Posted by David Lyons in general. No Comments
Mashable!
Australian researchers have figured out a way to harness the energy we use while typing to power a laptop. Using piezoelectricity, this method works in a similar way to cigarette lighters that create a spark by striking a piezoelectric crystal.
To power a laptop, though, a much thinner film of the piezoelectric material would have to be developed using nanotechnology. It’s so thin, it can be coated onto various electronic parts and integrated into a variety of gadgetry.
GizMag reports that the study‘s co-author Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran said:
“The power of piezoelectrics could be integrated into running shoes to charge mobile phones, enable laptops to be powered through typing or even used to convert blood pressure into a power source for pacemakers — essentially creating an everlasting battery.”
The idea of an everlasting battery is mind boggling. Scientists are also looking into ways to power touchscreen devices with piezoelectric film, putting all that energetic finger-swiping to good use.
Could this be a way around that perennial battery power conundrum?
[via Advanced Functional Materials, graphic by iStockphoto
More About: everlasting battery, laptop, nanotechnology, piezoelectricity, research, study, typing power
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Posted by Darren Roberts in general and tagged as browser compatibility, cross-browser testing. No Comments
Cross-browser testing, as it is commonly referred to by web designers, can add both a significant delay to development cycles, and a significant increase in the overall cost of any web project.
As has been well documented, many large websites such as Facebook have ceased supporting older browser versions in 2010 / 2011.
eBoss currently supports :
Internet Explorer 7, 8 & 9.
Firefox 3 & 4.
Google Chrome.
Safari
eBoss does offer browser testing in other browser versions if a Client requires it at our Standard Hourly Rate.
To illustrate why eBoss adhere to this policy, we have included below some sample statistics on the Operating Systems, and Browser Types & Versions that are commonly used.
QUICK SUMMARY
A quick calculation based on the number of Browser Versions, and the number of Operating Systems below, indicates that we would need to test each website on (number of OS’s multiplied by number of Browser versions) several hundred different setups to make absolutely sure that every browser and operating system combination was okay. Obviously this is not a tenable situation, even for companies such as Facebook with extensive resources.
DETAILED STATISTICS
In descending order of popularity, with approximate percentages, these are the stats:
BROWSERS:
Firefox – 48%
Chrome – 30%
Internet Explorer – 13%
Safari – 5%
Opera – 2%
Mozilla – < 1%
BROWSER VERSIONS:
Firefox -
4.0.1
3.6.17
4.0
3.6.3
3.6.8
3.6
3.6.10
3.6.12
3.6.15
3.6.16
Chrome
11.0.696.68
11.0.696.71
11.0.696.65
11.0.696.60
10.0.648.205
10.0.648.204
11.0.696.57
12.0.742.77
12.0.712.0
12.0.742.60
Internet Explorer
8.0
9.0
7.0
Safari
533.21.1
6533.18.5
533.18.5
533.19.4
533.20.27
6531.22.7
Opera
11.10
11.11
10.53
11.01
9.64
Mozilla
1.9.03
OPERATING SYSTEMS:
Windows – 83%
Macintosh – 9%
Linux – 5%
iPhone – 1%
OPERATING SYSTEM VERSIONS:
Windows -
7
XP
Vista
Server 2003
Macintosh
Intel 10.6
Intel 10.5
Intel
Linux – 5%
(not set)
iPhone – 1%
So a back-of-an-envelope calculation would be something like this:
No. of browsers – 35
No. of OS’s – 9
= 315 testing scenarios.
** in the real world, the figure may be lower due to the fact that not every browser will be used on every OS, but this is a rough indication. So there you have it folks, straight from the IT department, we’d rather support the top browsers than go crazy perfecting a system for over 300!
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware. No Comments
Whilst you may not initially relish the thought of voluntarily registering for VAT, there are certainly some advantages to doing so, ahead of the time when you are required by law to do so, known as compulsory registration. Let me explain :
• Being registered for VAT can give your business a certain amount of “kudos” when it is being marketed to potential customers, they may see you as larger than you really are, or more financially viable and draw comfort from this.
• Being registered means that, yes, you do have to charge VAT to your customers, but, possibly of more importance, it also means that you can reclaim VAT on some or all of your purchases thus reducing their net cost to your business. This can provide a valuable financial boost to a new business where the start up costs for equipment etc can be quite high anyway, even before 17.5% (or 20% from next year) VAT is added on.
• If all or the majority of your customers are VAT registered businesses anyway, they should not be too concerned if you charge them VAT, as they will simply claim a credit on their VAT returns. So there is no customer downside in you registering, in these circumstances.
• With a compulsory VAT registration turnover limit of £70,000 (from 1 April 2010, on a rolling monthly basis), most successful businesses will have a need to register anyway, at an early stage, possibly within the first year or two of starting out. Doing so ahead of the compulsory registration point could simply mean you are able to get to grips with the VAT system as your business starts, whilst there are fewer “inputs” to deal with, and as issues arise you can perhaps learn as you go along, together with everything else of course!
• Yes, charging VAT to customers who are not VAT registered will increase your costs to them, but as you will obviously want your business to grow, why not get them used to it from the very out-set; there will be no shock at a later date as your business grows, to a point when you have to increase your prices to include VAT, as you hit the compulsory registration limit.
• Once registered you can still reclaim VAT on business related purchases made prior to registration, if they meet the VATman’s criteria and with set timeframes.
DISCLAIMER
The above information is provided purely for information purposes only and is intended to be general in nature. Always consult specific professional advice from a qualified tax adviser before you take any action. This information is, to the best of our knowledge, correct, complete and reliable, free from errors and up to date, we cannot guarantee that it is and will remain so. We and our Internet partners, disclaim all warranties and its provision is not intended to provide a client-tax adviser relationship in anyway whatsoever. This information only provides an overview of the position concerned at the date of publication. As such, we take and accept no responsibility whatsoever for any loss, be it financial or otherwise, incurred by any person or organisation, through either their positive acts, or acts where they have refrained from acting.
Graham Wilde is a Chartered Tax Advisor for www.taxnetuk.co.uk
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware. No Comments
An offer from recruitersite.co.uk who understand that it is the recruiter that gets the best candidate in the quickest time that gets the placement! Our success is built upon yours, so we want to help you to make more placements, supply more contractors and make more money, to this end a generous 20% Discount off all job posting packages at Recruitersite.co.uk is on offer to all eBoss clients. Recruitersite.co.uk is the most comprehensive and effective all-in-one recruitment advertising solution on the market. It helps SME recruiters cut costs and maximise their advertising spend. The system is effective for all sectors, and is all inclusive in the one price. “Maximum Exposure, Minimum Spend.”
Simply register, select the package that best fits your needs and post your jobs. How it works for eBoss clients: Every month Recruitersite.co.uk will supply eBoss clients with a unique code that will take 20% off any adverts purchased when entered at checkout. These codes are accessible by clicking the Recruitersite logo on your eBoss login page.
Important information: You do not require contracts with any of the job boards Multi-post included in the system No time limit on credits Pay-as-you-go options Free Recruitment Agency Listing – Click link http://www.recruitersite.co.uk/client/register.asp To learn more watch the entertaining video, http://www.recruitersite.co.uk/content/recruitersite-video-41322.html Or view the job posting media pack: http://www.recruitersite.co.uk/upload/mediapack.pdf If you would like to discuss contact Scott Taylor – Recruitment Media Director Email: scott@recruitersite.co.uk or call 0845 604 8343 We would like to wish you every success, assuring you of our commitment and support at all times. Your discount code for this month is: RIDC20
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware and tagged as database management, eboss, online recruitment software, software for recruitment. No Comments
To assist you in your search for a recruitment software system we have put together a few examples of the types of questions we get asked, and these are below. Of course we are happy to answer these and more when you are ready…
- How safe is my data?
- Where is my Data hosted?
- Are there any hidden charges?
- Are there any joining fees?
- What if I want to leave? Are there any exit fees?
- Is there a 30 day refund guarantee?
- How is support provided?
- Who’s data is it?
- Is there an easy and free data in/out migration tool?
We are also often asked how we are able to provide a comprehensive and efficient service for such a reasonable price and our answer is always, because we are very well organised!
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware and tagged as free recruitment software, online recruitment software, software features, software for recruitment. No Comments
Our statistics show that some people search for free recruitment software. Why pay for something when you can get it free. Well it appears to be a good enough reason. At first glance such an offer looks inviting. On closer examination the recruitment software that is generally offered free is only a small portion of what is provided when you purchase a recruitment software package. What does this mean? Well recruitment software is not something you buy in a box and that is it. The software is an evolving proposition backed up by constant service and upgrades. What would you do for example with your free recruitment software if you wanted to make a change to the system? Where would you put your request in? What happens if for example you wanted a new feature, lets say you wanted to tweet your jobs, who would you call to request this feature? What about hosting? To ensure firm foundations for your business one would assume you would want the system to have backup and disaster options in place.
Lets look at paid recruitment software, as an ongoing recurring payment you get an ongoing service. The vendor will want to keep your business and will have a team of support staff to ensure you get what you pay for. Failure to provide a robust support service could mean you can vote with your feet and move your business elsewhere. A good vendor will not tie you into a contract for this very reason. How would you feel in a 12month contract if after 1 month you realised your system was not supported appropriately. When you pay for your software you can hold the vendor accountable. The vendor by virtue of getting paid will invest the revenue in maintaining the system and upgrading it to ensure it remains a market leader and provides all the latest functionalities required by a recruitment consultancy.
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware and tagged as data protection, IP control, recruitment database, recruitment software. No Comments
Are you worried about access to your eBoss recruitment database out of hours or away from your office ? Would you prefer the database is only accessed at your office or during office hours?
Whilst there are advantages of accessing the eBoss database securely from any internet connected browser, indeed it is one of its strengths. However there will always be occasions where access control is managed by your situation at the time. For example you may have a temporary worker who requires access from home, or an employee who wants to work over the weekend.
To facilitate this we have created a new function and it allows you to control access to your database based on the IP address of the user. To work efficiently it is ideal to have a static IP address. To discover your IP address visit whatismyip.com.
When you want to only allow access to your system, simply enter the IP address in the settings. This will ensure users can only access your data in your office. We have created a support video on this and it is available on your support desk.
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware and tagged as business brochure, database management, eboss, new recruitment business, online recruitment software, software for recruitment. No Comments
Have you created a brochure for your business? I recently updated our company brochure and these are some of the questions that I asked myself during this process:
What is the function/purpose of the brochure?
How much do we want to say?
How do we reinforce the message of the website?
What do we expect from the brochure?
How are we going to distribute it?
How will we know whether it has contributed to an increase in business?
In a future post I’ll update the results of some of the questions above. It is now with the designer and should you want a copy when it is ready please join our mailing list here
Posted by David Lyons in recruitmentsoftware and tagged as database management, eboss, online recruitment software, software for recruitment.
The eBoss recruitment database system has lots of useful functionality all designed to help make recruitment simple. Recently we integrated Broadbeans Ad Courier service with eBoss and along with Idibu we now offer more choice for our clients who wish to use either one or both of these services.
So, how does a job posting service work in eBoss? The concept is fairly simple and allows you to post your vacancy from your eBoss database system quickly to multiple job boards. eBoss also facilitates replies by emails to your database, linked to the job the applicant is applying for, so it makes it simple and easy to track the responses to your vacancies. We don’t charge anything for these modules and providing you have a subscription with Idibu and or Broadbean you are good to go. Current users of eBoss will find in our helpdesk a full video explaining exactly how to enable these services in your system.
Posted by David Lyons in general and tagged as database management, eboss, online recruitment software. 1 Comment
We are often asked -usually prior to a new client signing up-, what the structure of our business is. Below are some of the more common questions:
1) Exactly how many staff do you have?
2) How many per department and who works in that department?
3) Where are they located?
4) How many clients do you have?
5) How many users do your biggest clients have?
etc
I acknowledge that these questions may be asked in good faith, and that the potential client may even think that the answers could help to make a buying decision,
But really, what the client wants to know is whether we are a reliable firm and whether we can honour our promises. This is what help clients to make up their mind where to buy the services they need.
So, rather than enter into a numbers war, and provide information which does not actually help clients decide about their course of action, we reassure them that we are able and prepared to meet all our promises and guarantee our commitments with sufficient staff and prompt service. And this is really what is useful for potential clients to know and helpful for them to make up their mind with whom to go. For example, we offer a 30 day money back guarantee on our subscriptions and on our web site we keep updated testimonials from our many satisfied clients .
In summary, we reassure our clients that we are a medium sized recruitment software company with enough resources to support our commitment to provide the best services for the product/service they buy, whether it be in the area of Support, Training, Marketing or Accounts.
This approach, we find, satisfies people and gives them the reassurance and guarantees they want when buying a service, while helping them to focus on the services they require and on making a decision to buy with the recruitment business most suited to their needs.
