It was just last week I had read an article about the “supermoon” showing itself in the night sky last Saturday.  I posted on Facebook that the Moon will be as close as it ever gets to Earth. The moon will be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons. I hope you had a chance to see it because it truly was a sight to see. I only wish I would have taken a photo.

But you dont have to wait to much futher for another heavenly treat. A solar eclipse on May 20 will be visible from much of western North America. Apparently this is known as an annular eclipse in which the moon blocks out most of the sun but leaves a ring of light visible around its circumference.

You may be asking, what does annular mean? Well, annular comes from the Latin word annulus (ring) and refers to the fact that a ring of sun shines all around the moon. You can track the movements of the eclipse at NASA’s website and some pictures and information on how to safely view the eclipse.

Are you looking forward to the eclipse? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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What is Cinco De Mayo celebrating? Well, I can tell you what it’s not - Mexican Independence Day (which is celebrated on September 16th). May 5th is the day Mexico remembers the courage of 4,000 Mexican soldiers who defeated 8,000 French troops in the state of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This single military battle signified defeat of a European colonial power and a victory for the Mexican people that became a symbol of unity and identity.

Music is a great way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. To get in the mood, try tuning your Internet Radio to your favorite Spanish station or browse for stations geographically among the 13,000+ available stations. You can also try our Brick iPhone / iPod / iPad Speaker Dock with Built-in Amplifier or line of Bump digital music players as a great way to stream your digital tunes during a party. And better yet, try our iStream DockFree Bluetooth Audio Receiver  that allows you to stream music from your iPhone wirelessly via Bluetooth to a dock or stereo speaker.

How are you celebrating Cinco De Mayo with technology? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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It was said that student loan debt tops a staggering $1 trillion, more than car loans or credit card debt combined! It’s estimated the average kid graduating from college owes more than $27,000, up 54% from a decade ago. With tens of thousands of college students graduating next month or so this seems to be a very real topic of concern to those students looking to join the workforce with an unemployment rate above 8%. How will graduates pay off these loans if they can’t find a job?

The Wall Street Journal came out with the Best and Worst Jobs of 2012 list. Here’s a hint: Learn your programming languages and stay away from chain saws. Also check out the interactive graphic that accompanies the article that ranks 200 jobs from best to worst based on physical demands, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook. There’s another graph based on how various college majors fared in the job market, based on 2010 census data.

What’s the most useless college major? Is there such a thing as an useless college major? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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As you may or may not know, Earth Day is coming this Sunday, April 22nd. When you think about it, the Earth is pretty remarkable in all that it provides us. Just think about it, everything you see in your house, in your office, your car, anywhere outside is all made possible by mother Earth.

Each year, Earth Day is held on April 22nd in which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment. This day marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Take some time to check out the official Earth Day website for all sorts of information and events happening in your area.

Last year the Earth Day Network chose A Billion Acts Of Green as the theme with a goal to register one billion actions in advance of the global Earth Summit in Rio this year. Looks like if you Pledge an Act of Green you will be entered into a sweepstakes.

While we are on the subject I feel I must let it be known that Aluratek has several products that are environmentally friendly.

- Our line of LED Bulbs will offer you a simple way to save money and energy.
- Put down that paper and pen and use our vNote Digital Audio-Video Memo Recorder to leave a message.
- No need to print those photos, try any of our Digital Photo Frames as a great way to share your digital photos.

How will you be participating in Earth Day? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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As you may or may not know, Aluratek has a robust line of Digital Photo Frames ranging from 7 inches to 19 inches. Our digital frames look great on your living room table as your favorite photos roll through in a slideshow, but have you thought about using them for your business?

It’s a great idea to use our frames to create presentations that will help advertise your products or inform passersby and employees of upcoming events and important news. Digital signage solutions are found in many styles of businesses such as: banks, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, fast food chains, as well as office lobbies. Digital signage solutions will make your business more exciting. These dynamic advertising systems will also save you money over time versus the use of traditional printed posters.

Aluratek’s digital photo frames offer fantastic picture quality thanks to the best quality “true digital” LCD panels.  The advantage of utilizing digital panels over analog panels is very similar to the difference in watching HDTV (High Definition Television) instead of standard definition TV. It makes a big difference to watch in crisp clear HD as all the vibrant colors and intricate details will be noticeably better.

How would you use your frame for digital signage? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Earlier this week I took some time off from the office and took a little trip through the California central coast called Big Sur. In all honestly this area of the state (between Carmel and Cambria) is one, if not the most beautiful area of the state. It is worth your time to see this awe inspiring coastline.

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog post Friday is start of ‘National Day of Unplugging’. This day was about shutting down your computer, turning off your cellphone and refraining from emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking for 24 hours to take time to notice the world around you. Pretty hard to do considering how involved most are in the activities listed above.

Well, I can tell you Big Sur is a great place to do just that – unplug. Even if you wish not to you really don’t have a choice. Aside from some WiFi access from the lodge we were staying at (which is so slow anyway) you will have zero cell service. Perhaps this is what the residents scattered along this stretch of coastline want. Perhaps this is why you move there in the first place. The beautiful scenery and pleasant sounds of the redwood forests will make you forget all about your ‘plugged’ lifestyle and allow you time to really take in the space around you.

TIP: Check caltrans website for road closures before you head there so you can plan your trip accordingly. They do close the roads for constant maintenance and construction. Being how this is the only road, it can cause some travel headaches.

Have you experienced Big Sur? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

Today, March 30th is National Pencil Day. Every day of the year has been designated to something – just happened to find this by accident. This got me thinking…when was the last time I used a pencil? Or write in cursive for that matter? It has been so long I dont remember.

Especially these days where email and digital keyboards dominate the way we interact, perhaps most people’s response would be the same. I don’t even have a pencil in my coffee can o’ writing instruments at my desk. Though I still like to take notes and sketch on paper, I find myself using a pen.  When did this change? Is the pen the more adult writing tool opposed to the pencil we used to use as children?

Here is an interesting story about pencil manufacturing in the US.

Here are some pencil fun facts:

- On March 30, 1858, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the first-ever patent for a modern pencil with an eraser attached to it
- 75% of all pencils are yellow and the #2 pencil is the most common
- A single wooden pencil can write 45,000 words or draw a line that is 35 miles long
- Pencils can write under water and in zero gravity
- The “lead” in pencils is non-toxic graphite and the wood is made out of cedar

To celebrate National Pencil Day, set aside your computer and use a pencil to write or just doodle. See if you can remember your cursive letters.

Do you still use the pencil regularly? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Shut down your computer. Turn off your cellphone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.

Do you think you could realistically unplug for 24 hours? Go to our Facebook page and take our poll.

As of Thursday morning, more than 1,200 people had taken the “pledge” to unplug during this time period.

To connect with National Day of Unplugging on Facebook, click here: http://www.facebook.com/SabbathManifesto

To learn more about the Sabbath Manifesto, the on-going unplugging project that was the genesis of the National Day of Unplugging, click here: http://www.NationalDayOfUnplugging.com

Will you participate in the ‘National Day of Unplugging’? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

Have you looked up in the western sky recently and noticed two very bright stars? Well, its Jupiter and Venus you are seeing as they appear side-by-side in the night sky. Although the planets are far apart in space, they appear to be separated by only a few degrees. You owe it to yourself to go out and take a good look. The brighter one is Venus and the other one is Jupiter. Check out the Sky Report from the Griffith Observatory.

Right now, Venus is the higher planet on the upper right. Jupiter is down to the lower left and night by night they have been sliding past each other to where Jupiter is actually headed down towards the horizon. Also, if you look to the west just as Jupiter and Venus are setting you can see Mars is high up in the southeast and Saturn is just rising over the eastern horizon. You can take in all four at one time!

Mark your calendars for the 25th and 26th because the moon shaped as a thin crescent moon will join the two planets. It’ll pass very close to Jupiter on March 25th and next to Venus the next night, on the 26th.

Cool fun facts – it takes anywhere from 35 – 52 minutes for Jupiters light to reach our eyes. Jupiter is 5 times farther from the Sun than the Earth is. Jupiter is frequently the third brightest object in the night sky behind the Moon and Venus.

Have you had a good view of the shining planets? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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“eruption from sun: a brief sudden eruption of high-energy hydrogen gas from the surface of the Sun, associated with sunspots. It causes interruptions of communication systems on Earth.”

Yikes, this sounds potentially bad. It was reported that the sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start hitting our planet around 7 a.m. EST on Thursday traveling at speeds of up to 2 million miles per hour! I read where a solar flare is equivalent to 160,000,000,000 megatons of TNT!!

When radiation from the solar flare hits the magnetic field that’s already around the Earth, our magnetic field goes a little crazy. That can interfere with certain kinds of high-tech equipment that are really sensitive to electrical currents like anything containing a computer chip (including cars), flight and navigational systems, satellites, medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, GPS systems, traffic lights etc.

Doesn’t look like these flares will impact us much except for a possible northern lights show for skywatchers in high latitudes. If future flares knocked out power, would you be prepared?  It’s a good reminder to have plans and supplies in place to be prepared.

Have you had any experience with these flares? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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