level because the weight and bulk of pianos make them quite cumbersome and possibly hazardous to either the tenants or the buildings themselves. This raises the issue of portability as well. Do you gig? Do you relocate frequently? Toting a 500 pound upright piano isn’t possible for most people; moving one across the room is a challenge for most people. If your music needs to be ready to go, your hulking wooden companion is not going to be sympathetic.

Acoustic pianos also lack the many features present in digital pianos nowadays that may be valuable tools to you. For example, volume control may be necessary in dormitory, or close living, situations. Newer digitals also come with a suite of onboard functions, including on-the-fly recording, voice customization, electronic metronome, and even music mixing features, which you won’t have. You will also lack the benefit of porting your music to your PC; a simple MIDI connector would feed your performance directly into your computer’s audio card without any ambient noise or loss of sound quality, which will probably beat any recording made with an acoustic piano and consumer grade recording hardware available at a neighborhood electronics store.

With an acoustic, you will surely be at, at least, some degree of inconvenience. Still, despite the great deal of effort digital piano makers have put into their product, none have been able to truly reproduce the sound and feel of a good acoustic piano. First, lets talk about the piano sound. To most people, casual or occasional listeners of piano music, the resulting sounds between an acoustic piano and a digital piano are quite identical and equally satisfactory musically. But listen closely, because there is an important difference.

A digital piano outputs high quality recordings of the sounds that were made by a real piano at one time. During the process of making a digital piano, each key of a real concert grand piano is struck a number of times at varying velocities and recorded with sophisticated equipment to be used as the digital voice. This will give the digital piano a sufficient range of tonality and an overall likeness to the sound of an acoustic piano in varying music dynamics. But once the notes have been recorded and finally integrated with the digital piano’s voicing mechanism, they are never going to be changed. Even though the aesthetic quality of the sound is state of the art, it is the way the sounds should behave but cannot because they are fixed recordings that is the fundamental problem of digital pianos.

An acoustic piano uses a complex array of hammers, strings, a soundboard, and other moving parts that function in collaboration. This means that when any note is played, it is not played with entire independence, but is highly affected by the current state of the surrounding components of the piano. For example, playing a chord on a digital piano will simply result in three notes being played, as they were recorded individually, at the same time, whereas with an acoustic piano, the three notes will interact with each other through the soundboard and become a stew of vibrations, producing a different, more complex, and ultimately richer sound. Lacking this quality, what comes out of digital speakers will typically be quite boring and unsatisfactory to aficionados of the true piano tone.

An acoustic piano is also an analog instrument, which means is has virtually infinite range. For example, there is no limit to the loudness or softness a note may be played on an acoustic piano. With digital pianos, there is a point at which a minimum or maximum will be achieved. This means there will be occasions when you will not be able to play a note as softly or as loudly as you wish. In order words, true pppp or ffff are probably beyond the reach of digital pianos without you resorting to adjusting the volume dial while you’re performing. Even if you were to do that, the tonal quality of the notes would remain static from that point on, when it would further continue to dull or brighten on an acoustic piano.

Another problem of digital devices is the matter of intervals. In photography, for example, pixels are the intervals. With a traditional film camera, the amount of detail you are able to capture is theoretically unlimited because film is a single and continuous malleable body. The “film” of a digital camera is not single or continuous but is a multitude of pixels, each of which is only able to record a solid block of color. The amount of detail a digital camera is able to capture will depend on the how small the pixels are and how tightly they’re packed together. If the pixels, or intervals, are small enough and packed tight enough, the amalgam of the blocks of color they record will appear to be smooth curves and gradients to the human eye.

There is a similar issue of intervals with digital pianos, which is mainly the issue of touch sensitivity. Digital pianos have a finite number of intervals when it comes to key pressure. The more intervals there are and the closer they are to each other, the more realistically the piano will respond to your dynamics. High end digital pianos will have quite a lot of them. But digital pianos within the means of average shoppers may not have sufficient sensitivity. This means that while the vast difference between piano and forte may be noticeable, the most intricate variances of touch pressure may be disregarded. This will be quite a nuisance to pianists seeking a highly responsive instrument, particularly when it comes to meticulous classical music.

It also manifests in pedaling. Piano pedals are ranged. Between simple on and off, or up and down, there are degrees. Half-pedaling and quarter-pedaling are crude terms describing the manner of pedaling in which the pedal is only pressed partially down in order to create an intermediate effect. For instance, rather than completely depressing the pedal so that the full brilliance of a note is sustained, you may wish to depress it only half way to dampen about half of the note and let only the remainder of it sustain for a subtler, suppressed quality. Certainly a scrupulous pianist will wish to employ the complete range of pedaling available to him, which may not be represented entirely accurately in a digital piano.

Aside from sound, as mentioned previously, key touch is also an important issue. Digital piano makers these days have gone to great lengths to reproduce the feel of acoustic pianos. For the most part, they’ve done a good job. They’ve even gone as far as implementing graded hammer action, which is in line with the hammers of acoustic pianos gradually becoming lighter from left to right. As a matter of fact, if you could take a look at the inner workings of a digital piano, you would be quite surprised and impressed with the complexity of the hammer mechanics. However, as long as digital pianos look the way they do, being the shape and size they are, there is going to be a limit as to how authentically the key feel can be made.

The hammers on a digital piano are simply extensions of the pianist’s fingers. When the pianist presses a key down, it will raise the opposing lever, which touches the electronic pad inside the piano that serves as the string. The hammers on an acoustic piano do not behave this way. Instead of being extensions of the pianist’s fingers, they are rather like projectiles that are sprung toward the strings high above them. Imagine the carnival game where you must hit a pad on the ground with a mallet, which flings a projectile up the meter towards the bell at the very top. The finger is the mallet, the visible piano key is the pad, the hammer inside the piano is the projectile, and the string is the bell. First of all, this means if you press a key all the way down but not with the minimum amount of force needed, the projectile hammer will never leave its seating and the string will actually never be struck. Secondly, this launch-pad-like action feels quite different than the seesaw-like action of digital piano hammers.

The only way this can truly be reproduced in a digital piano is by the use of bona-fide acoustic hammers. And there’s nothing wrong with doing that. But the problem is there isn’t enough room for them inside the compact size of most of the digital pianos today. That’s why as long as they look the way they do, the action of digital pianos will not feel completely akin to that of acoustic pianos. Larger, higher end models do integrate the acoustic hammer action simply to recreate the key feel. Even higher end models, which are called “silent pianos,” integrate strings as well and are bona-fide acoustic pianos with the added ability to remove the strings from the action and toggle on digital mode in order to provide volume control! But these tend to be even more expensive than acoustic pianos.

These are the basic points to think about when shopping for your piano. To restate what I said at the beginning of the article, it really boils down to the authenticity versus everything else. And the authenticity is usually going to cost you more to get. What you should think about is how important it is to you that the piano truly resembles an acoustic. Are you a classical piano student looking at a long road of perfection and possibly a career as a concert performer? Then a digital piano is probably not what you want to be practicing on, even as a temporary substitution. I would suggest taking financing an acoustic and using your relatively small budget of cash as the down payment. If this is not necessarily what you’re going for, then perhaps a digital reduction is all you really need. For most people, it is.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

For Romance Without Any Stress, "Sleepless in Seattle" Is the Cure

If you have celebrated Valentines Day with a candlelight dinner for the family home and settle in to watch a movie, "sleepless in Seattle" will provide many options for a fun experience

Your parents or grandparents experienced a similar story line in the now classic "An Affair to Remember" that was released in 1957 and paired Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Their characters fall in love and agree to meet in 6 months at the Empire State Building in New York.

Sleepless in Seattle, released 36 years later in 1993, pairs Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie Reed. Sam is the recently-widowed father of 8-year-old Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger), who calls a nationally-broadcast radio talk show in an attempt to find his lonely father a partner.

A somewhat reluctant Sam talks to host Marcia Fieldstone and thousands of single women across America are suddenly drawn in to Sam's sense of love for his former wife, each wishing she could be as cherished as Sam's next special person. To wit:

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?

Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together . . .and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home . . . only to no home I'd ever known . . .I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like . . . magic.

If that dialog does not melt every woman's heart she would need to go straight to "The Wizard of Oz" and receive a new transplant. Soon Sam is getting thousands of letters from wannabe partners, all of which are read by his son Jonah, who decides that "Annie" is the best choice.

Annie is engaged to marry Walter (Bill Pullman). Should she do so she would be making the first great mistake of her life. Walter is a decent enough chap, but Annie is missing any sparks in their relationship because Walter has the personality of an ashtray.

Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam, flying from New York to Seattle only to discover Sam with another woman, whom she mistakes for a love interest. She never mails a letter she has written to Sam, but her friend does. In it she proposes to meet Sam on top of the Empire State Building.

Sam is not interested in going, but his son Jonah is, so, with the help of his new friend whose parents own a travel agency, he is able to book a flight to the Big Apple and ends up on the observation deck of the Empire State Building looking for Annie. Sam, in a panic, to find his son, follows him to New York. The rest you will have to see.

Hanks is very convincing as a forlorn widower and Ryan was at her peak of being cute and innocent. The chemistry between the two, who only share approximately 2 minutes of screen time together, is great.

The role of Annie was originally offered to Julia Roberts but she turned it town. Kim Basinger, who was also offered the part, turned it down because she thought the premise was ridiculous. Just recently in the news, a youngster in Jonah's peer group did exactly what Jonah did, managed to book flight on a major airline and fly undetected. Life is indeed stranger than fiction.

The screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle was written in part by Nora Ephron, who also wrote "When Harry Met Sally" (another great romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal). Ephron directed the film.

Ephron, David S. Ward and Jeff Arch (who did write the story) were nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and the film received another nomination for Best Original Song ("A Wink and a Smile"). Sleepless in Seattle also got Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Actress (Meg Ryan).

Sleepless in Seattle cost $21 million to film and grossed $227 million worldwide at the box office, adding another $65+ million in rentals.

Tom Hanks is the gold standard in acting. He has been nominated for 5 Best Actor Oscars (Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away) and won twice for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Hanks also has won 4 Best Actor Golden Globes for Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump and Cast Away.

His films have grossed more than $3.3 billion. He remains only 1 of 3 actors to have 7 consecutive $100 million domestic blockbusters; the other two are Tom Cruise and Will Smith.

Sleepless in Seattle is viewed by many guys as a "chick flick" but not by me. I consider it an outstanding relationship film with a great story line that proves to be a pleasant viewing experience every time I see it again. If a guy has ever been in love and felt the magic, he will appreciate this film a lot more.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Senin, 23 Februari 2009

Musical Instruments And Their Importance

Since times of yore, man has been associated with music. It is the expression of the heart. History tells us that Neanderthal man used bone flute. Evidence also exists that percussive instruments might have been used.

Defining a musical instrument: anything that produces sound can be called a musical instrument. The term usually is reserved for instruments that have a particular function in an orchestra. The academic study of musical instruments is known as organology.

Instruments can be identified by the way they are played and the tone they generate. Wind instruments, using power of the lungs, String instruments where strumming is required and electronic instruments that play automatic by touch of keys. Even the human voice can be termed an instrument as the singer generates the voice through the effort of his lungs and vocal cords acting together.

Wind instruments can be either built of wood or brass. A good example of the former could be the flute while trumpet is an excellent example of the latter. These instruments play when the musician blows into a tube. There are holes which one can open and close with the fingers to produce different kinds of sound.

String instruments are completely opposite. They are played by strumming on the cords. A good example would be the guitar. Some well known guitarist's were the Beatles and Dire straits

Percussion instruments can be played when struck. The sound is determined by the material of which the striking surface is made and the cavity that is left to produce the sound. Drums are excellent examples of such instruments. They are used by rock bands across the world.

We now come to the electronic instruments. This category includes the keyboard and electronic guitar. These instruments often follow other types of instruments. The keyboard for example. It can play virtually any instrument ever discovered. Paddles and other accessories change the sound to match the instrument they are trying to imitate.

Of all the instruments we have talked about, the human voice is the most complicated. Through tightening of muscles, drawing breath in different ways, singers can generate wide ranging voices that affect us in strange ways. In medieval times, minstrels use to sing stories to the common people making them cry and laugh. They use to have immense power over the masses. Even today if you listen to a good singer, you are moved by his or her rich voice and emotions.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

All The Secrets About Dragonfly Musical Instruments

Designed by BLUE (Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics), the dragonfly used for musical instruments works wonders particularly for the personal-studio operators. This diaphragm condenser, the dragonfly, is distinctive in design using high quality components. The correspondence quality price is nothing to worry about with this piece of professional equipment. Now lets what the dragonfly condenser can do for musical instruments.

The Dragonfly musical instruments with the highest compatibility are the drums. You can actually record CDs, and though drums sound great, the dragonfly is great for all kinds of musical instruments. The overall sound in crystal clear, accurate and very much present. The quick transient response makes it easy to be used as it extremely accurate, due to the fact that it is especially designed for percussion. It works great for hand drums too, such as the bongos and the dumbeks or the congas.

You'll also be surprised at the quality sound you can get with dragonfly applied to some other difficult sources like the rattles or the shakers. Many sound operators complain that with the shakers, there is always a loose sound with some of the other diaphragm condensers. Dragonfly does no such thing, as it captures a tight and very natural sound, with no slushy interference due to sharp or bright notes. Dragonfly musical instruments combination will hardly prove difficult.

All reviews point to the high professionalism of this device. Dragonfly musical instruments applications are highly quiet, there is hyped sounding as this condenser assures a neutral sound that impresses by the excellent transient response. High-pitched sounds such as high-harmonic overtones are documented without any grating sound or imbalance. Make a simple experiment. Compare the sound a triangle makes live, and the one it makes with a Dragonfly; there is hardly any difference.

The Dragonfly for other musical instruments than the drums, is another great choice. For instance dragonfly musical instruments combinations also include the use with the acoustic guitar or the piano. The effect on the piano is so impressive that you can actually feel the great balance of high mid and low sounds in the realistic sense of the piano. The Dragonfly picks up the harmonics and recreates complete and full sounds specific to jazz and piano tracks.

Last but not least, besides dragonfly musical instruments applications, there are some other very successful combinations such as the one with vocals. We could say that this is perhaps among the primary uses of the Dragonfly. The effect on voice records is the impression of air and natural sounding of the vocals. All in all, we can openly admit, that the music industry is highly influenced by the electronics, and the dragonfly is the clear, objective proof.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

All The Reasons For Playing Musical Instruments

In this article we will look at some reasons for playing musical instruments. Learning to play a musical instrument can offer many benefits, if you really want to learn how to do something in your lifetime, then you should think about learning to play a musical instrument.

Let’s look at some reasons why in this article:

Reasons for playing musical instruments - You can become smarter

Studies have shown that those that play a musical instrument in school, do better with their studies than those who do not. It is said that playing musical instruments has a therapeutic effect on the brain. By playing musical instruments from a young age, they develop ones reading skills, a child’s ability to learn, and they also raise the child’s IQ. Adults can benefit also because it makes one able to focus better resulting in effects such as more mental focus and improved memory.

Reasons for playing musical instruments - Learn Discipline

Many people who play music are very disciplined. You have to be disciplined in order to master the instrument you are playing. You need to set aside time each day to practice, practice, and further practice. While many people goof around watching TV and Gossiping, you have to set that time aside to practice on your chosen instrument.

Reasons for playing musical instruments - Instruments relive stress

When you hear soft soothing music, it can de stress many people. We all need days when we need to just sit and soothe our minds. Life can be hectic and stressful. Playing an instrument can relax you by calming the mind.

Reasons for playing musical instruments - A sense of achievement

If you’re new to playing a musical instrument, getting your first piece right can be very frustrating. However, once you achieve this, you can have an overwhelming feeling of achievement and satisfaction.

Playing musical instruments is fun

Playing an instrument can be very hard work, but most people who play will tell you that playing an instrument is a whole lot of fun. Once you get better playing your chosen musical instrument, you will be able to demonstrate what you have learn to families and friends.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

We Discuss Musical Instruments

In this article we will talk about the musical instruments in the woodwind family. These have always been instruments of interest because they are some of the most natural instruments available to play. Most people enjoy playing these instruments for this reason.

The piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, bassoon, clarinet, and saxophone are all instruments of the woodwind family. Most of these instruments were made of wood. Now, they have evolved and are made from all sorts of material, however, the essence is still the same for each instrument. Basically, they still play in the same way. Because they are played by blowing air or with wind, they are called the woodwind family of musical instruments.

The designs of the musical instruments woodwind family are all made from a tube with holes in the tube. When the holes are covered up, the air goes all the way to the end of the tube. This results in a different sound being played. When the holes are open and nothing is over them, the air goes only a little way and the instrument makes a high sound. The instrument with the shortest tubing and the highest sound is known as the piccolo. The notes of these instruments can be further increased by using different shapes and sizes. This is why the saxophone can be shaped different and can come in a variety of forms.

Further information on musical instruments woodwind family

These instruments are perfect if you want your child to get in to musical instruments. Many children across the world are fascinated with these instruments and start playing them from an early age. Some lose interest, but many do not. You will often find that these children go on to play more musical instruments as they grow up and gain a general interest in playing musical instruments.

The woodwind family of instruments makes sounds in different ways. The flute makes a sound by blowing air across the holes on the instrument. The clarinet and saxophone generally use a single piece of cane. These canes vibrate producing a sound. The oboe, English horn, and the bassoon used a double piece of cane that vibrated against each other resulting in different types of sounds.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

What Piano Players Should Know About String Musical Instruments

Stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass) are cousins of the piano as they make music with strings vibrating to a certain pitch. But they are different in the sense that the strings of a piano are struck with hammers to create sound, where as a violin player uses a bow to create sound. Sometimes, however, a violinist or other string player plucks the strings with their fingers (as directed in the music as pizzicato). Violin, viola, cello, and bass are not exclusively orchestral instruments. These versatile instruments are used in jazz, country, bluegrass, and other types of music.

A hammered dulcimer is very similar to piano in that strings are struck with hammers to produce tones. Unlike the piano, all the strings of a hammered dulcimer are exposed and easily accessed by the musician. As many as four strings can be struck at the same time to produce chords. The player holds two (sometimes four) shaped wooden hammers, playing the strings in combination to produce chords and melodies. A hammered dulcimer is found predominately in folk music and is known for it's unique sound.

Even more similar to the piano is the harpsichord, as it has a similar keyboard and notes are produced by plucking (striking) the strings. A great deal of music written for harpsichord can be played on piano (and vice versa) although the sound (and essentially, the style) is different for each instrument.

Other stringed instruments include guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and harp. All these instruments are tuned in the same way (in the same key) as piano. There is no transposing needed by the pianist (as is required for other instruments such as trumpet and sax). All the notes produced by these instruments can be found on the piano's range of over eight octaves (where a guitar for example, has a range of only four and-a-half octaves).

Tuning of all stringed instruments, including piano, is done by tightening or loosening the tension of a particular string. As a string is tightened, it is made shorter and thus, vibrates faster and at a higher frequency. Also, the thinner the string, the higher the pitch. The higher pitched strings of a piano are made with piano wire alone, whereas the lower sounding string are wrapped with brass, bronze, or other metal wrapped tightly around a core of piano. Although they may be made out of the same material and in the same fashion, Piano strings are not used on guitar nor are guitar strings typically used on a mandolin, banjo, or ukulele.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

What Piano Players Should Know About Brass Musical Instruments

Modern brass instruments include trumpet, trombone, baritone, sousaphone (tuba), and French horn. These instruments create a wide variety of tones by the player forcing air into the instrument causing it to resonate in different ways (at different frequencies).

There are two different types of brass instruments, valved and slide. Valves are used to change the shape and size of the instrument (causing the player's wind to change its path and length, causing the instrument to resonate in different ways). Brass instruments with valves include cornet, trumpet, and French horn. They utilize piston valves (cornet), or rotary valves (French horn). The musician must learn which combinations of valves produce certain tones while using their embouchure (the position and strength of their lips on the mouthpiece of the instrument) to make tones lower or higher in pitch. Slide brass instruments use a slide to change the length of tubing and thus the tone of the instrument. Most common of this type of instrument is the slide trombone.

Some brass instruments need to be transposed for piano. For example, a Bb trumpet or an Eb alto saxophone. When the written note C is played on a trumpet, it is the same note as an Bb on a piano. It's very important for the pianist to be aware of this in order to communicate with the trumpet player. The same holds true for the pianist when playing with other instruments that are tuned differently such as a French horn or alto sax.

Music for brass ensembles (four to six brass instruments) often uses the piano as the accompanying instrument. An experienced pianist will be able to help with the ensemble's performance by helping them rehearse the most challenging passages. The piano, in this case, also helps fill out the arrangement and plays a big part in creating the rhythm of the piece. And, as mentioned above, the pianist must be aware of the different key of each brass instrument in order to communicate effectively with the group. For example, if the group includes a tuba, the pianist must know whether it is a Bb or Eb tuba in order to help rehearse the musician in the most effective way possible.

Big bands (swing, dance, and jazz) contain a number of brass instrument and most, if not all, also include a piano. The pianist helps provides the chord structure, rhythm, and sometimes the melody of the piece. Big band music can be quite complex, particularly when it comes to chord structure and progressions. Quite often, the pianist is playing the same chord as the grouped brass instruments while at the same time contributing to the rhythm and style of the music. A piano is also very common in jazz combos and vocal groups.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Handle injury claim with perfection

Whenever any accident takes place and results any physical injuries, it could be the first concern for everyone to know how much could be injury compensation to be claimed or received. Everybody is anxious to know the value of their physical damages caused by any type of accident. One has to know that the compensation could be varies according to the circumstances and the size and importance of the injuries. Moreover it largely depends on the solicitors who handle your case to avail the suitable compensation for the injuries caused. If the solicitor is well experienced in handling such types of cases, he can easily assure of a better claims knowing the seriousness of the injuries caused. In many cases they can advise you the rough estimation of the claim to offer you an approximate idea of compensation. You will be asked to undergo several medical checkups and assessments to determine the exact extent of your injuries and sufferings of pain and this would enable to consider the amount of your compensation. If the injury is occurred at the work site, the large amount of responsibility would be shouldered by the employer and if all the employees are covered, then the insurance company has to settle the compensation agreed. The solicitors at Accident Advice Bureau would send their expert and professionally experienced solicitor to assess the root cause of the accident, the amount of injuries have taken place and the physical and mental condition of the victim, the responsibilities of the accident happened etc. After the careful observation of the entire situation, they would finally file a suit to recover a suitable compensation. If they find any need to involve the legal authorities like police etc, let them to carry on their duty task. The amount of compensation largely depends upon the report of police but an expert and well experienced solicitor would try every trick to win the situation into your favor.
Any accidental injury is largely depends upon the length of sufferings. That is why it is much expected from the insurance solicitor to examine the facts behind any accident carefully and then proceed further determining who is at a fault. There are various causes of an accident and the main ingredient is negligence. Whether it could be a driving on the road or working at a site one should have applied enough care to safeguard at least one's self to avoid any accident. A regular check up of the equipment or devices used for the work can reduce the accident due to the fault in operation. Many times, poor health is also equally responsible for the accident if the health and safety of the employees are not maintained properly
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Achievements Of Dave Manson

You must know who Dave Mason is. He is a famous singer. Dave Mason music is in fact quite famous. He is a native of Worcester England.


When Dave Mason was 18 years old, he teamed up with Chris Wood, Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood to form the legendary Dave Mason band Traffic. Dave Mason is not only a famous for his music. Dave Mason Lyrics is also famous. When he was just 19 years old, he wrote the song Feelin' Alright.


The song Feelin' Alright since then has become a rock and roll anthem. It is been recorded by over 48 artists. The best version that is well known is Joe Cocker. Profound influence of the group Traffic over rock music even today remains unquestioned.


Dave Mason left Traffic after the release of their second album. Dave in 1969 headed to USA to pursue a career. He struck gold with Alone Together the album which is regarded by rock music lovers as the ultimate rock classic. This followed five albums for CBS including Mariposa De Oro, Dave Mason, four of which got gold albums. Let It Flow has gone petty well over platinum. It contained in it a top 10 single We Just Disagree. You are surely quite familiar with these songs for Dave Mason Music is famous.


In addition to carrying out the performance to sold-out audiences, Dave Mason performed on many albums like Beggars's Banquet of Rollin Stones and many others. In 1993 in the month of October, Dave Mason joined formally Fleetwood Mac, the legendary group. He spent two years with the group touring all around the world. The band released an album in 1995 called Time that has lead vocals of Dave on songs like those that I Wonder Why and Blow By Blow.


The career spans for Dave Mason over thirty seven years and has covered producing, song writing famous as Dave Mason lyrics and performing. He is a great guitar player. He is a member to have founded the group Traffic in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Currently he is putting the finishing touches to a solo album that is brand new. Along with his partner in January, Dave launched a guitar company at the NAMM show of 2004 in Anaheim.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Wabash Musical Instruments

In this article we shall discuss wabash musical instruments.

There are many musical instruments to purchase in Wabash. Depending on your tastes, you may wish to browse around for the instrument of your choice. During our research, we have found out some Wabash musical instruments that were popular, and although they are known as expensive, can be purchased at low cost if you find the right places.

Let’s take a look at some of the instruments you may be interested in below:

Wabash musical instruments

We will discuss 4 instruments based on their popularity in the musical instrument industry relating to Wabash musical instruments. You may not be interested in these particular instruments; however, by looking around you can pick up these items on sale in Wabash. Such instruments would normally cost you big bucks by shopping offline.

Full Size Starter Drum Kit

You can pick up standard models of these instruments. If you look for the ones designed for home use rather than for actual gigging purposes, you will be able to pick up a bargain deal. These kits are ideal for the first time drummer who wants to get into drumming.

Digital Piano

The digital Piano is a great quality piano with a weighted hammer and an action keyboard. This type of piano can accomplish a wide range of sounds and notes.

Electric guitar and powered amplifier

These guitars feature superb sound and come with a fifteen watt powered amplifier. In such packs, you also get spare strings, guitar leads and straps. Normally, by looking around, you can also get a package deal that also contains a padded bag and an electric tuner.

Acoustic Guitar

These are really nice guitar with natural finishes, we highly recommend these guitar fo anyone interested in the guitar, for anyone interested in playing the guitar, or anyone who is savvy with the guitar.

High dual core extreme computer sound station

These computers are the best of their kind when it comes to audio performance. These computers are everything that a high spec audio workstation should be. With such a computer station, you can compile new music, re edit music, and really get in to making music.

Condenser Microphone

You can’t love music without a microphone. Of course, you may not want to sing, however, a song is not always complete with out some vocal. The condenser microphone is of extreme quality and is the ideal solution for a high quality microphone. These microphones are perfect for almost any recording situation. This summarizes our article on Wabash musical instruments.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Bruce Springsteen Tickets - See the Boss Perform All New Songs

Since the early '70s, Bruce Springsteen has been one of the last true rock 'n' roll artists, staying loyal to a style of music that has shifted and evolved countless times over the decades. He also remains one of the preeminent chroniclers of American life within pop music, drawing sketches of the down-on-their-luck and the working class, and giving the characters in his songs a dignity that the world seems intent on robbing from them.

In 2009, Springsteen released yet another album: Working on a Dream, which hit the top of the Billboard 200. The album includes some great new Springsteen songs, including "The Wrestler," which was used in the Darren Aronofsky-directed film of the same name. Bruce Springsteen tickets sold very well as fans rushed out to hear the man play his songs live.

Here's a run-down of some of the most essential Springsteen albums, including his most recent record, Working on a Dream.

Working on a Dream, 2009
Though the Boss doesn't score on the charts with his singles they way he used to, Working on a Dream is still a solid album packed with great new music from this master of old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. Tracks like "The Wrestler," the last song on the album, show off Springsteen at his best. "These things that have comforted me, I drive away / This place that is my home I cannot stay / My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display / Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free? / If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me," Springsteen sings on that. He perfectly captures the feeling of being broken and old but still giving life your all. Working on a Dream shows Springsteen still rooting for the underdog with moving language.

Born in the U.S.A., 1984
Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. isn't just classic Springsteen's classic rock, a perfect gem that's regarded as one of the best albums to come out of the '80s. The three hits on this album "Born in the U.S.A.," "Dancing in the Dark" and "Glory Days" remain popular tracks to this day. It's hard not to feel your heart swell to the chorus on many of these songs. More than any other, this is certainly required listening for anyone looking to get into Springsteen.

Nebraska, 1982
The black and white photo on the cover of Nebraska hints at the dark stories contained within. If Springsteen's follow-up, Born in the U.S.A, had a silver lining of hope in it, Nebraska was the dark cloud that had to pass over you before you reached that hope. Despite the pessimism, it's a brilliant album, one that takes a stripped-down approach to Springsteen's music.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..

Musical Instruments Make Better Toys

The younger the better. All babies love banging pots and pans, which is a pretty reasonably priced solution for a musical instrument, but at some point you may want to move them up to something thatdoesn't have spaghetti stains on it. Possibly even something a little quieter. Some basic little xylophones, or tiny baby sized piano keyboards would be a good choice. I've seen some music books with a piano keyboard attached. The keys were all numbered, and the music book had the numbers superimposed on top of the written notes. Simple enough for any child to pick up, as well as providing a great introduction to reading sheet music. Albiet at a very simplistic level, but still a start.


Some Professional Help

When introducing them to enough different types of musical instrument toys, you will have an opportunity to observe, which musical instruments seem to spark an interest in them. Or if your really lucky, you may notice that they have a naturalaptitude for certain instruments. While true musical prodigies are far and few between, there are varying degrees of talent for those of us below the prodigy level. As they get older, it may be time to seek out the guidance of a qualified musical instructor. While children will likely enjoy their early lessons immensely, there will come a point where it will become boring and tedious for them. It's important to strike a good parental balance at this point. While it's important not to let them quit just because their bored, it's also important not to force them to do something till they despise it.

Musical instrument toys can be a great choice for children of all ages. And with any luck, and a little persistence, it can have a positive effect on a child that will last a lifetime.
Read More.. Read More.. Read More..
 

blogger templates | Make Money Online