Scilifestyle update and events in South Australia:

Fuji Xerox And Centrica – A Match Made In Heaven

In 2003 Centrica was founded in Sydney, Australia as a print and mail service in charge of printing direct mail letters, promotional flyers, magazines, brochures, and the like. But nobody employed by the company at that time had any idea of how quickly Centrica would rise in popularity.

Still relying on entry level printing machines that were simply inadequate for some of the larger jobs, Centrica quickly found that they were unable to meet growing customer demand – thankfully they recognized the need for change and acted quickly. In 2008 the company made the decision to expand on their services as a typical, run-of-the-mill mail house and delve into the world of cross-media marketing. If done successfully, this would help Centrica individualize itself from its competitors while attracting even more, new business at the same time.

And as they've been a long time user of Fuji Xerox products, Centrica new exactly what company to turn to when they needed them most. Offering up their own XMPie Software Suite as a solution for Centrica's new requirements, Fuji Xerox stepped up to the plate and helped Centrica become one of Australia's fastest growing companies.

Thanks to the XMPie Software Suite Centrica has now opened up communication across several different types of media channels as well as being able to expand on their marketing strategies and analytics like they never even imagined. To top it all off, Centrica has even installed some brand new hardware from Fuji Xerox, including the DocuColor 5000 Digital Colour Press. All of these latest improvements that have been made on Centrica's part means that not only are they able to keep up with their client's needs right now, but that they'll be able to keep up with industry standards into the future.

Did you know?

Twenty five percent of costs to consumers associated with food products are due to invasive weeds, pests and diseases.

Australians use over 10 million plastic bags per day, and only recycle three per cent of them.

Approximately 7.2 billion cigarettes are discarded in Australia each year. One in ten ends up in our waterways, where they decompose and release substances that are potentially toxic to many organisms.

Did you know facts broght by: http://sciencelifestyle.com

22-05-2009 Every morning when you get up, take a good long look in the mirror, and say this: I am freaking beautiful!" Seriously, just do it! You're only as beautiful as you think you are.
20-05-2009 Positive thinking is just the thing to turn your life around. Start increasing your joy today, by just doing this one easy thing - think happy thoughts!

Photo taken from: http://thinkonlifestyle.com

22-04-2009 Great news, I've installed a new forum. Find it in menu bar above. Now you can contribute more to our site.

Latest Videos on Science and Lifestyle

Coral reef fish danger - Blue Planet - BBC Environment	Extreme Drought in Australia - BBC Science
BBC 'Blue Planet - Deep Trouble' team explain the environmental dangers facing the world's shallow waters. With high demands for rare species of fish, coral reefs are in danger of being fished out and deserted. Brilliant natural world video.	A family of farmers in Australia are victims of one of the world's longest and most destructive drought in the modern world. See the impact of global warming at its most extreme in this short video from BBC show 'Five Ways to Save the World'.
Turning The Tide (Full version)	Climate Change - William Kininmonth, Australian Climate Science Coalition Part 2
The Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) is a collaborative research venture, with parties from Commonwealth and Western Australian State Government research organisations, including the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO and AIMS, together with the Western Australian universities and the private sector. This is one chapter out of eight describing WAMSI and the Kimberley marine science requirements.	William Kininmonth, Australian Climate Science Coalition speaks about Climate Change and how he believes it is just a cycle - based on historical facts Video taken from http://lifestyle-socialnetwork.com

Science: Can it be sacred?

science In Reinventing the Sacred, Stuart Kauffman explores what it means to be spiritual beings in a secular, scientific world. His definition of God is not some massive, omnipotent entity sitting aloft the clouds dictating the workings of the universe, instead it is the creative force of the universe that manifests as bio-complexity and evolutionary leaps, such as the leap that allowed human existence.

sky photo taken from http://lifestylethoughts.com
He holds that we have lost our sense of the sacred and the legitimacy of human existence that is founded in our inherent spirituality. But have we lost our sense? Our common sense? And, if so, how can science possibly help us regain it? How can science help our lifestyles in this modern world?

For the past decade or so, the “soft” sciences have inundated us with doomsday warnings, failings of humanity, the hopelessness of our evolution, and the few successes that we have had are squarely the result of artificial intelligence. With such a catastrophic outlook, it is no wonder that our lifestyles do not embrace the spirituality that is intrinsic to this creative universe. Science would do well to focus on bridging the gap between spiritual and scientific studies. A sort of devolution is in order. In the early days of scientific inquiry, scientists were often 'men of the cloth.' They understood there was a sacred brilliance to the natural orders in the world; however, these men were oftentimes so tied to canon law or their religious leaders, they did not empower men or ask the inevitable questions that come from removing “God” from the creation equation.

With all the advances in understanding and comprehension we have made in the past few centuries – from the finite universe and chaos theories to the origins of order and nuclear fusion theory – it is now possible to have a scientific query that gives credence to the spiritual while utilizing methodical, deliberate investigations. If we did undertake such investigations, we would be able to recognize the awesome power of this creative universe that functions no beyond ourselves, but within us and through us in every moment. What would that mean for our lifestyles? By giving back to man the legitimacy of his own existence, the inherent spiritual nature that resides within him, we would see a resurgence of universal action. There would be less waste and more compassion. There would be less destruction and more creation. In essence, we would find our sense again; that fifth sense that is nothing less than sacred.

Using the basic concept taught in science, you will notice that there is a significant difference in your daily life.

What's In a Gift?

A meaningful gift is one that comes from the heart, and of course doesn't have to be an item. Once my young sons gave their Dad and I a little book of coupons they'd made. Each one was worth something different - like "this entitles you to one day of me not smarting off" or "this coupon is worth one hand massage, left or right". An especially good one was that Mom and Dad weren't going to hear an argument about anything all day long (including with his brother - unless his brother provoked one).

When someone is moving, a gift I've enjoyed giving is going to a card shop and picking out an assortment of cards, covering everything from "thank you", "anniversary", "I love you", etc. I try to find the most unique ones possible, and then put them in an unusual container. I've used antique cookie tins, pretty stationary boxes I've saved, large envelopes made from wallpaper scraps with sequins, pearls, broken pieces of jewelry, etc. glued on. I usually keep a "stash" of cards to use for spur of the moment gifts and decorate a brown envelope with stickers to put them in.

For people difficult to buy for (in my case, that's men), I like to go to thrift/antique shops. If they love a particular sport, an old golf club (my sons love these), footballs, posters, maps - there's always tons of "stuff" to choose from. It's fun to find something from the year the person was born, like a well-known magazine or newspaper or license plate. I buy old sheet music for a friend who's a pianist.

If I try to get inside the person's head, and think what they would enjoy, not me, I'm usually successful in finding "just the right thing".

Who Was Nikola Tesla?

Tesla Did you have a cup of coffee this morning? Eat a piece of toast? How about turn on a light or use a computer sometime during your day? If you’ve used any device that uses electricity, you can thank Nikola Tesla. Tesla was an engineer and inventor born in 1856 in what is now the country of Croatia.

The future is now!

Technology in the last 30 years has been astonishing and continuously improving! Wake up in the morning and you can talk to a friend halfway around the world, check stocks in Shanghai or even buy an import CD from Germany! You go into the kitchen and when you cook up a meal, it can be cooked up in just a few minutes, instead of half an hour.

Going to the doctor has never been easier. You go in and if you have hair loss or if you're losing the sight, they can fix it in most cases with a laser treatment! You go in with impotence and one pill cures it! If you're having problems with your health, modern science has found more and more solutions and people all over the world are living longer because of it!

At your workplace, your phone has fiber optic technology and sounds clearer than ever! You can even E-commerce from your office to one in China or Korea!

You no longer have to worry about gum in the coin slot because your cell phone is always ready when you need it. Your car has all new safety features, like front and side air bags that help you survive an accident at normal driving speeds. You now have the ability to listen to radio stations that have no boundaries, you can listen to it from coast to coast and it's all made possible by scientific advancements!

What will the next 30 years uncover as technological marvels expand? You can be sure the expert scientists, doctors and computer programmers will be at the forefront of it as this is truly a great time to be alive! Support your local science community. You never know what will happen next.

Try this: You see UV

Pour some tonic water into a jar

Shine a UV light onto the jar

Warning: Although UV radiation is invisible to the human eye, blacklight bulbs are still bright light sources. Do not use them in a darkened room or use them for more than fifteen minutes a day.

You will need

UV Blacklight bulb (available from Jaycar Electronics, or other hobby stores)
Soda water
Tonic water
2 identical jars with lids
A friend

What to do

Pour soda water into a jar until it is nearly full.
Pour tonic water into a jar until it is nearly full.
Place both jars in front of a friend and ask if they can tell – without touching either of them – which jar contains tonic water, and which one soda water.
Shine the UV blacklight on both jars and note which one glows blue. This one is the tonic water.

News: House in sheep’s clothing

I used to feel sorry for sheep standing in the blinding heat of the Australian outback – imagine wearing a thick jumper all day when it is over 35oC! Now I suspect they actually feel sorry for me.
There are over a billion sheep living on this planet today, made up of hundreds of different breeds. They all descended from wild flocks living in the hot, dry lands of the Middle East over 10,000 years ago. If sheep came from the desert, why would they need to grow thick, woollen coats?

articles