Viking trekkies

History weaves its influence into pop culture via many avenues ... One of the strangest is the Viking influence on Star Trek, especially The Next Generation.

Ever since that series found the airwaves, I've often wondered if one or more of its writers were descended from peoples who endured raids from the North and then used this show to exact their version of revenge.

I've always been interested in the influence that the Viking era had on western civilization, which is considerable. Here are but a few examples:

1. Vikings created the first governing legislature of 'common' citizens in history, calling their parliament a thing, which is also where the English language derived that word.

2. Viking law was the first in Europe, at least, to conduct trials with a jury of the accused's peers.

3. It was virtually 500 years before any other culture would design a ship that could travel as swiftly as a Viking dragonship (and let's not forget that those ships sailed to North America 500 years before Columbus did).

4. Four of the seven days of the week --- in the English language --- are named after Viking gods:

a. Tuesday, for Tyr - the god of truth,

b. Wednesday, for Odin - the 'Allfather' of Viking gods,

c. Thursday, for Thor - the 'thunder' god, and

d. Friday, for Frigg - Odin's first wife.

(Some scholars argue the latter is named for Frey, the god of fertility, but I'll stick with the Oxford Dictionary version, which gives the honor to Frigg.)

5. William the Conqueror was a Viking descendant; enough said. Vikings dominated England for 300 years, so much of their language influenced English. The suffix '-by' is the Viking word for 'village,' hence city names such as Rugby and Grimsby, to name only two. The suffixes '-bury' and '-berry' are Anglicized spellings of the word 'berg' (pr: 'berry'), the Viking word for 'mountain,' hence names such as Shrewsbury, Queensbury and Shaftsbury refer to nearby landmarks.

Elsewhere, the Slavic peoples' name for Vikings was 'Rus,' meaning 'rowing men.' Viking dominance of the Slavic river systems was so prevalent that the region became known as 'Russia.' In France, King Charles the Simple was so fed up with Viking attacks on Paris that he ceded them land in exchange for a cessation of raids. The French word for Viking was 'Norman,' and the ceded region became known as Normandy. The Viking chieftain who accepted these terms was the famous Rolf the Walker (so named due to his height, as no horse was big enough to carry him); Rolf, incidentally, was the forebear of William the Conqueror. Anyway, you get the idea. The Vikings may be gone, but their mark on our lives, even today, is indelible.

Still, it's mildly surprising to see the Viking stamp on one of the most popular science fiction series of the modern era. Not surprisingly, their 'presence' seems to be personnified by the villains.

Take the Klingons. Until they became uneasy allies of the Federation, they were the scourge of that galactic quadrant which bordered 'ours.' Their interstellar warriors' ultimate honor was to die bravely and loudly in battle. Well, back in the day, that was every Viking's ultimate honor, too. Such bravery was seen as the only way to earn an eternity in Valhalla, Odin's castle of the 'chosen' slain, where only the most valiant would reside forevermore in Viking nirvana, which consists of fighting all day and partying all night. I cannot recall the episode, but it seems the Klingons thought that was a great way to while away the afterlife, themselves.

Those guys were holdovers from the original Star Trek series and the Next Generation writers didn't have the license to make them much more sinister than that. So, they went farther into space to find two other Viking caricatures.

One was the Ferengi. The casual Trekkie might think them to be inspired by Shakespeare's stereotypical 'Shylock' in the Merchant of Venice, but the studied Viking historian notes a deeper connection of names. Vikings were known to be traders as much as fighters, and were very hard bargainers in every sense of the word. Ultimately, the King of Byzantium (which became Constantinople and is now known as Istanbul) capitalized on both of these traits and created a regiment of Viking mercenaries to become his own elite storm troopers, known as his Varangian Guard. The origin of this title was a Viking term that referred to a 'sharer of spoils,' and Varangians indeed became the best-paid troops of their time. Their ultimate goal was great wealth, and most of them got it in one way or another.

The last of the great Vikings, Harald Hardraada --- who also reigned as a great Norwegian king --- spent time as a Varangian. Legend said he stood seven feet tall, probably because his physical stature was such that he actually did tower over his adversaries. This claim was, no doubt, 'stretching' reality a bit, but he was much more typical in appearance for a Varangian than are the Trek race they inspired! Comparisons between Varangians and Ferengi may be subtle, but there is no mistaking the connection. Nothing was subtle, though, about the Trek writers' next and most ominous incarnation of Viking stereotypes --- the Borg.

Even the name is Nordic. 'Borg' (actually pronounced 'bor-ee' in Old Norse) is the Viking word for 'fortress,' which conjures an accurate vision of their spacecraft.

Vikings fought as a collective. In one famous instance, during one of those annual sieges of Paris, the French king du jour wanted to negotiate a settlement. He was quoted as asking, "Who is your leader?" The response is one of the most famous in Viking lore: "We're all equals!" Sound familiar, Trekkies?

Vikings were known for assimilation, too. However, theirs was the opposite of the Borg. Vikings who settled in foreign lands adapted to the local customs. William, for example, spoke French. Kiev was a Viking outpost and the first 'royal' family there was of Viking blood. Their offspring took Slavic names and spoke the local language. Yet, as I stated earlier, the Viking influence did remain. There was only one Viking empire --- King Knut's realm of Scandinavia and the British Isles lasted for 30 years --- but traces of Viking life and culture spanned all of Europe.

During the Viking era, almost every mass prayer in a European church was prefaced by 'Deliver us, O Lord, from the wrath of the Northmen.' While I do wonder if that's how Guinan (played by Whoopi Goldberg) and her planet prayed (they were among the Borg's conquests), it's clear that's how the Federation felt. Until the Enterprise found a way late in the series, resistance was futile.

That's clearly more than the Trek's writers could say. They couldn't and didn't resist taking their liberties with Viking lore. In spite of their efforts, though, the most noble of all Viking deeds remains entrenched in the Star Trek universe, given homage before every episode. Perhaps that's the ultimate irony, because in an era when other cultures feared to venture beyond view of their coastlines, the Vikings --- as evidenced by their voyages to the New World in 1000 AD --- boldly went where no man had gone before.

And they did it without a script.

Creating a website winner

Like many people, you may have been dreaming of the day when you can start your very own online business. You've got a great idea waiting to explode, and you know that it's going to be a winner. The vision is there, as are the enthusiasm and skills. Now there's just one more thing you need before you can make that dream a reality, and that's a website--your public face to the world.

Building a website can be an exciting experience. However, when it comes to creating a business website, it is very important to look before you leap. Here are a few things to consider before launching your online presence:

1. COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY

When creating your business website, the most important thing to consider is exactly what it is you want your potential customers to know. Before the first page is prepared, you need to clearly outline the purpose of your business, then communicate that information via your website.

Over the years, I've visited countless websites that provide virtually no content at all. When it comes to a business website, lack of information is disastrous.

Imagine for a moment that you need a new pair of shoes. Checking the telephone directory, you find a listing for a shoe shop at the local mall. Eager to find the perfect stilettos, you hotfoot straight over.

Arriving at the store, you are surprised to find that there is no stock on display, no information about what is available, no sales assistant to answer queries, and nothing to indicate how much a pair of shoes is going to cost.

Without a backward glance, you turn on your heels and walk out the door, knowing all too well that there will always be another shoe shop just around the corner.

A scene like this is too ridiculous to believe, right? Yet, it happens thousands of times every single day. Not at the mall, but in the ever growing cyber-marketplace.

If you have a product or service to sell online, then you need to present it in a way that is both informative and enticing. Your homepage, in particular, must communicate your message clearly and grab your visitor's attention. If it doesn't, they will click off the page faster than you can say, "Lost opportunity."

If you lack the confidence to write your own customer-attracting text, it may be worth hiring a writer to prepare it for you. It could make all the difference.

2. POLISHED TO PERFECTION

We've all heard that "you can't judge a book by its cover," but the reality is that we all do--and the same is true for a business website.

When it comes to a personal website, almost anything goes. However, the same freedom does not apply when it comes to business, where the website should be a polished and professional representation of the business or service, while still reflecting the personality of the owner. Many fail to grasp the importance of that first impression. As an online business owner, you will literally only have seconds to capture a potential customer's interest.

If your site is sloppy, slow to load, and generally looks like it was built by your grade school child, it is a fairly safe assumption that you will never develop the successful online enterprise of your dreams.

Today, with the availability of online site builders, there is no reason for anyone to have a site that looks unprofessional. Even without any knowledge of programming or HTML, site builders make it easy to create an online business presence that is polished to perfection. It's as simple as selecting a template and typing in your text. Before you know it, you'll have a website that says to the world, "I'm ready and more than able to serve you."

3. THIS LITTLE BUSINESS WENT TO MARKET

It's amazing how many people go blissfully into business with the notion that they only have to open the door, and the customers will come running. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a common denominator found in the majority of unsuccessful online businesses, and that is a lack of marketing.

No matter how brilliant your website may be, or how clever your product or service, success will be very slow in coming if you don't take steps to get the word out to the marketplace.

People often tell me that they are disappointed because their new website is not generating any sales. The first thing I ask them is whether they have done any marketing. More often than not, their response is that they haven't really done anything at all.

Building a successful online business takes time and effort. It can take many months, if not years, for a business to develop a reputation for reliability and trustworthiness. However, once gained, that reputation is more precious than gold. Unfortunately, most business owners give up before they ever reach that point.

When promoting your business, the first step is to make sure that your website is optimized for search engines. To do this, ensure that your website meta-tags include the most important keywords pertaining to your business. Keywords should also be included in the title tag.

Once you've done this, and your website is completely ready to be seen by the public, submit your site to the search engines. To do this, you can use the FREE service provided at the following site:

submitexpress. com

Another excellent site is selfpromotion. com. Here you can gain valuable information on how to market your business. They will even submit your site to search engines if you make a donation to their service:

selfpromotion. com

Having your site listed with search engines is essential. However, to get traffic quickly you will need to use a Pay Per Click service, such as Google Adwords and Overture. com (Yahoo search marketing).

Decide on the keywords and phrases that most people would use if they were looking for your service. Then start bidding for those words, making sure that you ONLY nominate the lowest amount available. Google and Overture will suggest a figure, but DO NOT bid that amount. Start small and see how much traffic you can generate. Once you see results and your business begins to grow, gradually increase your bids, if necessary.

When preparing your website and promoting your business, it is very important to remember that every penny and second spent improving your online presence, is an investment in your future.

Ultimately, there are two types of online businesses--those that are website failures, and those that are website winners. Get things right at the start, and your dream business will never become a nightmare.

Getting the lowest interest rate for your credit card

Everyone needs credit these days and credit cards have become a part and parcel of everyone’s life. But man has woven a credit card debt trap around itself. To avoid this debt trap low rate credit cards have been introduced. A low rate credit card is usually for those who hold a good credit history and have considerable repayment capacity. For example the student credit card is generally not a low rate credit card. The travel cards issued by some of the reputed merchants like British Airways, NorthWest Airlines etc are cards that attract high interest charges.

If someone carries a large balance on a high interest credit card then transferring the balance to a low rate credit card can save some honest money. Low rate credit card ensures paying off large outstanding on numerous cards at an attractive low interest rates. Some cards offer 0% APR on balance transfer and cash advances from six months to twelve months.

The rates involved in calculating the finance charges are usually the interest rates. Other charges include the late payment fee, over limit fee, rates applicable after the introductory period, etc. For those who carry a large balance on their cards opting for a low rate credit card can save thousands of dollars. A low rate credit card also offers several other benefits like 5% cash back reward on select purchases from outlets like grocery stores, supermarkets or gas stations and 1% cash back reward on purchases from other outlets.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards Card, Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Card, Chase Flexible Rewards® Platinum Visa® Card, Citi® Premier Pass Card, Chase Cash Plus® Rewards Visa, Free Cash Rewards Platinum Visa® Card, etc are some of the credit cards that fall in a low rate credit card category.

A low rate credit card does not have any annual fee which is another form of cutting overhead costs on any credit card debt. Many of these cards offer up to 1000 bonus points on first purchase. There after one bonus point is awarded to the card holder for every one dollar spent. Some of these cards also offer checks or gift certificates from participating merchants when specified amount of bonus points are accumulated. For example Free Cash Reward Platinum Visa Card offers a $25 check or an equivalent gift certificate from many leading national merchants after accumulation of 2500 points.

Usually it is wise to pay off a high interest rate card with a low rate credit card. But one should watch out for the traps of high transfer fees and short promotional low-term rates. One should read the fine print. Usually the fine print on any low rate credit card states that if the card holder default the payment or makes any consecutive late payments then the existing interest rates dissolve and the usual high interest rates prevalent in the market are applicable. Finally, the card holder should avoid maxing out a new low rate credit card, as this can cause the card holder’s credit score to dip.

Enhance delivery of your internet content to end-users with rss

The first step in marketing your product is to get your content delivered to end-users. Only then can you communicate to them, sell your products and build lasting relationships with them. While some Internet information delivery channels fail in their purpose as in the case of e-mails. This in turn throws most of our publishing efforts to delete box. We end up wasting money, efforts and most of all our precious time. Direct marketing, direct selling, relationship building, public relations through direct communication with media, communicating with your business partners and employees, direct advertising of your products, customer announcements and updates all these are made impossible if your content cannot be delivered to the end-users. End users can be your customers, prospects, the media, business partners and employees.

RSS assures 100% delivery of the contents to the people who have willingly subscribed for your information.

Below are some general examples of the contents you can deliver to your various subscribers:

· Newspapers can use RSS feeds to deliver their latest news articles to the subscribers. This enables them to always stay informed about the flash news around the globe. The book publishers can use RSS feeds to announce their best sellers. This would help their users to keep track of releases they are most interested in.

· RSS feeds can help the affiliate managers to communicate with their affiliates.

· Banks can create RSS feeds to post their customers on their new schemes on savings or any change in the interest rates calculated etc.

· Software being the hottest on the current technology market, software companies can keep their subscribers informed on the latest downloads and relevant software packages available. They can also provide them with easy access to software updates, delivered to them exactly as they become available without the fuss of having to visit your website or deal with huge e-mail attachments. Thus avoiding Spam filters or other barricades.

· A few hundred content publishers are using RSS to deliver audio content, such as interviews even radio shows.

· Some websites allows people to post pictures, videos and text from their mobile phones via RSS feeds.

· Educational institutions use RSS to deliver educational content.

· As a supplement to their e-mail delivery some use RSS feeds to deliver their newsletters as I do with mine.

· RSS feeds can help you publish living digital catalogues of your products and provide your customers with your latest product releases. The products may be categorized so that it is easier to view and place order according to the product they are interested in.

RSS auto responders with scheduled messages can be created to keep in constant marketing touch with your prospects and slowly get them to the point

· of purchase.

· You can provide limited-access content to your customers, employees, team members and even investors, without fearing other unwanted eyes. RSS feeds can be used for internal communications, team working and other needs.

As you can see, through RSS, practically any kind of content to practically any kind of target audiences can be delivered. The only thing to be kept in mind is the content has been broken down into several individual items or stories. The opportunities for integrating RSS in to your communicational strategies are endless. There are no limits to what, who and how you can communicate through RSS.

James McIntosh has been a business development consultant for the past 23 years helping his clients start and grow a wide variety of businesses. He is the editor of the free newsletter Concept Development. The newsletter provides free and low cost methods and tools for today’s entrepreneur.

How smart cards increase security

The traditional credit card is a great tool for making purchasing easy for both the retailer and the customer. But in this drive to be simple, there have been questions about the security of the system. In Europe, more transactions are being placed with the use of smart cards. And with all of their advantages, this might be something that the United States should begin to consider.

What is a Smart Card?

A smart card looks just like a regular credit card, but instead of the magnetic strip on the back of a piece of plastic, it has a tiny microprocessor underneath a gold contact pad. It’s a small computer that stores all of the information that a retailer might need.

This microprocessor allows the main computer host to ‘talk’ with the card to get the information that it needs. And unlike the traditional magnetic strip, it’s much more difficult to remove or steal information from a smart card. Many thieves can actually buy cheap equipment and get information from the magnetic strip on a regular credit card, but not with a smart card.

How is this safer?

Because your information can not be gathered from a smart card without your authorization, your financial information as well as personal information is safe. In fact, this is the same technology that is used in satellite TV so that you can get the channels that you have paid for. Without the payment, the host won’t ‘talk’ to the smart card.

Other applications include health benefit cards (in Europe), government identification, security systems, electronic cash, banking, wireless communication, and credit cards.

The cards can also be used with a smart card reader when you are making purchases over the Internet to further insure that your information is safe and secure. Simply attach a reader to your computer and create your own ‘cash’ register.

Smart card readers can also be found in vending machines and cellular phones.

With a smart card, you don’t have to worry about your credit information each time you want to make a purchase and you don’t have to worry if you lose the card. You will still report it as stolen, but the thief will not be able to do much with it since he or she won’t know the information that is contained on it and how to release it.

Hawaii real estate in the current housing market

Paradise Deferred - S. Elliott

If you’ve ever thought about getting away from it all and moving to paradise, you’re not alone. The dream of perfect weather and carefree living has inspired many of us to toss out our ice scrappers and head for the islands, but living in paradise these days may require some patience, adjustment, and sacrifice. Honolulu is the seventh most expensive American city in which to live.

The median value of single-family owned and occupied housing in Hawaii is more than twice the national average.

Buying a home in Hawaii is an expensive proposition, but never more expensive than in the current lending market. Beautiful beaches, glorious weather and the laidback lifestyle make living in the islands a dream come true. But that dream is becoming a reality for fewer and fewer people who apply for loans, particularly in markets like Oahu where the median home price is over $400,000.

As a result of Wall Street’s current cautious approach to real estate, Hawaii is suffering a disproportionate share of the fallout. Current reluctance to buy even well rated loans in the AAA range has had a profound short-term impact on the jumbo loan market. Jumbo loans, those exceeding $400,000, have skyrocketed by more than a full point, leaving many buyers unable or unwilling to take the plunge.

Hawaii, with its highly valued real estate, is in the middle of this quagmire. Lenders hoping that the higher premiums will jump start Wall Street, are concerned that the failure of this strategy will result in more than just a brief financial hiccup. Disturbing new trends are reflected in lenders escalating rates on jumbo loans to a point and a half above conforming loans. Historically, the premium spread is about a half to three-quarters of a point.

This new disparity is setting off alarm bells across the country, but nowhere more than in Hawaii, where it is fueling fears that a large number of motivated buyers and sellers will be crippled by the inflated price of these loans.

The current turmoil in financial markets can be attributed to the failure of two elements of the lending equation: One revolves around the criteria that lenders use to determine which borrowers are most likely to repay their mortgages. The second encompasses the pool of money available to lend.

Because of many recent loan defaults, banks are stockpiling cash as a precaution against further losses from bad investments; they have become much more cautious about how and to whom they lend. Traditionally this has been called a "credit squeeze", but the fear is that, without an end in sight, we are headed toward a shortage of liquidity, a situation in which consumers have inadequate access to loans.

The prospect of a shortage of liquidity has far-reaching, global ramifications, potentially slowing economic growth on a global scale. For Hawaii, this could be devastating.

A torrid summer for british sport

This summer promised so much for lovers of British Sport but as usual all of the hype led to some very below par performances and results. The football team in the World Cup were very boring to watch, played in a very negative way and never looked liked winning the tournament. In this article, I will be writing about this sporting event as well as looking at the Wimbledon tennis championships and the recent international cricket one-day series with Sri Lanka.

I was very excited about this summers sporting activities involving our British sporting stars. I really believed that England could have won the World Cup and still think that they should have. Our team has so much more talent in it than the eventual winners Italy, but had an inept coach who must have been laughing all the way to the bank, earning the crazy amounts that he did. Yes Wayne Rooney was stupid but how frustrated must he have been after being left to play up front on his own, this is a position which is not natural to him and is a huge waste of his talents.

Other players in the team such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard looked shadows of their former selves and must have been completely bemused at the tactics employed. I am not really that enthused at the future prospects under Sven's understudy Steve McLaren. I think we need someone who is going to make some big decisions such as playing the youth when required and dropping players like Ferdinand when they are not performing.

At the Wimbledon tennis championships the British challenge died out before it seemed to have got started. I have to admit that I did not really hold out any hope for any of our players but it was the way in which they lost that upset me the most. Where has the British bull dog spirit gone? These players may as well have held up a white a flag in the first set for the effort they seemed to put in after this point.

In the latest one-day cricket international series against Sri Lanka, England lost all five matches. Perhaps they are saving themselves for the ashes tour of Australia, if they win over there I will let them off I suppose. The team has also had quite a few of their big time players out injured but again just like at Wimbledon it was the way in which the team lost that was the most annoying thing.

It really has been a summer which promised so much but one which I will now happily forget. Lets think positive, things can only get better!