Why You Should Hire an Architect

2010 September 8
by squadron

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

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 property. These ideas form the planning stage of the project and can take months to finalise.

The reason why architects are so crucial 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 make sure 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 thought out, 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 hire 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 established 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 endeavor.

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, bidding 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 charge of planning and designing the building or dwelling as well as provide the necessary feedback and support throughout the entire assignment.

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 engage 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 splendid 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 fabulous
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 different 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 amazing, 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 rudimentry
and your budget may be low. Look for cheap tents that offers a waterproof Polyester roof and a solid warranty for under $600.

If you need a tent for a school or sports club you will need a selection 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 premium reproduction of their logo. Sign written or printed Tents can be as dull as a website address or they can be a design extravaganza.

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 designing 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 magnificent array of breathtaking landscapes. Like imposing mountain ranges, sweeping coastlines, abundant rainforests, deep fiords, snow capped mountains and steaming volcanoes. These panoramic wonders have all made New Zealand an appealing destination for all kinds of holidays.

Amazing 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 cities in New Zealand, Queenstown, Christchurch and Auckland would definitely be there. Travel Online is a celebrated online specialist travel operator and provides wonderful 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 thrilling 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 luxurious 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 wonderful Victoria Square, across the mesmerizing Avon River or towards the epochal Anglican Cathedral. Situated on New Zealand’s South Island, this cosmopolitan city is always abuzz with colourful 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. Luxurious 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 stunningcountryside surrounding the city.

Auckland
Auckland, also known as the City of Sails, is located in between 2 harbors and has more boats per person than anywhere on the planet. Within minutes a person has the flexibility of sailing away on yachts to isolated nearby islands, living the sweet life in the casino, surfing at lots of 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 wonderful, 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 memorable holidaying experience. Visitors to Auckland love visiting the Antarctic Encounter, which showcases the only penguins present in the sub-Antarctic region. More adventures 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 allow an inexperienced 24 hour carpet cleaner attempt to repair your carpets with water damage. These are the worries you need to be careful of:

Overcharging. An amateur water restoration carpet cleaner may load the job up with extra inclusions. E.g. using dehumidification for the damaged carpets may not be needed.

Having the correct equipment. They may use equipment from hire businesses to dry the carpet. This is all right, but an experienced water damage professional will have all their equipment so they provide a quicker response and hopefully a better value job.

Moisture metre. If they don’t have the right moisture meter, they will not be able to know whether the carpet is dry enough. This enhances the potential of mould in future. Removal of this may be required in the future.

Specialisation. There are a lot of “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do restoration repairs on the “side.” i.e. they don’t deal with this kind of work often. Be wary of them. Fixing a carpet is an art. Removing and repairing and reinstalling the carpet needs to be completed by a professional, otherwise the carpet can be permanently damaged.

You may be pondering, how do I pick a proper Flood Restoration professional? Below I have selected some signifiers to check for when you hunt around for a carpet flood damage business:

How large is their Yellow Pages advertisement: This can indicate how much business they are getting already. A full-size Yellow Pages ad can cost about $50 000. When they have got a big ad, you get some indication that they are established.

Where do they show in Google? The higher the rate in Google, the more click-ins there has been for this business.

What Qualifications do they have? The base qualification required is a IICRC qualification about Applied Structural Drying and Water Damage Restoration.

Do Insurance companies use them for their own water damage jobs? This is a top indicator. If insurance companies use them, the business is bound to be efficient at their skill. Insurance companies generally use the companies that provide them the best value for their client’s money.

How much Equipment do they have? They should own at minimum 100 Air movers. If they own this many, this could show they have been running for a good time. It took our business 8 years to own that many wet carpet drying air movers.

What type of commitment can you get from them by calling on the phone? See if you can pin them down to a set price for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they wouldn’t give you a package for this in the least, you know they are not going to serve you, so look elsewhere.

Response Time – Our Water Damage business based in Brisbane operates to a 59 minute response time to a water damage emergency. The business needs to be done ASAP. Mould can come within a 24 hour period.

If you stick to these tips you are sure to get a Flood Damage Restoration technician 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 control of getting your site created by a developer and comprehend the process it will save you money and get you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Understanding your business and how you are currently established in your market.
In order to establish a site that truly meets your requirements; you first need to have a full knowledge of your business including your products, and/or services and more importantly their market position. You then have to examine 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 attain an understanding of what you would like to see on your site and also what you find frustrating about other sites. This will build a good profile and analyze not only what type of site to construct 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 give 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 acquire the general layout of this concept and then construct the inner page template. It is this template that will be repeated for most of your pages for your site.
Present your content in a pre-proofed word processed document; don’t get too creative with the document fonts etc. as these will not be preserved when the content is copied into the code of the site. It is suggested that you do use bolding, underlining, headings and sub heading though ,as these highlights are transferred into the site and are essential later on in not only getting the point across to the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; present a decent amount of content but provide it in a way that a reader may get 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 works on another site they have developed or an example site they may have. You need to know that you can utilize and understand 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 made for you. You can guarantee if it is has just been written for you then it will not operate 100% first time round. This is a where things can get ugly in the process you must understand the way the program operates and test it as if you were normal website user. If it doesn’t make sense to you, chances 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 live make sure you have completed the above testing step until you are happy 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 discussed 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 very important step to forming a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face conveys the tone of your business, indicates the service and displays the professionalism or lack there of.

People spend a lot of money on the formation 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 needless and may cause difficulties when trying to replecate the logo exactly as determined 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 help in conveying 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 looking for a more illustrative finish without losing recognition.

A good example of this is the well-known and executed Fedex logo.

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

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

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Assure 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 accomplish. For example it is troublesome 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
Confirm 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
legible.

Tip 7
Insure that you receive 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 get 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 dispatched business cards to print and collected yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been delighted to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then caught that the crucial tag line is not present or your logo has been wrecked.

There is only one way to avoid this from happening and that is to set up a style guide. Not only will a style guide help you direct the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you extend 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 use in-house or is this for suppliers and contractors to refer to?

Step 2 : Mark what your output uses are. This is important because you will need 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 wantcopy 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 : Ensure you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding lies on all the different pieces of collateral that may be repeated.

Step 5 : Insure to take into account any contributing logos or logos of business that are correlated with you. It’s also important that you send a copy of the layout to these companies to insure they approve the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

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

Step 7 : Make sure 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 affirmed as correct.

Make 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 advocate a training session – whereby your design studio comes in and trains your staff on how to put to work 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 typical question heard when looking for a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: will I purchase an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, standing for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, an acronym for ‘digital light processing’ are the two commonplace projector imaging technologies. With so many business brands and types available, it can be difficult for clients to choose between these technologies. The fact is that LCD projectors have far better image quality and colour accuracy. The article below will explain why DLP projectors struggle with reproducing the same standard of image quality.

It’s like a set of blinds in your house on your bedroom window. By a twist of a rod you can turn the shutters open or closed, depending on whether you want to let light in or not. And this is exactly how an LCD projector behaves. Each pixel works like a unique shutter on a set of blinds to either allow light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is made up of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as professionals like to call them. Each pixel element works to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from when the projector turns on to when the content reaches your screen is ultimately important with regard to image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors shine white light from the lamp by separating it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which project the coloured light to 3 individual LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels make the elements of the image by shining each pixel on and off. The pixels are then meshed in a glass prism to create the projector image. A significant point to know about LCD projectors is that all three colours are projected onto your wall at once. The way a DLP projector operates is widely different and even the way an image looks is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is projected through a turning colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This approach to forming an image creates a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors described above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to create the image elements. The elements of the image are sent in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s eyes will then draw each coloured element of the image into the single total image. With LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to offer the best brightness and fantastic colour accuracy. In DLP, just one colour is available at a time, and so resulting in lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some developers have placed a white segment into the colour wheel to improve general brightness, but this also damages colour accuracy.

I see in forums all the time that DLP provides a higher contrast ratio and ergo must be superior. For those who are unsure, 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 technology is capable of producing. DLP projectors do offer high contrast specifications compared to the majority of LCD projectors. At first glance, this must be a plus, however, in reality, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room while the projector is utilised. Do not be fooled by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you are trying to project has moving images, DLP projection technology also creates image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most typical artifact that a DLP projector displays 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 shone. LCD projectors do not have this characteristic because every colour is projected with the others. DLP manufacturers have come up with 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to fix the colour break up error, but the expense of these projectors make them not practical for most businesses and consumers.

Another difference between LCD and DLP is how they balance for the refractive qualities of light. Jump back to high school science, and remember how the various colours of light refract varied amounts when projected through the same lens. The downfall with DLP projectors is that they utilise the one same panel with the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are different and refract light differently. Usually with a DLP projector, some extra yellow colour will appear above and a spill of blue will show below an image as simple as a single black line. In building LCD projectors can be set to reduce these effects on the projected image, because each colour is refracted on a separate LCD panels.

The isolated veritable benefit (excluding price) with buying a DLP projector is its overall smaller size and weight. However, this is only relevant with regard to mobility and must be traded off against the image superiority of LCD projectors. If resulting picture quality is vital to you, then the choice is no-brainer. Go for an LCD projector! LCD projectors will consistently create bright, colourful images with fewer image errors. If you desire to ask more about LCD technology in more detail, check out 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 with Projector Central, Australia’s number one online retailer for projectors. Brisbane-based, Projector Central has serviced Australia for 15 years. For data projectors in the Gold Coast and Interactive Whiteboards, contact Projector Central today.

Yachting and Yacht Clubs

2010 July 16

As the Dutch came to preeminence in sea power during the 17th century, the first yacht had been a leisure craft used initially by royalty and later by the burghers for the canals as well as the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Yacht racing was incidental, arising as private matches. English yachting started with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his return to the English throne in 1660, the city of Amsterdam presented him with 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, ruled 1685–88), made other yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and returning, on a £100 punt. Yachting rose as popular among the affluent and royalty, but after that point the habit did not last.

The first yacht association in the British Isles, the Water Club, was started at about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard association, with much naval panoply and gravity. The closest thing to a race was the “chase,” in which the “fleet” pursued a fictional enemy. The club went on, mostly as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, after joining with other groups, it became known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing began in some stipulated manner on the Thames around the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland funded the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV rose to monarchy in 1820, it was then known as 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 club had been formed at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1815, and royal funding made the Solent – the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight – the perpetual site of British yachting. The organisation 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 tests for large bids were held, and the social life was lovely. Ultimately Royal Yachting Club boats grew in size to bigger than 350 tons.

In North America, yachting began with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and persisted when the English had dominance. Sailing was mostly for pleasure and reached its apogee in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which cruised on the Mediterranean Sea and created a benchmark of luxury and elegance for the later yachts in the area from the late 19th century. The first continuing American yacht society, the Detroit Boat Club, was formed in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens instigated the New York Yacht Club while aboard his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The first sailing yachts followed the style of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the second half of the 19th century. The design of large yachts was first heavily affected by the win of America, which was drawn by George Steers for a club headed by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) found its namesake after its victory at Cowes in 1851. The first yachts were not designed and built in the modern sense, with merely a model used. Not until the second half of the 19th century did what was known as naval architecture come into action. Not until the 1920s did the application of the research of aerodynamics do for the craft of sails and rigging what such study had earlier done for hulls.

Because almost all sailboats were individually built, there was a requirement for handicapping boats as this was before the one-design class boats were made. Hence, a rating rule was created, which is found in the International Rule, taken on in 1906 and revised in 1919. In modern times, one of the most rapidly flourishing areas in the sailing industry is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are built to single requirements in length, beam, sail area, and other aspects (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing such boats can be had on an even keel with no handicapping at all. A great example is the standard International America’s Cup Class taken on board for participants in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

For the time that yachting was done mostly for the royal and the rich, expense was no object, and the size of boats increased, in both length and weight. The promotion and popularity of smaller craft came in the later half of the 19th century out of the sailing of the Englishmen R.T. McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A journey around the world (1895–98) led single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray demonstrated the seaworthiness of less sizeable boats. Thereafter in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and pleasure craft became more popular, down to the dinghy, a favoured training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, yachts of less than 3 m were traveled in single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
After the decade 1840–50, when steam began to replace sail power in market vessels, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were employed increasingly in leisure boats. Sizeable power yachts were progressed to a high element, and long-distance travel was a fond pastime of the well off. The earliest power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then made way to boats powered by the wholly submerged screw or propeller type of propulsion. Like naval and merchant boats, auxiliaries carrying both sail and power were the yacht fashion for many years. By the latter half of the 20th century, a lot of yachts were still auxiliaries, but the majority were exclusively power yachts with gasoline or diesel engines.

From the last decade of the 19th century there was a rise in the design of large steam yachts. In particular within these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, that had triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was sailed by a crew of more than 150. The Mayflower, bought by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and saw active service in World War II.

As bigger and better quality internal-combustion engines were developed, many big yachts started using them for power. The creation of the diesel engine, with heavy oil for fuel, was furthered in World War I. From the decade after, bigger power-yacht manufacture grew, hitting a climax in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. From that period the largest auxiliary yacht constructed was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The building of bigger power craft declined in 1932, and the fashion from then was in preference of smaller, less costly boats. From World War II, a lot of small naval boats were traded by private owners for conversion to yachts. At the late 20th century, yachting had become a widespread popular competition enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen individually manning and keeping their own small recreational craft. The popularity of yachts and owners is increasing steadily, not only in the traditional locations along the beach 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 impact they have on the allocation of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a tax that places the same relative liability on all the taxpayers—i.e., where tax liability and income grow in relative scale. A progressive tax is characterized by a more than proportional increase in the tax liability relative to the increase in income, and a regressive tax is characterizable by a less than proportional rise in the comparable onus. Ergo, progressive taxes are seen as taking away inequity in income distribution, but regressive taxes may have the result of an increase in these inequalities.

The taxes that are usually believed to be progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are categorically progressive, however, can become less so within the upper-income class—in particular if a taxpayer is permitted to reduce his tax base by claiming deductions or by excluding some income elements from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates if applied to lower-income categories would also be more progressive if personal exemptions are claimed.

Income measured over a given year does not definitely offer the most suitable measure of taxpaying ability. For example, transitory growth in income might be saved, and during temporary declines in income a taxpayer might decide to finance consumption by taking from savings. Ergo, if taxation is regarded alongside “permanent income,” it will be less regressive (or more progressive) than if it is held in comparison with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (excepting luxuries) tend to be regressive, because the dissemination of one’s income consumed or spent on specific goods lowers as the amount of personal income rises. Poll taxes (also known as head taxes), nominated as a set amount per capita, clearly are regressive.

It is hard to determine corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, because of uncertainty surrounding the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of deciding who bears the tax burden depends essentially on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being debated.

In regarding the economic purposes of taxation, it is important to differentiate between varied points of tax rates. The statutory rates are those specified in the law; commonly these are marginal rates, but sometimes they are mean rates. Marginal income tax rates indicate the fraction of incremental income taken by taxation when income increases by one dollar. Thus, if tax onus rises by 45 cents when income grows by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax regulations usually contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that rise as income increases. Heavy analysis of marginal tax rates are required to consider provisions in addition to the formal statutory rate structure. If, for example, a particular tax credit (reduction in tax) falls by 20 cents for each one-dollar growth in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points greater than indicated in the statutory rates. Since marginal rates indicate how after-tax income increases or decreases 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 realise the marginal effective tax rate to apply to income from business and capital, as it may rely on such factors as the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem shows that the marginal effective tax rate in income from capital is nil under a consumption-based tax.

Average income tax rates show the part of total income that is paid in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is necessary for considering the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate increases with income. Average income tax rates commonly rise with income, both because personal allowances are granted for the taxpayer and dependents and also due to that marginal tax rates are graduated; on the other hand, preferential treatment of income received fundamentally by high-income households can dwarf these effects, forcing regressivity, as displayed by average tax rates that decline as income increases.

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