Old Time Instruction

“I have often admired the mystical way of Pythagoras, and the secret magic of numbers“

Sir Thomas Browne first said this in the seventeenth century, was probably not directed at Magic Squares, and yet it most certainly does apply to this very ancient and fascinating of mathematical constructions.

If you’re not familiar with Magic Squares, then it is simply a square grid (e.g. 4 x 4, 5 x 5), where the total of all the numbers in each row and each column, and, to be classified as a perfect Magic Square, the sum of all the numbers in each of the two corner diagonals, all add up to the same total, which is often referred to as the “magic total”.

You may be surprised to know that Magic Squares date back all the way to 2,800BC when a magic square known as the “Loh-Shu”, which can be translated as “scroll of the river Loh”, was invented by Fuh-Hi, who was the legendary founder of Chinese civilization.

Independently of this, Magic Squares have also been found in Greek, Arabian, Indian and Roman cultures too, with all of these dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

There are many mathematicians, the world over, including the famous Benjamin Franklin, who have added their insights to these mathematical curiosities, to the extent that even today, there are dedicated maths nuts who are still discovering intriguing, new facets of these Magic Squares.

Given that Magic Squares are primarily based on numbers (although alphabetic versions exist as well), it is not too much of a stretch to accept that they are also used in a sort of numerological / astrological way, and this practise has typically been most common in India, where the Yantra is constructed using a person’s date of birth, and then used to give a character assessment.

That’s all very well, but I’m sure you wondering whether Magic Squares have any practical uses.

Well, in one aspect, they certainly do – they are a marvelous way to educate children about both mathematics and the interactions between numbers.

There are plenty of examples on the Internet to be found, and in particular, a free Magic Squares Worksheet that combines a 3D puzzle with a Magic Square, which will keep children (and adults alike) both entertained and educated.

Magic Squares also crop up in the realm of conjuring, being used both as the effect itself and the secret method by which the effect is achieved. One widely-acclaimed book on the subject of Magic Squares presents both a mathematical analysis, as well as some of the uses to which magicians have put Magic Squares.

Be careful though – once you appreciate the beauty of these simultaneously simple but complex creations, you may be hooked for life!

When you need your windows cleaned, a lot of times people just pick up the phonebook or look online to find a company.

And unfortunately, a person may just choose whoever they see first.Well I am going to offer you some good advice on how to choose a good window washing company.  This is going to be advice coming from my years of experience as a San Diego Window cleaning company.

Now you may be thinking, what’s the big deal when hiring a window washing company.  Well for starters, there are a lot of companies out there who will just hire anybody to clean windows for them.  They do this without a background check.  Well of course you realize, these same people are going to have access to your house.With that being the case, would you not want to ensure that the company you are dealing with is reputable.  It could mean the difference between not just a good cleaning job, but it could also mean the difference in items being lost or stolen from your home.

So what can you do to screen out a good company?Well to start, you check to see if the employees are professional, clean, and uniformed.  If they are not, this could be a sign of a company that goes through new employees every week without much screening.

Second, you want to make sure the company is bonded and insured.  Accidents can happen, and if they do, you want to be protected as much as possible.

Third, do they use professional tools.  This will help you see if a company is professional and will provide quality work.

Fourth, check and see the length of time they have been in business.  Like anything, longevity speaks volumes and shows you that you are working with a reputable company.

Finally, you want to see if they have any references of past customers.Nothing is better validation on how good their work is than a company’s previous customers.This lets you see how well they have done in the past.

There you go.  Some quick tips you can use to find the best window cleaning company around.

Water damage happens a lot of different ways.  Ways such as toilet overflow, sink overflow, dishwasher leak, washing machine overflow, or from a busted pipe.  You never expect it to happen, but when it does, you have to take some immediate steps to prevent further damage.Eventually you do want to give your water damage restoration company a call, but before they arrive, do these steps.  This is coming from years of experience as a water damage San Diego company.

First off, you have to prevent any possibility of electrocution.You need to turn off the power in the flooded areas.The water damage repair company should be happy to walk you through those steps.

Second, you have to stop any more water.  You do this by shutting off the water source of the flooding.

Third, you have to protect your furnishings from any more damage.  Leaving furniture in water can turn something that could have been repaired into an item that will need to be replaced which will cost more money.  Get them out of the water as soon as possible.

Those are the things you have to do without hesitation before you even think about calling a water damage service.  But once you have done those things and have called a good company to do the water damage cleanup, here are a few more things you should do while waiting.

You will want to remove as much water as possible by mopping or using a large towel to soak up as much water as possible.  Remember, the longer any wall or furniture or flooring is exposed to water, the greater the damage can be including mold damage.

Next, you must wipe off all the moisture on your furniture.  Once again the idea is to try and minimize the damage as much as possible

Also you have to remove any wet area rugs, or whatever else you find on the floor of the wet areas.

Finally any closet doors or dresser drawers or whatever else that can be opened to allow air to circulate you want to open.

Doing these things will allow you to minimize as much damage as possible prior to calling the water damage repair company.   This will also minimize the costs and save you a lot of money in the long run.

To most families, the home is a vital part of their lives.  Not only just for living in it, but also, family life goes on there, great times, and leisure time.

Well when the time comes when you do have to work on your home, such as doing some painting, this can be a very hard and stressful time in your life.

With that being the case, I would now like to you give you some invaluable advice on how to choose the right contractor.  This advice comes from years working with homeowners and also running a San Diego painting company myself.

Now at first, picking the right painting contractor doesn’t see like it should be difficult.But if you think about the fact that this work can cost thousands of dollars if not more, and also cause a major disruption in your daily life, and of course can either result in a beautiful job or a horrendous job.This is a very big decision.

So here are some tips from my experience as a painter San Diego.

First thing, you do want to start getting quotes from several different contractors.You aren’t just trying for the best price.You are doing this so that you get to know the people you will be hiring to do the work.Of course when you do get a great price, that’s great, but don’t let that be your driving force.  Remember you want a good job to be done.

Second, you will want to know what type of guarantee or warranty they have on their work.See if they have a solid guarantee regarding your satisfaction.  This shows how confident they are in their work.

Third, you want to know how quickly they can start.Also, you want to start to get an idea on how fast they think they can get it done.When you have to cause a disruption to your life, like having to paint your house.You will have to know
how quickly they can get things back to normal.

Finally, make sure to get some testimonials from previous customers.Make contact with them and see what their opinion of the company is.Sell how well the job was completed, if they finished on time, and if it is a good company to work with.

Do these things and you will create as stress free an experience as possible during this stressful time.  Take it from my years of working with painters in San Diego, doing these few steps will help you greatly.

In this age of digital cameras, you have probably thought that you can just point and shoot and out will appear a great shot.Hold on, don’t go so fast.The honest truth is, you may have a great digital camera, but if you are clueless in what to do, you will take ugly shots.

I would love to give you some good tips to help you improve your photography skills.  These tips are coming from years of experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.These tips are all about the lighting and they will some of biggest reasons for you success in taking photographs.

First tip you will use in regards to lighting.Now if the shots you will take are going to be outdoors during the day, the natural sunlight will be some of the best lighting possible.  Now you are probably thinking, “that’s easy, when you are a San Diego photographer since it is always shiny there”, when in actuality really bright sunlight can cast harsh shadows.  Or it can wash out the details in faces if the sun is overhead.

Overall, you are going to want to take most of the shots with the sun behind you.This eliminates any harsh shawows from effecting your shot from the sun.But there will be those times and instances when you want different angles to get those shadows into the shots.

Now that we have tackled the day shots, what if you are taking shots at night? 

The key technique for night photos is actually turning off your flash.Of course if it is absolutely dark with no light you wil need it, but for times when there is some lighting, use the lighting around you, but make sure the shutter speeds are slow enough to let light in.Also, stay steady when you are taking your photograph or you will cause the picture to blur.  Doing these couple of tricks can make a dramatic difference when taking night shots. 

The final piece of advice to use for lighting is using the golden hour to capture great shots.Now there is a time that photographers refer to as the “golden hour” or “magic hour”, and that is during sunrise and sunset.

It is during this time of day when you will capture great shots that capture more warmer colors.You’re going to be able to capture the golden lighting you won’t find during any other part of the day.

There you have it.Probably the biggest tip in taking beautiful photos is to make use of the natural lighting around you.  Knowing what techniques to use for different parts of the day, or just scheduling a photo shoots to capture those times of day will help you become an excellent photographer.