tech+info+resources underground

The Internet makes it easy to compare mortgage offers from a variety of lenders. If you are leery about giving your personal information online due to privacy concerns, you are not alone. Here are tips to keep you safe while using the Internet to find the best mortgage.

The Internet is an excellent tool for finding information, including mortgage loan offers. If you use the Internet to apply for a mortgage loan you need to be very careful who you give your sensitive financial information to. The majority of online mortgage lenders are reputable businesses that utilize the Internet to find customers; however, there are scammers and identity thieves that will swindle your information if you are not careful.

The first thing you need to know about shopping for a mortgage online is that you must be careful giving out your information. When you are screening mortgage offers do not provide your Social Security number. The majority of online mortgage lenders give you no obligation quotes; the lender will ask you questions about your income and the state of your credit. It is important that you do not overstate your income or inflate your credit rating as the lender may change or withdraw their offer once they see the correct information.

When providing basic information about yourself during this step, only give your information to websites that use secure web interfaces. Websites have different ways of letting you know the connections are secure. They may tell you their interface uses SSL, or Secure Socket Layer to encrypt your personal information. Regardless of how the online lender describes their secure connection, do not input your information unless you see a padlock in the lower right hand corner of your browser window. This padlock serves as notification to you that your information will reach the lender encrypted, preventing third parties from accessing it along the way.

Secure connections only protect your information between your computer and the online lender’s server. You also need to make sure the website you are visiting is a legitimate online mortgage lender and not a scammer. Scammers often fake websites to make you think you are entering your information into a legitimate website. To learn more about protecting yourself online while shopping for a mortgage, register for a free mortgage guidebook.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Louie Latour specializes in showing homeowners how to avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lenders. For a free copy of “Mortgage Refinancing - What You Need to Know,” which teaches strategies to find the best mortgage and save thousands of dollars in the process, visit Refiadvisor.com.

Claim your free guidebook today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com

Chicago Mortgage Refinance

Take for example the Mini Skirt.
Mary Quant, chanteuse of the swinging 60’s Carnaby Street, is credited as the first to reveal the ultra-short miniskirt. The mini was shocking, and not since the 20’s flapper had exposing your knee caused such a stir. Respectable ladies wore skirts at knee length, and young girls were supposed to follow the respectable path, but something happened when the daring Quant shortened skirts, and the world went mod.

Designer Andre Courreges is also credited with the mini’s creation, but Quant successfully commercialized the new freedom of teenage fashion, exposing the sexually explosive 60’s to the mini. The all-too-revealing miniskirt coincided with the birth of the sexual revolution, and exposed more than legs. The birth control pill hit the market in 1960, and in 1962, feminist and future Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown published Sex and the Single Girl, a support manual for young women who refused marriage but didn’t want to sacrifice the most primal urge. Sex was everywhere, and even more shocking than girls enjoying sex was that they were talking about it. And the miniskirt was the best advertisement for the sexual revolution.

Girls could strut their stuff, free to expose their sensuality, and men were just going to have to deal with it! No more covering up, keeping flesh under wraps because of the consequences of temptation. The miniskirt boldly stated the new confidence of a woman’s body, and her place in the feminine world. Protection and ‘providing for’ was no longer what the 60’s gal wanted. She called the shots, and in her sexy new miniskirt, she got what she wanted.

The miniskirt has remained a major staple throughout the years, as a sign of both sexuality and confidence (though we should warn you that showing thigh won’t instantly turn you into an Amazon princess. The mini might make you look sexy, but the confidence part is up to you). The 80’s returned the miniskirt back to pure unadulterated sensuality when Madonna slithered across the floor in thigh-high, black lycra miniskirts. Paired with lace tights and mesh shirts that exposed the navel, the 80’s miniskirt was unashamed and in your face. The 60’s mini was mild in comparison to the body-hugging shamelessness of 80’s cotton lycra.

The mini-skirt received even more controversy when it found its way into the professional realm of the 90’s. Heather Locklear’s ‘Amanda’ on Melrose Place stirred up attention in her skirts that barely hung below the hemline of her suit jackets. Professional women were conflicted: yes, the mini-skirt made your legs look fabulous, but was this going too far? When Calista Flockhart’s title character on Ally McBeal received more attention for her skirts than for her law practice, girls had to wonder if the line had been crossed.

Hemlines rise and fall faster than the stock marketwhere liberated women are down on the exchange floor beside their fellow man, thank you very much. The true fashion icon of the 60’s, the mini skirt is fearless: it allows women to celebrate their sexuality, and yet defies the old fashion convention of yesteryear.

Skooldays - The Nostalgic time of your life
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http://www.skooldays.com/categories/fashion/

When it comes to estate jewelry there is always much discussion about what is and what is not estate jewelry. The definition is really quite simple. Estate jewelry is jewelry acquired from the estate of another person, who can be living or deceased. The simple definition of estate jewelry is jewelry that is previously owned.

Contrary to what many believe looking good doesn’t have to cost a fortune - just buy estate jewelry! And save plenty!!

There is often much confusion with both dealers and consumer. There is some false myths floating around that estate jewelry is antique jewelry. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Although many pieces of estate jewelry are antique, many pieces are also vintage, retro, or fairly modern. That’s why searching for estate jewelry can result in some terrific buys!

Estate jewelry also does not mean fine jewelry. Estate jewelry can be costume or fine and is found both ways.

Throughout the ages and even today a perfect gift for a woman was a piece of jewelry. There is also a distinction made of women who wear jewelry. It seems to set them a class above other women. Why has never been determined. It’s simply been a cultural norm for centuries.

We often take our clues as to jewelry popularity by watching what the celebrities are wearing. Next time you are watching television take note of how many pieces of jewelry the stars are wearing that are from another era. Celebrities are very fond of estate jewelry!

Antique jewelry is normally classed as jewelry that is pre 1920, while art deco, vintage, and retro are often grouped together and denote the era from the 1920s to the 1950s. Estate jewelry can be from any of these eras.

If you are looking for classic jewelry like your grandmother may have worn consider searching jewelry sites that sell antique and estate jewelry. If you are collecting jewelry you should pay special attention to the estate jewelry sites who have a wide range of designer marked pieces. Collecting can be expensive so make sure to set a budget.

If you are looking to complete your wardrobe and hate looking like everyone else, estate jewelry is an excellent choice. Here you will find variety and beautiful pieces from many different time periods. The chances of finding another wearing the exact same jewelry piece as you are drastically reduced.

You can look unique and stand out from the crowd with estate jewelry. You also can choose between fine jewelry and costume jewelry. The prices are very reasonable and the costume jewelry of past eras has a much higher quality than modern costume jewelry.

The designs and styles were more highly refined and much classier. Costume jewelry of past eras was designed not only for the general population but also for the rich and famous. Many design ideas were inspired from fine jewelry pieces of the era.

So the next time you are looking to add glamour and sophistication to your wardrobe remember to have a quick search on line for estate jewelry. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your options!

See I told you looking good doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

Sher from Estate Jewelry International have been serving customers for over 20 years, providing affordable estate jewelry, and a wealth of information on jewelry, fashion, designers, and beauty with on staff industry professionals. Please visit us at Estate Jewelry International where looking good doesn’t hae to cost a fortune!

In the present day, as various organisations & managers are looking at online video sites as a tremendous place to post content to draw their potential clients, it is critical to identify the key benefits of using internet video marketing sites.

Here are one or two crucial bits and pieces you must be acquainted with before you begin to distribute professional videos on web video sites.

All the time attempt to use promotional videos that give useful material to your potential customers - Some business people mistakenly think you can basically put any advertisement on a video channel, but nothing could be any closer from the truth. Every video must give some meaningful information to the desired market, or start topic of talk.

Do some market research on the video channels before posting your very first video - it is a terrific suggestion to provide some extra time typing your market’s main keywords into Yahoo, in an endeavour to learn what other videos are already online. Next make sure you have noted down the profile names of the most prominent organisations in your sector. Maybe down the line you can become involved in a joint venture or have some sort of collaboration with these firms.

It is important to take into consideration that each video portal has a society built into it - You should respect the other members and it is suggested that you write positive notes to your competitors’ videos. First & foremost you need to be a member of the community, contributing feedback, ideas etc. And only then must you consider being a video marketer & start to promote your very own videos and firm.

Commit yourself to developing quite a few corporate videos - You ought to have an obvious strategy for creating and distributing numerous videos. Or else, your profile page on the video portals will give the feeling of being empty if it just has one video to look at. As a result, provide time preparing the manufacturing of a series of short videos, instead of one extended video.

Web video marketing is one of the most effective and fastest manners of advertising your business at present.

online sports betting odds

Hordes of gamers may have learned of the expression “offshore sports betting” in recent times, though maybe aren’t altogether sure what that really means. An overseas gambling site inherently functions exterior to the territory of any single country or else it can also mean a computer accessible betting site which bases its host computer inside the boundaries of a land in which on-line wagering is not at this time banned. In brief therefore, it’s a betting establishment which operates outside the nation of the betting buff. Internet betting websites are regulated by three councils. These bodies are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association FTGA.

The Offshore Gaming Association are an autonomous “watchdog” institute which watches the thriving offshore gaming industry with the task of to also offer gaming devotees access to quickly select reputable internet businesses to play betting games with. The OSGA endeavors to watch over consumer’s rights, and they don’t charge any enrollment dues. The OSGA are a proficient and unbiased third party council which asserts impartial info, based around your evaluations, objective examination, telephone discussions, industry insider tips and in addition provides industry information.

The IGC are a nonprofit council. The council was designed to allow a forum for interested parties to discuss topics and also to move forward collective concerns in the international web-based gaming industry, to establish honest and level-headed commercial instructions and practises that endeavor to improve customer confidence in world wide web based betting merchandise and benefits, and to function as the offshore gambling trade’s general procedure consultant and the council also works as an info clearinghouse.

The Interactive Gaming Council has made a regard for dependability, ethical conduct and in addition solidity through its lofty ideals, and its appeal for commercial enterprises of honorable practise. The Interactive Gaming Council regulates overseas sports betting through using a particular ten step code of behavior and in addition charges sports betting business concerns a price for the use of their logo. Frustrated gamblers can, should they wish, report any of their misunderstandings to the IGC.

The Fidelity Trust Gaming Association has been established in a venture to construct a benchmark which will improve the policies of world wide web based gaming trading operations. The agency suggest that conducting business only with companies of honorable reputation, they can mold a coalition of the most trustworthy and most efficient online betting companies worldwide.

To recapitulate, these are bodies who survey the dealings exercised by world wide web based gaming and which should with luck serve to allay some of the insecurities held by cynics. Online sports betting websites are totally dependable, since personal data are not requested and in addition the returns not to mention the odds are generally equivalent to a typical Vegas-type sports wager. These web sites diminish traveling outlay, but retain the underlying atmosphere, however nowadays you may gamble at your own pace.

Tag and Ping, Google Analytics, Micro-Dissecting Logs, Visual PageRank…

What does all those topics have in common?

No, I haven’t gotten into the happy-pill jar, just in case
you’re wondering! What does all those topics have in common?
They are all marketing tactics or strategies I am presently
using to promote and propel my sites into the ever increasing,
all encompassing Internet stratosphere.

Let’s face it, there are countless marketing methods, tricks,
tips, strategies you can use to give your site an edge over the
competition. And yes, there are many marketing secrets left
to be told. More being born each day. Countless secrets most
of us will never discover, let alone understand.

But what you have to understand, each webmaster or marketer
employs a whole set of techniques to promote and propel their
sites. Each marketing system is different, each one can develop
into a complex creature slowly weaving its presence into the
fabric of the world wide web. Might sound a bit fantastic, but
it is nevertheless true.

Also know each website on the Internet has its own unique
linking structure, connections, keywords, traffic… its own
unique genetic link-code. Why should da Vinci have all the fun!

Each webmaster, whether they realize it or not, creates this
unique linking structure for each site they build. From day one,
when the first link is placed on their site — this complex
marketing structure is put into motion. What makes some sites
succeed, what makes them become successful automatic profit
generating machines… while others fail? That is the real
question. That is the only real secret you need to know.

Of course, a site’s content plays a major role, but even two
sites with more or less the same content will have two totally
different dynamic linking structures created. One may succeed,
the other fail.

So in this line of thinking, I thought I would tell you some
of the marketing strategies I use for my sites and also reveal
what I believe to be the underlying factor that is key to the
whole shebang. Tactics that will promote and propel your site
into the center of the world wide web. Are you Ready? Here goes:

Tag and Ping

A few years back, it was all blog and ping. This technique
really worked for a while. You wrote a keyword rich entry
into one of your blogs and then pinged this entry with one
of the many blogging directories or sites like MyYahoo to get
the information spidered and indexed. The search engines wised
up quickly and it no longer works as well.

Now, you will hear the magic words ‘Tag and Ping’ till you’re
sick of hearing them. This is a method I have been using for some
time. It’s basically the same thing, only you’re using the tag or
tagging system of such sites as Technorati to draw attention to your
tag or keyword.

It has a special application for keyword marketing and is very
effective for getting traffic and links to your keywords. One
simple way to use tags with Technorati:

<*a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Computers" rel="tag">Computers<*/a>
(remove asterisks in actual code)

Or if your blogging software supports categories; this will
be recognized by Technorati as a tag.

Since this is a relatively new way of marketing your site,
expect it to work for a little while. Until the spammers get
in and ruin it, like they did to blog comments.

Google Analytics

This is a free program from Google that every webmaster should
be using. If you don’t use it — get it! www.google.com/analytics

Google Analytics will give you priceless information about your
sites, your links, your visitors and your marketing. It will show
you which pages are working, which pages are not working. It will
tell you which pages holds your visitor’s attention, which pages
lead to your marketing goals/sales…in other words it will tell
you how effective your site is at getting the job done.

The more knowledge you have about your site, the more successful
it will be. A lot of times, being a success is finding/tracking
the one method or technique that works and repeating it again
and again on your other pages or sites. Google analytics will
help you find the successful techniques on your site. Then you
have to run with them.

Micro-Dissecting Logs

Another valuable source of information about your site is in
your daily logs. If you’re not dissecting or micro inspecting
your daily hosting logs, you’re not realizing the full potential
of your site. Your site’s logs holds the keys to your site’s
success, it holds the information that will make your site
profitable or more profitable.

It will give you information on your site, it will also give
you information on your site’s visitors. The real key to
Internet marketing is finding out what exactly your visitors
are looking for and then giving it to them. Find out the exact
keywords your visitors type into search engines, then supply
the answer or solution on your site. It is as simple as that
— give your visitors what they want.

Whether it is more information on ‘the nature of the universe’
or where they can purchase the cheapest laptop? Just supply the
answer to their question. Your daily logs will give you this
information, read them, dissect them and most of all use them
to give your visitors what they want. Make your content
relevant.

Buying Links

This marketing technique has mixed reviews, many marketers use
it — many discourage it.

You have to be very careful when buying links, know exactly
what you’re buying and be wary of the search engines who may
look down upon this practice. Don’t buy any links from link
farms, or sites which have been banned from Google. Stay clear
of any black hat tricks or methods, play fair and you will
win in the long run.

To me, buying links is just another way of advertising your
site. If your site or online business is successful, naturally
you’re going to put some of your profits back into promoting
or advertising your site. One way to do this is through buying
links on high ranked pages/sites: PR5 or over.

I recently bought my first text link!

It’s something I rarely do, mainly because my article writing
produces many one-way links back to my site. However, there
was one site I just wanted to get a link from, and if it
means I have to pay $7 a month for the link, so be it.

Currently the page has a PR0! Why would I buy a link on a PR0
page — don’t worry, still haven’t gotten into that happy-pill
jar. Because it’s a very new popular page on a very popular
new site. The site is www.iwebtool.com and it has an Alexa
ranking under 2000. The site is about a year old! The page
itself holds what I believe will be a very popular webmaster
tool that shows you visually all the PR rankings on any webpage
on the net. Visual PageRank.

In other words, just type in any url and it will show you
visually all the Google PR rankings for all the links on that
page, internal links and external links. Valuable information
any webmaster or marketer can use. Besides, that page has a
cool factor which in my opinion will propel it to a very high
PR ranking in the future. There are already a few pages on this
site with a PR6 ranking, but all those links have been sold.
Once this new page was created, I jumped at a chance to get a
link there on that site.

Other places to purchase links:
www.linkhaul.com
www.linkadage.com
www.textlinkbrokers.com

One more Marketing Technique

There is one more important marketing method that makes all
the above techniques pale in comparison. This simple technique
is article marketing. Write simple informative articles on
the subject of your site. Submit these keyword rich articles
to online article directories like ezinearticles.com and place
links back to your site in the resource box at the end of each
article.

Article writing is one of the best methods to market your site,
you will be surprised at the effectiveness of this simple
marketing technique. Done correctly, it can be your most powerful
marketing tool.

Information Core.

Did you get the big picture? Did you get the underlying theme
running through all these Internet marketing techniques? The
common thread that holds everything together? What makes
them effective?

That common thread is Information.

Information runs the web. It is the center. Dispensing this
information is a complex system consisting of search engines,
directories, websites, blogs… you must entangle and entwine
your site as deeply as you can into this information process.

That’s why article writing is such an effective marketing tool,
it strikes at the center of this essential process. It places
your content and your site right in the middle of all this
exchange of information. The more relevant your content, the
closer you will get to the real action and the more popular
your site will become.

Remember, all these marketing techniques are not really
secrets, just effective ways you can promote and propel
your site or sites closer to the information core that
runs the web. The thread that binds everything together.
The closer you can get your site to this center, the better
it will flourish. The more you can entangle your site into
the whole mix…. search engines, directories, links to popular
sites… the more successful your site will become.

All these marketing techniques: tag and ping, article marketing,
buying links… will help place your site into this information
mix. Likewise, Google Analytics, micro-dissecting your logs, and
visual pagerank are all information gathering methods every
webmaster should use to make this journey easier and quicker.
Knowledge is the only real marketing tool you need.

So go ‘Tag and Ping’ all you like but realize it is just the
latest in a long line of marketing techniques you should be
using to promote and propel your site closer towards the one
common thread that really matters.

Information.

—-
Titus Hoskins owns and runs numerous sites on the web. To receive more useful
marketing tips and to discover the latest Marketing tools which will help promote
and propel your own website into the Stratosphere! Visit his main site here:
Internet Marketing Tools. Or sign up for his popular List Building ecourse here:Email List Building
Copyright © 2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Barcode scanners are light emitting devices that are used to read barcodes. Usually attached to a computer or laptop via PS2 or RS-232, the data collected is stored on a computer for processing or storage. It is now used in many different industries such as retail or production.

They have been on the market for many years now with new versions of barcode scanners available every year. The prices can vary from as low as $50.00 to as high as several thousand dollars. So how do you pick a good barcode scanner?

To answer that question, it is important you know there are 2 major classes of barcode scanners, image-based and laser-based. Image-based barcode scanners use a camera usually embedded in a barcode scanner. The camera will capture the images and then processed by complex image techniques to decode the barcodes. Laser-based barcode scanners uses mirrors and lenses to read the barcodes.

Laser barcode scanners are usually more expensive than image-based scanners. They have their own pros and cons. An image-based barcode scanner do not have internal movable parts therefore are more resistant to drops or knocks than laser barcode scanners. Also, image-based barcode scanners have a shorter scanning distance (4 to 10 inches) compared to laser barcode scanners. On the other hand, laser scanners are more prone to wear and tear due to their lenses. They not only have a longer scanning distance (up to 24 inches) but also are able to scan from a wider angle from the barcode.

Be aware that the scanning distance for both image-based and laser barcode scanners have already improved dramatically over the years and I wouldn’t be surprised if a barcode manufacturer claims an image-based scanner has a scanning distance of 24 inches.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before getting a barcode scanner. The size of scanner required? Type of environment the barcode scanner will be using (outdoors, shop, warehouse)? The scanning distance required? Are they to be used hands free or hand-held? Your budget?

So my suggestion is if you need a barcode scanner for long range scanning, get a laser barcode scanner. For short range scanning, use an image-based barcode scanner such as a CCD barcode scanner. The environment as I asked earlier also plays an important part. If the barcode scanner is being used outdoors or in rugged environments where it is expected to take a drop or knock or two, then it is best to get an image-based barcode scanner. If it were for example being used in a retail shop, then a laser barcode scanner would be the best choice.

There are such a wide variety of barcode scanners available that I just can’t explain completely in this article. If you are in doubt, consult the barcode manufacturers such as symbol or metrologic who have sales consultants who are able to do an analysis of the type of barcode scanners needed by your business.

Ricky Lim is the owner of all-barcode-scanners.info. Visit his site for more barcode scanners reviews and recommendations

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie is for certain a good book, however busy lives can make that troublesome to achieve. Sometimes we do not notice how long journeys and other day-to-day activities may take up sizable chunks of our time. Working, dealing with children or even looking after your home can all reduce the time available to persue your interests. You can use the time you spend driving to get up to date on books you can’t find the time to read. Using modern downloads, it’s easy to relish Last Voyage Of Columbus by Martin Dugard by Download Audio Book Online, or audible books brought to life by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dezois and Daniel Abraham without ever lifting the book. Multitasking is becoming a way-of-life these days. Audiobooks like Little Big Horn by Jerry Robbins by Download Audio Book Online fill the dead minutes in life, whether it’s hours passed waiting at the dental surgery or driving the kids to soccer practise. Audiobooks are available to download as mp3 files these include Pimsleur Dutch Compact by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, so if you have an iPod or other mp3 player and get ready to listen to the latest best seller, such as audible books by Dave Gorman without hauling a heavy book around.

Visit and hop over to this exceptional page for www.audiofrombooks.com hints.

The benefits of audio-books include renting or purchasing the instructional book of your choice then listening to it in your own time. Need to study a foreign language? Try audio books! You can review progressive business trends, you may even discover the paranormal. An extensive selection of writing styles and titles are obtainable. It really doesn’t matter if you love history, mad over biographies or even if your interested in health and physical fitness, you can download many titles immediately. Several options are open; you can simply take a subscription to a rental program or instead buy the title outright.

Reading will invariably be an essential skill, but a more convenient way could be the large number of audio titles now available. A narrator can deepen the experience of many stories. Simply reading a title is not quite the same as savoring an audio title performed by John Ortberg, including the additional niceties of an real rendition. Enjoying audio-books performed by Charles Chilton can bring more depth to the story and frequently mean more than words on a page.

So next time in future should you are considering purchasing a book that might gather dust on your bookshelves, remember audio-books as a better choice.

Chamonix town is situated at the foot of the wonderful Mount Blanc in the European Alps, only 1hr with Ski Transfers from Geneva airport, and is widely regarded as the climbing and snowboarding centre of Europe. Chamonix Mont Blanc has been known for a long time as a real resort for extreme activities in both winter and summer. Chamonix was home to the inaugural Olympics in the early 1920s - furthermore it is also an area of exceptional views offering a lot of different things to the mountaineer and sightseer.

Differing from many modern snowboarding domains the town of Chamonix isn’t a new skiing domain and has been saved from the concrete monstrosities that scars a lot of the Alps. It is lucky to have not only an internationally famous ski mountain but a turn of the century and thriving town centre.

Chamonix town is large enough to insure there is plenty enough for the non-skier to do and see. Whatever the pace of your trip theres something to enrapture the whole group. Not to mention a large swimming and sports complex, spas, husky sledding and weekly market; and lots of designer boutiques, restaurants and night clubs, Chamonix town offers a mix of activities, town charm and shopping, that only a few ski areas can equal. Therefore organise that summer holiday straight away.

Durham University researchers have revealed that commercial games such as Doom 3 and Half Life 2 can be effective in training people in fire evacuation procedures. The underlying code of these games can be used to create virtual worlds complete with real buildings, offices and factories, which can help users practice evacuation methods for emergencies. The findings were published in the Fire Safety Journal. All staff and management must be fully aware of and comply with health and safety regulations as laid down by law. Find out about the range of iosh courses available from the experts at Workplace Law Training.

This is a new way to train people in the application of fire safety procedures and evacuation methodology to save lives in actual crises. A computer scientist from the Durham University was able to create 3D models of buildings and program three fire evacuation procedures inclusive of smoke and fire effects in three weeks. The model not only helped recognise layout problems of the buildings but also helped users understand evacuation procedures and trained them in the same. This is being seen as a considerably easier and cheaper way to prepare people for fire evacuation, compared to traditional ways of using virtual toolkits or writing fresh code.

Dr. Shamus Smith, the lead author, commented that virtual environment toolkits supply a mere fraction of the tools actually required to build virtual worlds. For example, it is not easy to create fire and smoke environments as these additional features require extensive programming skills and time from the developer. These features can, however, be easily replicated from the existing computer games where they have already been programmed. Such features play a key role in giving a real world feel to the situation when instructing people about fire evacuation processes.