Why You Should Hire an Architect

2010 September 8
by squadron

An architect is a well qualified professional who has experience in planning, designing and the construction of buildings and the management of construction projects.

Also, one is not considered an architect until he or she has properly passed all the necessary education and accredited programs to procure a license in order to practice architecture. When practicing architecture, the architect can have freedom to design the building or group of buildings, as well as the space around it that still counts as part of the project. These ideas form the planning stage of the project and can take months to finalise.

The reason why architects are so important to the success of any building plan is simple: they can put your ideas into a feasible and plausible reality. If you have great ambitions for your home or place of business, then an architect can ensure that those visions will come true.

But aside from the actual design of the building, there are so many other complex factors (beyond the scope of inexperienced people) that need to be taken into account, and these are also covered in the responsibilities of the architect.

For example, there are some architectural firms that not only design the building for you, but they also prepare the tender documents for the pricing of the entire project, and are the ones that most commonly talk to the contractors, stakeholders and any third parties involved in the assignment.

When you engage an architect, you will not have to be confused by by all the small technical details. All you have to be concerned about is if whether or not the building is coming along according to the plans originally devised with the help of the architect.

The architect is also very helpful before the actual construction. If you do not have an actual plan but do have an idea on what you want your structure to look like, then that is where the professional can help you on the project.

All you have to do is to present them with some ideas and they can be the ones to take care of site analysis, the assistance you may need in zoning and planning, any environmental impact studies you may need, tendering and contract negotiation with the contractor and his men, and so much more.

The architect that you hire will be involved in all of the aspects of your project. Essentially, you are hiring an architect because you require a trained expert to take carriage of planning and designing the building or dwelling as well as provide the necessary feedback and support throughout the entire project.

Engaging an architect is like taking on a business partner for your project, one who is knowledgeable, knows the risk areas around the project and knows how to minimize those risks, has the necessary people skills to work with contractors in order to hire additional resources within budget.

A good architect will treat the project as though it is his or her own and will devise creative ideas and plans to the manager, and discuss in great detail the advantages, disadvantages, any problems of a particular strategy.

These are just some of the many important benefits and key reasons why you should hire an architect. There are so many more reasons that really prove that any project worth going through with has to be under the supervision of a highly qualified architect. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that you have a dream construction project, and your architect is the person to make all these dreams become reality.

Looking for Brisbane architects? For renovation architects Brisbane, contact Dion Seminara Architecture. They are leading home improvement architects. Brisbane office is located in Morningside.

Tents and Marquees

2010 September 2
by squadron

marquees-pavillion-3Event Tents, such as wedding tents are for when you want to make a daring outdoor scene. They are generally structures installed at a location for a period of time.

Why A Tent?
Commercial Tents are used as protection from the sun, rain or a gathering place. They can make a stunning and creative atmosphere for any event.

Tent Rentals
Tents can be rented or leased for a day, a weekend, weeks, months, etc. For one or two day events, the Tents are usually installed a few days before the event, depending on scheduling and weather, and remain until a few days after the event. Many rentals are quoted for the entire week, allowing for time to set up and design the interior and exterior. Some Tents are built for exceedingly long-term events and have been installed and remain installed for years.

What Kind of Tent Should I Rent?
Tent rental companies come in all sizes – from small-sized companies with just a few Tents to exceedingly large-sized companies – carrying dozens of several sizes and styles of Tents. Some general rental companies rent from tent rental companies to accommodate their client’s needs.

You may know you want to use a standard Tent for your event, or your event planner may already have in mind to use a Tent. You have options! There are lots of other spectacular
structures and Tent styles out there. Some are unique and make a statement of their own. Ask the rental company you’re working with for a list of the type styles they have on hand.

Usually, the varying types of Tents available in most companies are (the names vary depending of the company):

Folding Tents Easy and fast to use and always in demand. Very popular, because usually is the less expensive tent. Fast, flexible, cost effective and long lasting.

They are used by:

  • Corporate brands across most industries
  • Government & Council buyers
  • SME business marketers
  • Franchisees
  • Agricultural exhibitors
  • Emergency services & community groups
  • Folding Tents create brand exposure opportunities.
  • You can reach your audience at the right time, in the right place with the right message.

Inflatable Tents An exciting and entertaining alternative Tent. Easy & fast to set up. Be sure they have removable printed roof because in that way you can share the investment with other licences.

What Size Tent Will I Need?

The size of Tent depends on a few factors:

1. The number of guests you expect
2. Layout or seating arrangements or the style of event:

* Reception with what type of tables?
* Speaker engagement with what type of seating?
* Will you need a dance floor?
* Will you need display areas for your products?

If you are interested in a Tent, you can expect to need about 2,000 – 2,500 square feet for 200-seated guests. That could mean a 40 x 60 size Tent (Always ask the Tent rental vendor directly and they’ll give you the best dataabout the size of Tent you’ll need).

Therefore, the key rule is; know what you are going to use your tent for. The choice of tents is astounding, almost on par with the choice of cars that you can buy.

So if you need a tent for the family BBQ, for example, your needs are fairly basic
and your budget may be low. Look for cheap tents that offers a waterproof Polyester roof and a decent warranty for under $600.

If you need a tent for a school or sports club you will need a range of sizes, and colours. Most plain colour Tents s range between $995- $2900. If you are keen to advertise yourself, you can have your names printed for around $150-$300. Printing logos usually cost a little more.

In the last 5 years, portable Tents have become important to businesses for their marketing. The essential need for these buyers is a prominent and exact reproduction of their logo. Sign written or printed Tents can be as dull as a website address or they can be a design masterpiece.

Remember, if it is for commercial purposes, the aim is to build awareness of your company with your printed Tent. Printed corporate Tents range in price from $1500- $4000. Good ones will really catch your eye.

Once you have decided on what sort of buyer you are and how you are going to use your Tents, a good Tents company will offer you a choice of frames, a warranty of between 3-5 years and help with formulating the printing-if you need it.

For more information about tents, contact Extreme Marquees. We have a range of cheap tents, for all sorts of home and business applications.

New Zealand’s Top Holiday Cities

2010 August 23

New Zealand has a brilliant array of amazing landscapes. Like enormous mountain ranges, majestic coastlines, lush rainforests, deep fiords, snow capped mountains and steaming volcanoes. These scenic wonders have all made New Zealand an inspired destination for all kinds of holidays.

Fantastic travel packages and holiday specials are available on quality accommodation in modern city hotels and luxurious wilderness lodges at slashed prices. Among the top holiday destinations in New Zealand, Queenstown, Christchurch and Auckland would definitely be there. Travel Online is a celebrated online specialist travel operator and provides astounding tourist services for New Zealand. Travel Online provides an instant quote and booking service for accommodation in cities right across the country.

Queenstown
The international resort town of Queenstown is situated on the shoreline of Wakatipu Lake. This beautiful region is among the most picturesque locations on the globe. Throughout the year adventurous and exciting sports like jet boating, bungy jumping, and white water rafting take place. This town is the epicentre of the entire world’s bungy jumping activities too. With the advent of winter, the town gets transformed to an alpine wonderland with snowboarders and skiers from all corners of the world assembling at the annual Winter Festival.

There is constant demand for Queenstown Accommodation all round the year and Travel Online offers a select group of hotels best suited for New Zealand holidays. 1, 2, 3 or 4 bedroom apartments, with cutting-edge facilities, gyms, spas and fantastic views are available at various holiday retreats across the city. Larger apartments with more bedrooms, tennis courts, private jetties and fitness centres are also available at a higher price. Luxury complexes with studio rooms in the vicinity of cafes, bars, and restaurants are also found in Travel Online’ Queenstown Accommodation selection.

Christchurch
When choosing a place to stay in Christchurch look for hotels that give views over the beautiful Victoria Square, across the mesmerizing Avon River or towards the historic Anglican Cathedral. Situated on New Zealand’s South Island, this cosmopolitan city is always abuzz with great festivals, shopping spots, theaters and art galleries. Hotels overlooking Victoria Square provide visitors with an insight in to the city’s English history.

Individuals staying in the vicinity of the Christchurch Cathedral will find hotel rooms with a Manhattan-style feel. Tradition and elegance are everywhere in these hotels along with a keen eye on service excellence. Spacious bedrooms with full-fledged kitchen facilities are common, along with hi-tech conference facilities, resort-like leisure features like spas, saunas, gyms, and swimming pools. Many of these hotels provided by Travel Online are located in the vicinity of the Technology Park, the International Antarctic Centre, and the airport. Travelers who want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan life will find suitable accommodation in the majesticcountryside surrounding the city.

Auckland
Auckland, also known as the City of Sails, is situated in between 2 harbors and has more boats per person than anywhere on the planet. Within minutes a person has the choice of sailing away on yachts to isolated nearby islands, living the high life in the casino, surfing at winding beaches or tasting the exotic wines at local vineyards. Hotels come in stylish and comfortable studios, and spacious executive / marina suites. Travel Online caters to the tastes of corporate and business tourists and can beat any price seen on Auckland accommodation advertised. Auckland harbor is stunning, and is seen perfectly from atop Sky City and the surrounding accommodation.

Affordable and comfortable apartments are available for casual tourists, equipped with kitchens, laundries, and balconies to provide a fantastic holidaying experience. Visitors to Auckland love visiting the Antarctic Encounter, which showcases the only penguins present in the sub-Antarctic region. More encounters include cage-bereft shark dives, scuba expeditions and snorkel safaris. New Zealand is waiting.

Travel Online has a wide range of Queenstown accommodation close to all the snow action and cosmopolitan Christchurch accommodation surrounded by all that theatre and art. For holidays in and around the water, Auckland accommodation is as good as anywhere in the world.

Repairing Flooded Carpet: A cheap job is a good job right? Wrong….

2010 August 18
by squadron

Don’t let an unprofessional 24 hour carpet cleaner try to repair your water damaged carpets. These are the worries you need to be watchful of:

Overcharging. An unprofessional water restoration restorer may fill the job up with superfluous inclusions. E.g. using dehumidification to dry the flooded carpets is not needed.

Correct equipment. They can use equipment from hire businesses for drying the carpet. This is ok to do, but an experienced water damage restorer will own all their equipment so they provide a quicker response and hopefully a better value job.

The right moisture metre. If they don’t have the right moisture meter, they won’t be able to tell when the carpet is repaired. This enhances the danger of future mould. Mould removal in future may be required.

If they aren’t specialised. There are a whole lot of “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do repair work on the “side.” i.e. they aren’t those who deal with this sort of repair each day. Be aware of that. Drying carpets is an art. Taking carpet off the gripper strips then reinstalling them has to be completed by a professional, otherwise the carpet can be damaged beyond repair.

You might be wondering, how do I find a good Flood Restoration professional? Below I have selected some signifiers to look out for when you are calling around for a carpet flood damage business:

The size of their Yellow Pages advertisement: This can be an indication as to how much business they are getting already. A full-size Yellow Pages advertisement can cost upwards of $50 000. If they have paid for a larger ad, you get some expectation that they are professionals.

Where do they rank in Google? The higher they rate in Google, the more webpage clicks there are for the business.

What Qualifications do they have? The fundamental qualification they need is a IICRC qualification of Applied Structural Drying and Water Damage Restoration.

Do Insurance companies source them for their water damage jobs? This is a better indicator. If insurance companies source them, the business is probably going to be superb at their work. Insurance companies often use the businesses that provide them the best value for the fee.

How much Equipment do they have? They should own at least 100 Air movers. If they possess this many, this indicates they have been running for a good while. Our business took 8 years to acquire that many wet carpet drying air movers.

What level of commitment can you get from them by calling them? Ask if you can pin them down to a price for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they won’t give you a rate for this in the least, you know they are not willing to serve you, so go elsewhere.

Response Time – Our Water Damage business in Brisbane is premised to a 59 minute response time to a water damage emergency. The restoration needs to be responded to ASAP. Mould can appear inside a 24 hour period.

If you follow these tips you are sure to locate a Flood Damage Restoration professional who knows how to do the job.

If you have carpet water damage Brisbane, call us for flooded wet carpet drying. Brisbane storm season is approaching and you may need storm damage carpet cleaning. Brisbane and surrounding areas serviced.

Eight Steps to Great Web Design

2010 August 7
by squadron

Take charge of getting your site created by a developer and understand the process it will save you money and gain you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Understanding your business and how you are currently positioned in your market.
In order to formulate a site that truly meets your requirements; you first need to have a full comprehension of your business including your products, and/or services and more importantly their market position. You then have to consider how you want to explain your business and what it offers in 7 seconds or less. Sounds impossible? Well that is the average time that a user will consider the point “is this site I searched for?”.

2. Budget and estimation
Have a budget in mind and don’t be afraid to let the developers know what it is. In saying this: BE REALISTIC, $500 will never see a great web site created, nor will they be anything left in the bank to market it.

3. The creative process
Be furnished with example sites and more importantly the elements of the site you like so they can achieve an understanding of what you would like to see on your site and also what you find frustrating about other sites. This will construct a good profile and analyze not only what type of site to build for you but your tolerance to colours, animations, layouts etc. for your requirements which will allow for efficient development. The more interaction and information you bestow them in the beginning the more time you will save everybody in the long run by getting what you want 1st time round. Check with the designers on how many rounds of changes come with the contract, most will allow for a total conceptual redesign only once and 2 rounds of changes after that.

4. Production and Content
After the home page design is made, the developers will more than likely take the general layout of this concept and then create the inner page template. It is this template that will be duplicated for most of your pages for your site.
Present your content in a pre-proofed word processed document; don’t become too creative with the document fonts etc. as these will not be kept when the content is copied into the code of the site. It is preferred that you do use bolding, underlining, headings and sub heading though ,as these highlights are transferred into the site and are very important later on in not only interacting with the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; formulate a decent amount of content but formulate it in a way that a reader may acquire a summary of what you are trying to present across in the 1st couple of paragraphs and an image or to. The rest of the paragraphs that get into finer details ARE FOR GOOGLE !

5. Development Programming and CMS
If your website contains Content Managed Areas (CMS) or has any other dynamic sections the developers will wrap your design around a content management program such as Joomla or Drupal or they may have a custom built system. Make sure that you get to see how the CMS system operate on another site they have developed or an example site they may have. You need to know that you can use and know the system when your site is complete.

6. Testing and training
We work closely with the developers to test your site especially if there are any CMS or special programs that have been created for you. You can guarantee if it is has just been written for you then it will not work 100% first time round. This is a where things can get ugly in the process you must understand the way the program works and test it as if you were normal website user. If it doesn’t make sense to you, odds are it won’t make sense to your audience. Make sure you test your website on more than just your browser, try to test it on Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. All of these browsers are available to download on the internet for free!

7. Launch – going live
When the developers are ready to make your site onlive make sure you have finished the above testing step until you are certain that this website is the best representation of your business / product it can be. Remember even though you can change things after going live it is still a poor reflection on your business if there are spelling mistakes or broken images when you launch.

8. Marketing
There is little point in having a website if nobody visits it, make sure as part of you contract you have considered search engine optimisation and or search engine marketing as part of your website build. This is the absolute most important factor of the whole process. If you are the only one looking at your site then you are in trouble.

Remember Search Engine Optimisation is about 30% Onsite (getting your site correct for Search Engine to index correctly) and 70% Promotion. Any developer who tells you otherwise hasn’t been in the industry too long.

For more information about web design Brisbane, contact Web Site Blue. Our web designers understand marketing as well as design.

Tips to Creating a New Business Logo

2010 August 6

A logo is a decisive step to building a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face represents the tone of your business, indicates the service and screams the professionalism or lack there of.

People spend a lot of money on the creation of their logo and walk away with no artwork files. Then a couple months down the track when they require to put signage on their new building they cannot track the design studio down that created the original logo for them and so incur costs to have it redone. This is unnecessary and may cause complications when trying to recreate the logo exactly as done originally.

We have created some basic tips you for to think about when creating a logo. Hopefully these will help you from experiencing any future obstacles.

Tip 1
First things first – you need to decide if you would like your logo to have an accompanying icon. It is desired that if your service or product name is not in your business name then perhaps an icon will assist in portraying a clear message across to your target audience.

An icon can add an extra element to your branding in that you could use the icon on its own on collateral where perhaps you are searching for a more illustrative finish without losing recognition.

A perfect example of this is the well-known and executed Nike logo.

Tip 2
Colour can be an essential decision as it not only could change the output costs but can also margin your output use. Consider the end result and what you will be bringing your branding onto in the future. Make sure your designer is aware of this as they should design accordingly.

Tip 3
Assure you get a back up disk of your logo as a master file and confirm that it includes all the files needed for the different printing formats.

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Make certain you have a copy of your logo as a PDF – with the text converted to curves.

Tip 4
Using images in your logo is not very easy to manage. For example it is hard to to reverse into black and white. Images also have limitations when it comes to size – they can only be reproduced to a certain size before they start pixilation.

Tip 5
Using gradients in your logo is not recommended. This too can have limitations when it comes to output for ie: gradients are hard to reproduce when embroidering fabrics.

Tip 6
Ensure sure the font is legible. Some logos need to be reproduced on small pieces of collateral ie: post stamps. It is important that in this case the text is
readable

Tip 7
Insure that you accept a copy of your logo in CMYK high resolution 300 dpi (for printing use) and RGB 72 dpi(for web use).

Tip 8
It is important to have a style guide of your logo. It will clearly show you how to use your logo so it looks exactly the same every time it is reproduced. This allows you to keep your corporate image consistent.

Tip 9
Make sure that you get a letter from the design studio declaring that you own the copyright to your logo.

If you follow these tips then not only will you accept a well-designed logo but you will also own the artwork. And when it comes to reproducing your collateral you will be doing it the most cost effective way.

For logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today for a free two hour consultation.

How to Create a Style Guide

2010 July 31
by squadron

How many times have you sent business cards to print and procured yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been frantic to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then spotted that the crucial tag line is not present or your logo has been wrecked.

There is only one way to prevent this from happening and that is to set up a style guide. Not only will a style guide aid you direct the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you bolster your brand recognition – which many argue is one of the strongest selling tools.

We have placed the below steps together for you as a starting point.

Step 1 : Outline the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to work in-house or is this for suppliers and contractors to refer to?

Step 2 : Outline what your output uses are. This is important because you will require different logos and file formats for example, black and white publication adverts in comparison to vehicle graphics.

Step 3 : Define the tone for the copy and content required. For example you may needcopy rules for printed content and then copy rules for website content.

Content rules cover all punctuation rules and how to attribute to the business and team.

Step 4 : Insure you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding sits on all the different pieces of collateral that may be reprinted.

Step 5 : Ensure to insert any contributing logos or logos of business that are correlated with you. It’s also important that you deliver a copy of the layout to these companies to ensure they agree with the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

Step 6 : Make certain that grammar, spelling and contact details are correct.

Step 7 : Insure that when suppliers are using the Style Guide they understand~know~discern~apprehend} that a proof needs to be dispatched~sent~mailed~commissioned}to you to be approved as correct.

Have your Style Guide finished and as established as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advise a training session – whereby your design studio comes in and trains your staff on how to use the Style Guide and most importantly your brand.

For graphic design Brisbane, logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today. We help your brand build business.

Projectors: LCD Verses DLP (The downfall of DLP technology)

2010 July 19

The most typical question that is asked when buying a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: would I purchase an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, which stands for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, standing for ‘digital light processing’ are the two commonplace projector imaging technologies. With so many business brands and types available, it can be difficult for customers to decide between these technologies. Ultimately LCD projectors have far superior image quality and colour accuracy. The following article tells you why DLP projectors struggle with bringing up an equal rate of image quality.

Imagine a set of blinds in your household on your bedroom window. By a twist of a rod you can have the shutters open or closed, depending on if you want to let light in or not. That is exactly how an LCD projector works. Each pixel functions like a unique shutter on a set of blinds to either pass light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is made up of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as experts like to call them. Each pixel element functions to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from when the projector is switched on to when the image reaches your screen is vitally significant with regard to image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors project white light from the lamp by dividing it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which send the coloured light to 3 different LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels cast the elements of the image by turning each pixel on and off. The pixels are then meshed in a glass prism to form the projector image. Something important to know about LCD projectors is that all three colours are directed onto your screen all at the same time. The way a DLP projector works is very different and even the way an image looks is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is directed through a rotating colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This method of forming an image forms a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors as mentioned above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to create the image elements. The elements of the image are projected in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s eye will then draw each coloured element of the image into a single total image. With LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to create top brightness and spectacular colour accuracy. In DLP, only one colour is available at any given time, causing lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some manufacturers have placed a white segment for the colour wheel to improve all over brightness, but this goes and lessens colour accuracy.

I hear in forums all the time that DLP gives a higher contrast ratio and therefore must be better quality. For those unaware, the contrast ratio is a measure of a display system defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest white to that of the darkest black that the machine is able to produce. DLP projectors do possess high contrast specifications in comparison to most LCD projectors. Initially, this can seem to be a plus, however, in the real world, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room in which the projector is used. Do not be duped by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you plan to view includes moving images, DLP projection technology can also have image errors, or ‘artifacts’. The most typical artifact that a DLP projector shows with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is inherent in DLP systems because moving images change between the time red, blue and green colours are pulled up. LCD projectors do not have this characteristic because all colours are delivered simultaneously. DLP developers have come up with 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to solve the colour break up error, but the expense of these projectors make them almost impossible for the large part of businesses and consumers.

Another variance between LCD and DLP is how they compensate for the refractive qualities of light. Think back to high school science, and recall how the different colours of light refract various amounts when passing through the same lens. The downside with DLP projectors is that they have the one same panel with the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are not the same and refract light in a different way. Usually with a DLP projector, a spill of yellow colour will show above and some extra blue will come through below something as simple as a straight black line. In manufacturing LCD projectors can be adjusted to remove these effects on the projected image, because each colour is directed on its own LCD panels.

The only real plus (excluding price) with taking a DLP projector is its smaller total size and weight. However, this is only relevant with regard to transport and needs to be traded off against the image superiority of LCD projectors. If the outcome of the picture quality is vital to you, then the answer is simple. Go with an LCD projector! LCD projectors will always create bright, colourful images with fewer image imperfections. If you need to learn more about LCD technology in more detail, see this tremendous resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any further questions, jump onto Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager of Projector Central, Australia’s premier online shop for projectors. Brisbane-based, Projector Central has been serving Australia for 15 years. For data projectors in Brisbane and Interactive Whiteboards, contact Projector Central today.

Yachting and Yacht Clubs

2010 July 16

As the Dutch rose to preeminence in sea power during the 17th century, the first yacht had been a pleasure craft used mostly by royalty and later by the burghers on the canals and the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Yacht racing was incidental, arising as private challenges. English yachting originated with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his restoration to the English monarchy in 1660, the city of Amsterdam gave him a 20-metre (66-foot) pleasure boat with a beam (maximum width) of 5.6 m (18 feet), which he then named Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, sovereign 1685–88), made other yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and back, on a £100 punt. Yachting rose as fashionable with the affluent and royalty, but after that point the trend did not last.

The first yacht association in the British Isles, the Water Club, was formed around about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard group, with large naval panoply and gravity. The closest thing to a race was the “chase,” in which the “fleet” pursued an imaginary enemy. The club persisted, for the large part as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, when conglomerating with other organisations, it was known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing was first seen in some ordered manner on the Thames about the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland funded the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV ascended to the throne in 1820, it came to be called the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded after a racing fight, to become the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1830. The first English yacht group had been started at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1815, and royal sponsorship made the Solent – the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight – the continued location of British yacht racing. The club at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, also at the ascension of George IV. All members were required to possess boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing races for large stakes were held, and the club life was splendid. It came to be that the Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size to bigger than 350 tons.

In North America, yachting started with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and continued when the English held power. Sailing was largely for leisure and rose to its apogee in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which sailed on the Mediterranean Sea and set a benchmark of luxury and sophistication for the later yachts in those waters from the late 19th century. The first persisting American yacht association, the Detroit Boat Club, was started in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens instigated the New York Yacht Club while on board his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The Early sailing yachts took the design of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the latter half of the 19th century. The craft of large yachts was originally largely put upon by the win of America, which was designed by George Steers for a association headed by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) had its namesake after its win at Cowes in 1851. Early yachts were not designed and built in the modern sense, with merely a model used. Not until the latter half of the 19th century did what was known as naval architecture come into action. Not until the 1920s did the use of the research of aerodynamics do for the design of sails and rigging what such study had previously done for hulls.

Because almost all sailboats were individually manufactured, there was a desire for handicapping boats as this was before the one-design class boats were made. Therefore, a rating rule was written, which resulted in the International Rule, taken on in 1906 and edited in 1919. Today, one of the rapidly flourishing areas in sailing is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are built to standard requirements in length, beam, sail area, and other elements (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing for such boats can be done on an even par with no handicapping required. A perfect example is the uniform International America’s Cup Class taken on board for yachts in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

For the time that yachting was an activity primarily for the nobility and the affluent, expense was no issue, and the size of boats grew, in both length and weight. The promotion and preference of smaller craft happened in the second half of the 19th century in the sailing of the Englishmen R.T. McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A voyage around the world (1895–98) led single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray made plain the hardiness of smaller craft. Later in the 20th century, for the larger part after World War II, smaller racing and leisure craft became more common, down to the dinghy, a favourite training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, craft of less than 3 m were setting sail single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
Following the decade 1840–50, at which point steam started to replace sail power in public boats, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were used increasingly in pleasure yachts. Sizeable power yachts were developed to a high standard, and long-distance sailing became a fond pastime of the rich. The first power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; they then made way to boats powered by the wholly submerged screw or propeller kind of propulsion. As in the case of naval and merchant vessels, auxiliaries carrying both sail and power were the yacht archetype for several years. By the second half of the 20th century, a lot of yachts were still auxiliaries, but the larger part were exclusively power yachts that had gasoline or diesel engines.

In the last decade of the 19th century there was a boom in the construction of more sizeable steam yachts. Conspicuous within these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, containing triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was manned by a crew of over 150. The Mayflower, purchased by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and saw active service for World War II.

As larger and better quality internal-combustion engines were developed, many big craft began using them for power. The development of the diesel engine, using heavy oil for fuel, was furthered in World War I. During the decade that followed, large power-yacht building blossomed, reaching a climax in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. From that point the best auxiliary yacht manufactured was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The building of big power yachts lessened from 1932, and the trend after that was toward smaller, less costly yachts. From World War II, a lot of small naval craft were traded by private owners for conversion to yachts. By the late 20th century, yachting has become a globally popular activity enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen personally manning and keeping their own small recreational yachts. The amount of boats and owners is increasing steadily, not only in the traditional locations along the seacoasts but also on inland waterways and lakes.

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Proportional, Progressive, and Regressive taxes

2010 July 8

Taxes can be categorized by the effect they have on the placement of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a kind that impinges the same relative requirement on each taxpayer—i.e., where tax liability and income move in relative scale. A progressive tax is characterizable by a more than proportional increase in the tax onus in regard to the increase in income, and a regressive tax is recognised by a less than proportional increase in the relative burden. Thus, progressive taxes are regarded as removing inequity in income distribution, whereas regressive taxes may have the result of increasing these inequalities.

The taxes that are usually regarded as progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are initially progressive, however, can become less so for the upper-income class—especially if a taxpayer is permitted to lessen his tax base by declaring deductions or by taking some particular income parts from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates if applied to lower-income groups will also be more progressive if such exemptions of a personal nature are claimed.

Income measured over the period of a year might not absolutely give the most suitable measure of taxpaying requirement. For example, transitory growth in income can be saved, and within temporary declines in income a taxpayer may opt to provide for consumption by decreasing savings. Therefore, if taxation is regarded along with “permanent income,” it can be less regressive (or more progressive) than when compared with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (save those on luxuries) are mostly regressive, because the share of one’s income consumed or spent on specific goods lessens as the rate of personal income is raised. Poll taxes (also termed head taxes), levied as a fixed amount per capita, clearly are regressive.

It is difficult to classify corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, principally because of the lack of certainty regarding the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of determining who bears the tax burden lays essentially on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being considered.

In regarding the economic effects of taxation, it is relevant to differentiate between varied ideas of tax rates. The statutory rates are those dictated in the legislation; generally these are marginal rates, but occasionally they are average rates. Marginal income tax rates note the fraction of incremental income taken by taxation when income increases by one dollar. Hence, if tax liability rises by 45 cents when income rises by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax laws usually contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that grow as income rises. Structured analysis of marginal tax rates are required to take into account provisions apart from the formal statutory rate structure. If, for example, a particular tax credit (reduction in tax) lowers by 20 cents for each one-dollar rise in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points greater than nominated by the statutory rates. Since marginal rates specify how after-tax income changes in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the important ones for assessing incentive effects of taxation. It is even more difficult to nominate the marginal effective tax rate applicable to income from business and capital, because it may depend on considerations including the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem holds that the marginal effective tax rate in income from capital is nil under a consumption-based tax.

Average income tax rates determine the fraction of total income that is paid in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is relevant for assessing the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate rises with income. Average income tax rates generally rise with income, both because personal allowances are provided for the taxpayer and dependents and also due to that marginal tax rates are graduated; conversely, preferential treatment of income received for the most part by high-income households can swamp these effects, producing regressivity, as signified by average tax rates that decrease as income increases.

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