Improving Productivity With Photographic Artwork

Appropriately chosen photographic imagery has long been used by advertising agencies to whet the appetites of consumers and spur on sales. Photographic images and other forms of artwork are also often used as therapeutic aids to relax patients in mental health facilities and calm the nerves of restless waiting room occupants. Photography conveys emotion in ways similar to music - it is, in essence, music for the eyes. In the same ways that a stirring ballad can move one to tears, rousing arrangements from John Phillips Suza marches to hymns of the faith to modern day rock and roll can also instill energy and inspire action. So it is with other art forms such as photography. One of the most overlooked and underutilized tools for ratcheting up productivity is the appropriate use of carefully chosen photographic artwork. If you are looking for ways to increase productivity, improve employee morale, and beautify your work environment at very reasonable cost, consider the use of photographic artwork. It is a low-cost, high-impact investment that pays dividends for years.
 
 
Five Steps to Improving Productivity through Artwork
 
1. Simplicity of subject matter. The artwork that best stimulates productivity is comprised of images that convey power and stimulation without resorting to entertainment. In other words, the message of the medium must be sufficiently clear that it is understood immediately. Images that are complex, multi-subject structures will hold the eye too long, as the viewer considers the intricacies on the image, and deconstructs it visually, evaluating the independent elements. Instead, single-subject images with clarity and purpose are most effective. 
 
2. Project power. Subject matter in motivational imagery should not be complicated, and should not contain more than a single word or perhaps two, if it contains text at all. Ideally, the subject is the message. The subject portrayed in a manner that conveys power, action, and passion. The subject may range from a single flower to a soldier in the midst of a battle cry battle to a mountain thrusting itself majestically through the clouds. But the insight and artistry of the photographer is required to capture the subject and convey its essence and its texture powerfully to the viewer. That power and passion may be achieved through the use of color, the positioning of the subject within the frame, or the drama surrounding the event portrayed. (This is often accomplished using motion blurs and similar devices.) Consider the drama portrayed in whitewater rafting images, BMX bicycling images, and other images that reflect power, determination and purpose. 
 
4. Climb with color. Subject matter is the central element of the motivational image, but not the only one. The appropriate use of color helps to inspire and elevate energy levels. Even a single flower bloom, and the spectacular rays of an emerging daybreak across the crystal-blue surface of a lake can provide strong, positive subliminal messages of hope and vibrancy. Like all elements of the photographic artwork, color can be over-blown. The appropriate balance to be struck here is strength and life without garishness and over-manipulation.  But just as black-and-white photography serves to depress the mood and darken the outlook, properly lit color and texture serves to brighten outlooks, and lift spirits.  
 
5. Present perfectly. The final critical element of motivating artwork is presentation. Wide, ornate frames typically distract the viewer's eye from the subject of the image, diluting the drama and energy that would otherwise be conveyed. However, matting often has the opposite effect when it is done well, picking up and amplifying the colors and textures of the subject like a visual megaphone. The presentation is a matter of location, lighting, and housing. For optimal impact on productivity, photographic artwork should be placed where natural breaks in the routine will cause the eye to fall on the artwork in return trips to the place of work. For example, when artwork that is designed to motivate and inspire is hung in foyers and annexes, it should be placed on walls where it will be viewed naturally as employees return to work - not where they will see it as they are leaving for lunch, or at the end of the day. In order to avoid desensitization, it is also useful to display this artwork where it is not in the constant eyeline of the employee, in order to preserve its freshness and extend the life of its impact as a motivator and productivity tool.
 
Photographic Artwork is a Great Business Investment
These five steps will help you capture significant recurring productivity improvement as a result of the powerful subliminal forces of visual artwork. Compelling photographic art is the best way to present the most attractive and uplifting aspects of the real world, and consistently motivate employees. It is a great investment in your business that will pay dividends year after year.

Get Back to Low Rider Biking

A popular style of bike that is coming back into vogue lately is the low rider bike. Unlike standard bikes, that people may use for exercise or transportation, they add comfort and style to the biking experience. For many, riding one is more than just a hobby, it is a lifestyle. Through their bikes, many enthusiasts find a way to express their own personality. There are those who think nothing of spending thousands of dollars on sound systems, individualized hydraulics, and beautiful murals to their low rider bikes. The thrill of building or customizing a low rider is almost as important as riding it and showing it off to admirers.

Many of these bikers join together to form clubs. There is a great advantage to joining such a club, since it gives the bikers a chance to feel that they belong to a community, and they can share all of their ideas and find resources for improving their low riders. For the younger set, it is a great way to meet new people while learning a great skill and getting exercise doing it. These clubs are also very active in organizing biking competitions. These competitions allow the participants to showcase their bikes and their skills, as well as meet people from all over the country.

If you remember the popular show from the sixties "The Munsters", you will remember that Eddie Munster rode one of the earliest low rider bikes ever seen. His was a Stingray style bike by Schwinn, but customized by George Barris to the unique low rider contours. This has remained, since the sixties, one of the most popular styles of them. When mountain bikes and BMX bikes came into popularity in the eighties, the sport of low rider bikes fell out of favor with the biking public, but they are coming back into style once again, both for young bikers who like the sportiness of them and for older bikers who like the stylishness of them.

If you decide to get in on this great sport, there is a wide range of choices open to you. Many people like to buy the components and build their own customized low rider bike. All of the resources, including instructions as will as parts, can be easily found on various sites on the Internet. If you are not handy, you can have a customized bike made for you, by giving the specifications you are interested in. Clubs often have their own websites that have a wealth of information on the topic. They will usually have a section showing all of the members' mountain bikes, so you can get great ideas for designs. Of course, mountain bike manufacturers websites will also have all of the information you may need. It is well worth boning up on this topic before you make the commitment to buy or build a low rider bike, so you have a full understanding of the sport, and can therefore enjoy it for a long time to come.

Extreme Sports Wall Decals Bring Life Size Action to Your Bedroom Walls

If you're interested in extreme sports like Motocross, skateboarding, BMX or snowboarding, then you'll want to read about how to show your fan pride with extreme sports wall decals. After reading this article, you should be able to see how to show your sports enthusiasm with removable wall decals.

Hang Them Anywhere
The really cool thing about wall graphics is that they can be applied to any clean smooth surface. And because they're made to be restuck to walls and surfaces, you can take them down and move them to other locations.

Stands up to Hard Use
Wall decals for kids are going to get touched. They're going to get dirty. They're going to be hanging on the wall in direct sunlight day in and day out. Extreme sports wall decals are up to the task. They're fade resistant. They're easy to clean, and they're durable and will stand up to being touched and moved often.

Outrageous Action
If you're really into extreme sports like motocross, what could be better than getting a larger than life image of Brian Deegan soaring hands free and upside down to put up right next to your favorite flat screen TV. That way when you're not catching him live in action you can still keep the inspiration.

Inspire Your Dad
Look. It sucks getting old. If your Dad is over 40, when he was young, half the action sports like Snowboarding didn't exist. You totally need to get him his own sports wall decals of Travis Rice. Even if you can't have your sports wall decals up all the time, when you hang with your dad to catch the latest competition, you can show your pride by putting it up for the event.

Inspire your Son
Remember when you were young and felt like you were no good at anything you did? Find out which sport he's into and then go out and get him the gear to do it and some extreme sports wall decals to get him inspired. Hang out with him. Show your pride in him and get him fired up.

Better yet, after he gets his gear and gets going, break out your hi-res camera with telephoto lens and get a few shots of him in full action at a meet or event. You can get custom vinyl wall decals made with your own images.

Appeal to the Individual
Action sports are primarily one person pitting themselves against a challenge. Having sports wall decals of the heroes of these sports can only encourage your own kids to explore how to be successful as their own person.

Extreme sports wall decals depict high performing and achieving individuals in action. Fans of extreme sports learn that individual achievements are important and possible. Being able to rely on yourself to accomplish a goal is an important talent to cultivate.

Conclusion
So now that you know some of the benefits of these great wall graphics, what are you waiting for? Show your fan pride. Bond with your kids. Get to know what they're into. Get your own wall graphics today!

Top Ten Extreme Sports

Extreme sports have a craze all over the world. Here is a detailed analysis on the basis of the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association International's report. Following is the current Super study of Sports Participation.

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR SPORTS

1. Inline skating 19.2 million

2. Skateboarding 11 million

3. Paintball 9.8 million

4. Artificial Wall climbing 8.6 million

5. Snowboarding 7.8 million

6. Mountain biking 6.9 million

7. Trail running 6.1 million

8. BMX bicycling 3.3 million

9. Wake boarding 3.3 million

10. Roller Hockey 2.7 million

Following are some additional facts on the 12 most popular extreme sports:

• Inline skating:
Out of total population of inline skating, 51 percent are female. However, 58 percent of all regular (25-plus days/year) inline skaters are male.

• Skateboarding:

The average number of days of participation is 44.

• Paintball:

Overall participation in paintball and U.S. sales has grown up each year since 1998.

• Artificial Wall Climbing:

The average age was found to be only 19.9 years in this game.

• Snowboarding:

Sales figures are incredible now. Snowboard equipment sale in 2003 was $141 million.

• Mountain Biking:

Almost 70 percent of mountain bikers are guys.

• Trail Running:

Since 1990, on the whole participation has increased 17.3 percent in trail running. It became 6.1 million in 2003.

• BMX Bicycling:

The average age of a BMX cyclist is 26.

• Wakeboarding:

The average annual income of a wake boarder is $73,400.

• Roller Hockey:

Out of the 2.7 million roller hockey participants, 33 percent of them play the sport on a "regular" (25-plus days/year) basis.

As is said, fear is in the brain! If a person overcomes it, extreme sports are a thrilling experience. If this fear persists in the brain, extreme sports seem to be no less than a suicidal act.

Elementary Bicycle Maintenance - Tires, Tubes and Wheels

If you ride a bicycle the chances are that some day at some point it will break. In fact I received a program the other day on a CD called Ride it Break it Fix it which is all about repairing and maintaining a good functioning bicycle.
 
There are those people that ride bicycles that have no desire to learn how to repair them, but even those people should know how to do some simple maintenance, fix a flat or do other minor repairs.
 
I personally have ridden a bicycle as much as 120 Miles in 1 day. I put between 2000 and 3000 miles on my bike annually, so I need to be able to do some minor repairs with minimal tools when out away form my home base. Many recreational riders will not need to have as in depth knowledge as a person that rides as often or as much as I do, however they should still know a few things. This report will help you decide what you should know based on your mechanical ability and riding style.
 
Anyone that rides alone should know at least how to fix a flat tire. If you always ride with a group or you always ride with a partner, especially if your ride with a partner that is very mechanical you may be able to get by without this knowledge. You should still know how to check the tire pressure and what it should be. Most of the time you will find the recommended tire pressure right on the side of the tire. Check the tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge, not by the feel of the tire. Some tubes have Presta Valves, some have Schrader Valves, and make sure you know which one you have. Most of the pumps in the US are made for Schrader and unless you have an adapter with you or your companion does, you may be out of luck even if you have a new tire and tube.

You can purchase at most bike shops and at most online bike stores such as Bike Nashbar, Bikmania, and Performance Bike a small device that pumps up bike tires using a CO2 cylinder. These take a while to get used to using, so buy some extra cartridges, you are very likely to drain the first few without getting anything in the tire itself.
 
It is best if you always carry an extra tube, or at the very least a patch kit. I have found that patching a Mountain Bike Tube seems to work, patching a road bike tube appears to be an exercise in futility. Your best bet if you ride a road bike is to carry an extra tube, and unless you are very good with the CO2 inflator, get a frame pump. I have had to carry my road bike for a few miles one time and now I always carry a new tube.
 
Here's something no one ever tells you that could save you a real headache. In order to replace the tube you need to take the old tube out of the tire and after you do check the tire itself by running something along the inside. If you feel anything check to make sure it is not the cause of the blowout, glass or a tack can get stuck in the tire, if you put the new tube in a tire that has some sort of foreign object going through it then the new tube will get flattened also.
 
Also before you put the new tube in, blow it up and make sure there are no kinks. You don't have to blow it up too much, just enough to get the kinks out that are there from it being folded up in the box, or wrapped in a bag. Check also that the new tube has no leaks. I have had a few brand new tubes that had bad valves, or even holes in them. I have also had tubes literally explode after they were placed in the tire. The exploding tube can often be avoided by making sure the tube is not twisted inside the tire. The narrower tires that use the Presta Valve are the most likely to have the problem. Install them carefully and make sure that there are no foreign objects in your tire.
 
If you have quick release hubs on your bike then you won't need any wrenches to remove the wheel from the bike. For most bikes you will need a wrench to remove the wheels from the bike itself. A set of tire removal tools are invaluable for changing a tube. I have one that I bought in Arizona back about 20 years ago. It does not need to be fancy, the best one I have looks like a plastic screwdriver with a strange head on it. I also have some Maxxis Tools that my grandson Jason won at McDonough Georgia at a BMX Race. He picked up some Maxxis tires that day too.
 
Once you have replaced the tube and repaired the flat and have put the tire back on the bike you should check the wheel for True. That simply means that when you spin the wheel does it wobble back and forth or does the brake pads or the fork stay the same distance from the side of the tire all the way around?
 
Some of the causes of wobble can be a broken or weak spoke. It also can be that the tire is not centered or that the quick release has not been tightened properly. You can ride a bike for a while with a wheel that is out of true, but you should have it checked and repaired at a shop very soon after finding the problem. If you have a broken spoke or a bent spoke, you should have the bike checked by a competent shop ASAP. If it is a matter of the wheel is incorrectly seated or the quick release not being tightened simply re-seat the wheel or tighten the quick release. 
 
I plan to make a series of these reports on various aspects of bike repair and maintenance and will possibly be doing some videos that relate to these reports. 
 
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