The Future of Thought Swapping

In the future we will be able to have small chips in our brains and which will work like cell phones, but without the inherent flaws. You will not have to carry them around or worry about dropping them into the toilet.

Arthur C. Clarke in one of his short stories discussed this possibility and we are nearly here. As we get better at mapping the brain and understanding the nature of thoughts and the visual parts of the brain, thought swapping will be considered an obvious step. Will computers become smarter than humans? Well, computers and humans will be one in this case, so we will be equal. Instead of the preverbal file swapping or file sharing, you will be thought swapping. The future is closer than you think, have you considered this? It will be incredible in that you can swap the thoughts, emotions or experience of some one doing an extreme sport, such as jumping off a bridge with a parachute. People will sell these experiences and the VR world will literally be in your head.

For a species which studies other species which use ELF to communicate, use radar and sound to navigate, use all sorts of interesting methods to identify and protect themselves finally we will go beyond the communication skills which are made through the larynx. Even beyond the pseudo science of paranormal attributes, which are innate within us but have not been used or developed for centuries. What an incredible leap of mankind. Is mankind ready for these new opportunities and horizons. Will we use this for the positive? The negative. It may well depend on our ability to allow the flow of thought, while simultaneously allowing a private place in our minds which will not be shared, that which makes us ourselves. In other words we will once again get back to the tribe, society, which currently we are drifting from. We are social animals no doubt and we derive happiness from that sense of belonging. It is an innate tendency. Sharing thoughts and ideas allows for this. It delivers to the human race a completeness, a oneness, while maintaining the individual.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Looking for God - Heres My Story On Finding the Lord

Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the page title: "Looking for God?" This article is dedicated to the Big Guy who makes it possible for all of us to be who we are. God loves each one of us, big, small, short, tall, wherever we are. I encourage you to take a moment to think about the great things God has done in your life.

If you're not yet a believer, I encourage you to accept Christ into your life as the LORD and Savior, and find a path into His loving arms. You see, until a short time ago, I was in the seeking mode, and I knew there had to be more out there than just me. After all, there's no way I could have come up with the 4 seasons, the planets, and all that other stuff that just seems so unbelievable. And growing up, I had always known about God, and Jesus Christ, but hadn't really gotten very close to Him, for one reason or another.

In October of 2004, my wife and I were looking for a place to get some spiritual enrichment that wouldn't be too "out there" but rather a nice warm, welcome place. We searched for the church closest to our house that would be a nice progressive, yet non-threatening, place, and God led us to Church in the City. Our lives were forever changed.

Before this time, I would have never been audacious enough to put something like this on my personal website, for fear that someone would call me and really rip into me because they don't believe what I believe. Now, I don't have that fear, for Proverbs 3:5-7 says: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil."

Because of my trust in the LORD, I am putting this out there for the world to see, in hopes it will bring one more lost sheep home to the shepherd. So if you're not in Milwaukee, I encourage you to find a church near you to visit, and go home to the LORD who loves you, no matter where you are, or what you've done.

If you'd like to talk more about your faith, I would be happy to share anything I can with you. My phone number is 414.640.7445 and if you don't reach me and you're willing to leave me your number, I'll be happy to call you back and talk more.

Phil Gerbyshak
414.640.7445

Write On The Money: The Ten Commandments (Plus Five) Of Profitable Sales Letter Writing

According to the Direct Marketing Association, in 2003 U.S. direct mail marketing efforts produced more than $689 billion in sales. For those organizations who know how to use it direct mail always has been and always will be a core component of their overall marketing strategy.

Several key factors are critical to your direct mail marketing success. One important factor is the letter. In many cases, particularly with small to mid-size companies, the sales letter may be the entire marketing package. But given the right list and the right offer, a skillfully-crafted sales letter can be all you need to turn a substantial profit -- or, pull in a large number of high-quality leads.

With that fact in mind I offer you: Nicastro's Ten Commandments (Plus Five) of Highly Profitable Sales Letter Writing.

I. Thou Shalt Always Focus On The Wants, Needs, Hopes, Dreams And Desires of the People To Whom You Are Writing. Always write with a "you" focus. Put -- and keep -- yourself in the prospect's shoes when writing your letter. Because, when your prospect looks at your letter his or her mind is tuned in to only one station -- WIIFM. What's in it for ME! So make sure your letters play the same refrain over and over again -- you, you, you.

II. Thou Shalt Always Write To Someone Specific. An aunt, uncle, brother, sister, cousin, friend -- anyone. As long as it's a living, breathing person. This mind-set will make your writing more personable, friendly, genuine; important traits that every salesperson must have. In person and on paper.

As you write, keep in mind the words of the great copywriter Malcolm Decker, "The Letter itself is the pen-and-ink embodiment of the salesperson who is speaking personally and directly to the prospect on a one-to-one basis."

III. Thou Shalt Never Forget That Benefits Are The Reason Why People Buy. What your product or service does is a feature. What it does for me -- Mr. or Ms. Prospect -- is a benefit. Give your readers benefits, benefits, benefits!

As my good friend and top-flight wordsmith Barry Freed likes to say, "Keep piling on the benefits till they can't stand it anymore. They have to get out the checkbook. They have to pick up the phone. They have to get in their car and drive to your place of business."

IV. Thou Shalt Grab The Attention Of Your Reader With Your Very First Line. 1-2-3-4. You have exactly that long -- 4 seconds -- to grab the attention of your reader so your opening line better be good. Because it's the most important line in your entire letter.

The objective of your first sentence is to get your prospect to read the second sentence. The second sentence must get him or her to read the third. And so on. Every word, every sentence of your letter is important-- and must advance the sale.

V. Thou Shalt Provide The Reader With Relevant And Specific Information. You've got great service? What is it -- specifically -- that makes your service so great? And why should I care?

You make a "total quality" product? What specifically do you mean by "total quality?" Do you mean the dang thing never breaks down and you have third party maintenance records to prove it? Then tell me. That's relevant. That's specific and verifiable. That's a benefit! And that's why I buy.

World-class motivational speaker Zig Ziglar likes to ask his audience: "What would you rather be, a wandering generality or a meaningful specific." Fill your letter with meaningful specifics and you're more apt fill your coffers with cash.

VI. Thou Shalt Write To Sell Because That's All That Matters. Write in a conversational, working person's, sitting-down-talking-to-someone-you-know-face-to-face style. Forget about always writing in complete sentences. You don't always talk in complete sentences do you?

And it's OK to start sentences with "and" or "but". Remember, you're trying to generate a lead or advance or close a sale, not impress your high school English teacher. Not a one of your prospects is getting paid to read your letter.

VII. Thou Shalt Stop And Ask The Following Question Several Times While Writing Your Sales Letter. "If someone were sitting in front of me . . . trying to sell me what I'm trying to sell them . . . and speaking the words I'm writing . . . would I be reaching for my checkbook or the phone?"

VIII. Thou Shalt Use Active, Action-Oriented Language. Don't write, "When we receive your check your order will be shipped right away." Instead write, "When your check comes in we'll ship your order that very same day." Active, action-oriented language is more motivating, involving and persuasive.

IX. Thou Shalt Write As Much Copy As It Takes To Get The Job Done. There is no such thing as copy that is too long. There is only copy that is too boring, too uninteresting, too uninvolving, too me-me-me-we-we-we-product-product-product-oriented. Interested people will read everything that's interesting about an interesting offer.

In Denny Hatch's great book, Million Dollar Mailings, the average letter length for consumer mailings was 3.3 pages. For business mailings, 2.1 pages. And there have been many highly successful sales letters that were 8 pages and longer.

X. Thou Shalt Give Your Letter Visual Variety and Eye Appeal. Pay attention to how your letter looks. For example, vary the length of your paragraphs and break up long blocks of copy. Six lines are usually the maximum for any one paragraph.

Also, when you speak you create variety through volume, tone, inflection and gestures. When you write you do this by underlining, italicizing, CAPITALIZING and making bold. Be careful though not to overuse emphasis devices. Because when you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

XI. Thou Shalt Never End Any Page Except The Last Page In A Complete Sentence. The human mind seeks completion. If a page ends in mid-sentence the natural tendency is to go to the next page to complete the sentence. And the more interesting, dramatic or intriguing you make your copy leading up to that point the better the odds are that your reader will keep reading.

XII. Thou Shalt Use A Comma In Your Salutation, Indent Your Paragraphs And Avoid Like The Plague Long Drawn Out Sentences. You should strive to give your letter a personal look and "feel." And when you were a little boy or girl writing home from summer camp you always used a comma and indented your paragraphs didn't you? So do the same with your sales letter. Plus, indenting your paragraphs will make your letter easier and more inviting to read.

Never, never, never justify or "block" your text! It's boring and hard to read. And avoid long, drawn out sentences. Remember, you want your letter to be easy to read. Long, drawn out sentences, in addition to being hard to read, can be confusing -- a real "deal-killer" in any sales situation.

XIII. Thou Shalt Not Be Cute Or Clever.. When was the last time you closed a sale by being cute or clever? Here's a suggestion: When you're finished with your letter show it to a friend or colleague. If their reaction is, "Boy, this is really clever. You know, you're a good writer." tear it up and throw it away. But if their reaction is, "Boy, this sounds like a really great product. How can I get one?" then, you're on the right track.

XIV. Thou Shalt Tell The Reader Exactly What You Want Him or Her To Do. Don't assume anything. As salespeople we all know the consequences of doing that. If what you want is for the prospect to pick up the phone and call then say so. Here's an example: "So why don't you pick up the phone right now and give me a call at 800-555-1212? Go ahead and do it now while you still have this letter in your hands."

XV. Thou Shalt Always Include A P.S. Research shows that the P.S. is one of the first things people look at. Restating a key benefit or guarantee here can pull your reader into the body copy of your letter.

The great copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis tells the story in one of his books about a test mailing of fund-raising letters by St. Jude hospital. The letters were identical except for the fact that one included a P.S. and the other did not. The letter with a P.S. pulled a 19% greater response. The moral of the story? It pays to use a P.S.

These are but a few of the many commandments followed by all top-flight copywriters. Your consistent adherence to them can substantially increase the profitability of your direct mail marketing efforts.

Ernest Nicastro, a sales and marketing Pro for more than 25 years, heads up Positive Response, a marketing consulting, advertising and promotions firm. For a FREE copy of the Positive Response Special Report, 77 Sure-Fire Marketing Tips Guaranteed To Boost Results send an email (subject line Tips) to ENicastro@positiveresponse.com. For more information on how Positive Response can help your business grow call 614-747-2256 or go to http://www.positiveresponse.com.

Its Just Common Sense!

When a group of outsiders behaves in a way that hurts your business, you usually do something about it. Yet, many business people are amazingly casual about their own external audiences. To me at least, they seem to ignore the reality that those behaviors really do impact their organizations.

Even when they do realize it, they often fail to associate the damage with the one remedy likely to help ? public relations, America's behavior modification specialists.

Not surprisingly, the fundamental premise of public relations spells out why businesses need public relations. Namely, to help alter the perceptions, and thus behaviors of their key target audiences which almost always leads to achieving their business objectives.

Here's what the premise says: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished.

And here's how you can apply it to your business.

Have you ever thought seriously about who these groups are that can wield such power over your organization? In addition to obvious audiences such as customers, prospects and employees, would your list of key external audiences also include such "publics" as area residents, political officeholders, minorities, fraternal groups, trade and industry leaders, nearby military personnel and union leaders? The test is, do their behaviors affect my business in any way? If they do, they belong on the list.

Now, put the names on that list into priority order and, for starters, let's see how we might approach the group at the top of your list ? your key, target public.

Can't affect how they perceive you, or behave towards you, unless you take the time to find out how they currently perceive you and your business. Interact with several members of that important outside audience, and ask a lot of questions. Have you heard about us? Do you have a positive opinion about us? And listen carefully for any hint of negativity such as inaccurate beliefs about your product or service quality and pricing. Do you notice other misconceptions about your business, or a recurring rumor that needs to be confronted directly?

When you monitor individual perceptions this way, the responses you receive allow you to establish your public relations goal. For example, neutralize that rumor, or clear up that misconception, or correct that inaccuracy.

But what good is that public relations goal all by itself? No good, of course, until you know how you're going to achieve it. And that means you need a strategy. Since there are really just three ways to affect perceptions or opinion, you must decide whether the public relations goal can be achieved by creating opinion/ perceptions where there isn't any, or by changing existing opinion, or by reinforcing it.

And so, with goal and strategy all set, the real work begins. What are you going to say to those individuals whose perceptions of your organization you wish to alter? In other words, you need a message that, in addition to being crystal-clear as to intent, will be persuasive, credible and really compelling. And you must be specific as to whether you seek to correct a misconception, an inaccuracy, a rumor or a mistaken belief about the organization.

Every bullet needs a gun to fire it at the target. And the same goes for your message. The "beasts of burden" that will carry your message to the right eyes and ears among your target audience will be communications tactics. They include news releases, letters-to-the-editor, speeches, newsletters, brochures, face-to-face meetings, broadcast interviews and dozens of others.

In due course, you will wonder if you're making any progress. Best way to tell is to monitor members of your target audience all over again. Ask questions similar to those you used earlier, and listen carefully for indications that their perceptions now reflect the corrective elements of your message.

Not enough movement in their perceptions? You'll want to think about increasing the number of different communications tactics you're bringing to bear as well as an increase in their frequencies. And don't forget to re-evaluate the factual basis and impact of your message itself.

Your ongoing monitoring of perceptions among your key target audience will begin to reveal changes in that opinion as time passes. And that spells success in public relations.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2003

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Raising a Self-Sufficient Teen

Teens don't learn responsibility overnight. If you haven't been working with your teen on gradually giving them a sense of independence and ownership of their lives, then you're going to have your work cut out for you. Don't wait until it's too late.

By the time your children are in high school, they should be doing for themselves a lot of the things you've been doing for them all of their lives. What does your teen do when they have a problem? Run to you? Or try to solve his/her own problem, maybe coming to you for advice when they've exhausted their own resources?

I don't know about you, but I want my daughter to be self-sufficient when she heads off to college. I want her to be able to choose her own friends, manage her own expenses, be up to the challenge of solving everyday problems in an effective and positive manner, and generally get her adult life off to a good start.

Sound difficult? Not if you start out with the small things. My teen told me most of her friends don't even know where their moms do their grocery shopping. I couldn't believe it. My daughter is involved with planning our meals (it's in her interest if she wants a say in what we're having to eat), and she goes to the grocery store with me every single week and helps me mark each item off the list. She reads labels, compares prices, and tells me when she thinks I'm spending too much money on something. And why does she care how much money I spend you might ask? Because our family's finances are tight, and she knows that any money we save at the grocery store our family will be able to spend somewhere else. What a great life lesson.

Because our family's finances are tight, my daughter has also learned how to budget. She is not directly involved in our financial planning, but she sees me making our budget and deciding the way we spend our family's money. She knows that when more money than expected has to be spent in a certain area, that something else has to give. She knows that money doesn't grow on trees. She's started to budget her own money--tithing, spending some, and saving some.

A lot of my daughter's friends wear expensive designer clothes. She knows we can't afford to buy clothes like that for her, so we frequent local thrift and clothing consignment stores, shop bargain sales, and do a lot of yard saling. Sure, I wish I could spend more money on her clothes, but she still finds much of the same designer clothing her friends wear. Other friends are jealous of the good buys she finds. When my daughter grows up part of me hopes she can afford nicer things for herself. But deep down, I'm grateful for the life lessons she's learning. Whether she has money or not, she will never want for anything because she knows how to get by no matter what her circumstances.

You might think your teen would think it a chore to go grocery shopping and shopping for second-hand clothing. My daughter doesn't look at it that way. Partly she's bored and wants to get out of the house, but going through these daily routines together is much of the time we spend together, hanging out and talking about other things on her mind. More than half of the time we spend in deep discussion takes place in the car driving from one place to another. I wouldn't trade that time for anything.

I'm not worried about whether or not my daughter is going to be able to take care of herself when she goes off to college. I'm certain she'll be up to the challenge.

A freshman in high school this year, she has four more years to practice before she's on her own. She cooks dinner once a week or so, does some of the laundry, and helps clean up after our pets keep the house clean. At her age, homework is most important to us and that takes priority over other things, so we don't overload her with chores, but my main concern is that she knows HOW to do these things. Especially with something like cooking it takes time to learn some of these skills. And if you don't have enough patience to help them learn something like how to cook, then let them learn through trial and error. Let them cook what they want to cook and let them even go buy the groceries to make it.

Let your teens schedule their own appointments and make other phone calls you normally make for them. I think everyone has a little fear of the phone at first, but after the first few times they'll enjoy the responsibility they've earned.

And did you notice what effect these changes will have on your life? Less responsibility and demands on you! It's a little hard to let go at first and you might have to take baby steps in handing over the reigns a little, but you'll be so proud of your teen the first time they take initiative on their own. When they leave home you'll worry less and know it was a job well done.

About The Author

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For more inspirational articles and tips for everyday living, visit her web sites at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and http://www.christian-parent.com

What SMS Users Are Telling Telcos

The recent rollout of 3G-ready mobile devices has caused a lot of excitement in the Telco industry, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This article will highlight the message that current customers are sending through their SMS messaging habits. Many consumers have been used to sending SMS for at least 2 years. Even with its humble typing of tiny keypads and source of simple news channel, SMS is a global phenomenon. Telcos must take time to study what their customers are saying.

Here are some guideposts.

Equitable Pricing Plan:

Most customers fall under a mobile plan that guarantees a certain number of free SMS a month. This will imply that even with future sophisticated messaging systems, they are still more inclined to expect the same pricing plan. Thus it could be inappropriate to introduce a per-messaging pricing, no matter of sophisticated the delivery. Telcos must conduct extensive market research to find the correct pricing plan.

Customisation of Ads:

Customers are not only willing to receive high quality advertisements on their mobile devices, but also want these advertisements to be customized to their interests and preferences. This implies that customers are ready to share more personal details and the mobile devices can be viewed as a channel for dynamic and real-time feedback channel. This may spell the demise of the print newsletter and survey form as the penetration rate for mobile devices increase.

Unchanged Keypad:

Many critics of the SMS system had reservations that customers are not adept at typing messages through small mobile device's keyboard. They had felt that the customer is too impatient and too many typing errors will be made. Well they were wrong! Telcos should collaborate with phone makers to keep the current mobile device's keyboard unchanged and concentrate on keeping the screen larger and equipped with better resolution.

Integrating the experience:

Telcos must pay heed in collaborating with the various broadcasting corporations to create an integrated experience. Current mobile device users are very comfortable in voice and SMS communication. Take this as an example: A customer plays a LAN game on broadband in an Internet Caf?, decides to leave the play-station and continues the game on a mobile device. When he reaches home, he turns on his home entertainment system and continues the final stage of the game. This is possible with the GPRS system and 3G Technology synergising with the broadcasting corporation. But more importantly, a number of media and communication providers benefit from this integration. New revenue streams can be developed.

The overlooked education industry:

It is unfortunate that the education industry has not fully utilized SMS to complement the delivery of lecture notes and tests. The same grouses are the small mobile device screen and the lack of security features to determine the identity of the user. However, with 3G technology, educators should think out of the box and allow students to spend more time off campus to conduct their own research. Occasionally, they can arrange for the student to sit for a test that can be transmitted through their mobile devices.

Untapped Security Market:

The Mobile Device can be the next "in-thing" as a security device. The concept is relatively simple. The student's location can be tracked by the GPRS system through the mobile device and the parent can have a face-to-face chat with the child. This concept can also be stretched to include these devices in various parts of a car ? i.e. like a black box in a plane. If there are any major accidents, insurance companies can view these recordings and get a better picture of the accident.

About The Author

Colin Ong TS is the Managing Director of MR=MC Consulting (http://www.mrmc.com.sg) and Founder of the 12n Professional Online Networking Community (http://www.mrmc.com.sg/12n)

colin@mrmc.com.sg

Unsecured Loans

The term unsecured loan relates to a loan which is not secured on any physical asset or other legal entity.

To understand the term unsecured loan we will first look at the opposite, the secured loan:

Many loans can be secured on physical items or other assets such as intellectual property rights. The idea is that if the asset is worth something on the open market then it can be repossessed from the borrower and so taken as payment for the loan if the borrower defaults on the loan repayment.

Many businesses take out loans financed on their fixed assets including buildings and machinery. Today the most common asset for a consumer to use as collateral for a secured loan is their home. These types of loans are commonly referred to as secured loans and it has given rise to a big industry that is cashing in on releasing the equity in peoples homes to finance their wants, desires and debts.

Property prices normally rise over time and many western countries have seen a boom in property prices as populations increase and as their countries economy increases. This mean that a house bought for $100,000 in one year may be worth $200,000 in 6 years time and so people have spare cash locked into their property. Many people have bought their home as it is where they want to be and don't want to move. The money is therefore hard to get out unless they borrow against the property with a secured loan.

This type of loan can be of great benefit to some, with lenders often allowing more adverse applicants to take out a secured loan due to the security the lender has over their property. However, this is of no use to someone who does not own the property they live in.

If you are a tenant, live with your parents, or if you are a student with no legal title over any property then you would be restricted to the unsecured loan.

The unsecured loan does have some advantages and some disadvantages. As it is not secured on anything there is less work to do and the loan can normally be obtained faster. There are many online comparison services showing lenders who offer this type of loan.

One of the main disadvantages of the unsecured loan is that they pose a greater risk to the lender who would need to take legal action to recover the loan should the borrower default, they wouldn't be able to repossess any property as the loan is not secured. As a result of this they normally ask for a greater interest payment than with a secured loan and this can make the loan a lot more costly.

Both unsecured and secured loans have advantages and disadvantages but if you don't own property an unsecured loan is a reasonable financing option.

Article for Information only, written by Thomas Lonsdale who markets Bad-Credit-Personal-Loans.eu.com which offers Unsecured loans