Dark Garbage Environment

Archive for May, 2011

Article by Ruth Jones

A flash 3D environment can really make your website stand out. With many billions of websites on the internet today, making yours stand out from the crowd is a tough challenge, but one way in which you might be able to achieve this is through the use of a 3D environment, or in other words, creating the impression of a website which transcends the flat single dimension which most other websites inhabit, and generates the impression of a space which can be explored in all dimensions.

Usually, when we visit a website, it is a flat screen of information and content. The monitor we use to look at the website is flat, and this flatness creates a mental barrier between the visitor and the site’s contents. This is a shame, because it may well be that the website has some tremendous content, but if it is flat then there will always be that barrier to overcome. However, introducing a 3D environment into a website immediately lifts the barrier out of the way, and immerses the visitor in a world which they can explore.

Straight away of course, by having a 3D environment your website is considerably different to any other site the visitor will have been to lately, and this alone will capture their interest, and is likely to be remembered for a long time. They may even recommend or link to your website from the novelty alone, although you’ll obviously be careful to ensure that your website is not merely novelty alone, but gets the content across too.

We can think of your website in terms of a museum, gallery or office space. When people visit these places they don’t expect to be prompted to stand in front of a notice board and stare at the content there before being whisked off to another board of information. People like to be able to look around them, to explore, to get a feel for the overall quality and style of the place. In other words, people enjoy being in control of the environment they inhabit. It’s a natural need we all feel, and being able to look around us in all directions, and to explore the world around us gives us a feeling of ownership, understanding and helps cement an image and memory of the environment.

A website that incorporates a flash 3D environment provides this same impression and opportunity, allowing visitors to look around them and to explore the site, and its contents, by being in control of it. Of course, once of the biggest challenges, and the main question you’re most likely thinking about now is how exactly do you go about creating a 3D environment for your website?

There are two main options. The first is a virtual reality website which uses the scripting language VRML, or Virtual Reality Modelling Language. This creates a fully immersive 3D environment that visitors can explore and can include links to information or other pages. The problems with this are fairly numerous. Firstly, it requires a fairly solid understanding of 3D modelling, and you’ll need to create the entire 3D world from scratch, secondly, the visitor will need to download and install an plug-in in order to be able to see and browse your website, and thirdly, the overall size of your web pages will be so huge that it could take several minutes for them to load, even on a broadband internet connection.

Fortunately there is an alternative, and this is to use Flash. Flash is ideal as a system to create a 3D environment because of that fact that the files are usually so very small. I have come across a Flash 3D environment that is only around 15 kilobytes — that’s less that an average page of writing alone! This Flash 3D environment actually allows me to explore in all directions, up, down, left and right, and even forwards and backwards. It doesn’t have to be photo realistic, that’s not what this is about, but it does create the illusion of a fully immersive 3D world, and immediately captures interest.

Unless you’re a genius when it comes to using Flash I would strongly recommend you use one of the commercially available Flash 3D environment packages, but these are all very easily customisable, and will allow you to very quickly generate your own 3D environments to help ensure that your visitors are captivated. Of course, the extra beauty as far as using Flash is concerned, besides the very small file sizes and the ease of use, is the fact that it will not require anyone to install a plug-in, as the Flash plug-in is usually already installed on every computer. This means that your visitors can, within seconds, be exploring your web space and enjoying an experience that they’ll remember for a lot longer than those of your competitors.

About the Author

For more information on how to use Flash to jazz up your website and provide your customers with a great website experience, check out Flashloaded – you will not be disappointed.

Article by Dietrich Elliot

Every day thousands of people show up for a job they hate. Is it because the work is knuckle-scrapingly hard? No. Is it because the job is mind numbingly boring? No. It is because every day someone at that place of work makes life miserable for that employee. It makes suffering through until days’ end almost unbearable. It rears its ugly head as discrimination, be it sexual, racial, ageism or religious. It’s a boss who sexually harasses an employee or someone who chronically tells lewd, unwelcome jokes in the workplace. It’s a fellow employee in the next cubicle who gossips, bullies, sabotages or belittles the accomplishments of his neighbor and the boss who allows such behavior.

What these people are experiencing is a Hostile Work Environment and the U.S. Government passed laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of1967, and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prevent such things.

In America, we have the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to work a job without being made to suffer to do it. While women have long found themselves the focus of unwanted or unwelcome attention such as this in the workplace, they are not alone suffering this kind of humiliation in Hostile Work Environments. But with the sexual revolution of the 60′s and 70′s, as more women found their way into the workplace, they were the first to bring the problem of Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environment to the attention of the courts. With the awareness in the last two decades of the ramifications of bullying and incidents that inspired phrases like ‘going postal’, it would seem that this kind of situation should be lessening in the workplace. But every day, it goes on. Every day, employees reach their limits. They are desperate to keep their jobs in a worsening economy and are forced to swallow their anger.

So what constitutes a Hostile Work Environment? The phrase covers a rather narrow term of definition, legally. Yet it defines a workplace situation where an employee cannot reasonably do his or her job because of rude or hostile or sexual behavior in the workplace specifically directed at a particular protected class of employee. Harassment can come either from a boss, supervisor or from another employee, or by the management’s failure to deal with such situations.

In other words, a boss who is generally hostile and rude to everyone may not constitute a Hostile Work Environment, but a boss who targets a specific person who belongs to one of these protected classes may, in fact, constitute a Hostile Work Environment. A boss who uses rudeness or hostility, or discrimination to force an employee to quit his or her job so that the company is not forced to pay unemployment insurance to that employee may constitute a Hostile Work Environment. A Hostile Work Environment Attorney can bring a lawsuit against management that either refuses or fails to take action against such behavior after the harassed employee goes to management for help. However, the victim’s behavior will also be taken into consideration in a lawsuit. If a victim responds with hostility of his or her own, that can nullify any lawsuit. And the harassment must be ongoing and severe.

Hostile Work Environment Attorneys say that the perpetrators in Hostile Work Environment cases count on intimidation and the desperation of these employees to keep their jobs to forestall any legal action. Some, unbelievably, cannot even conceive of this as harassment. Some 35% of all women surveyed in a 2007 study claim they have been subjected to harassment of some kind in the workplace. It’s estimated that only 5%-15% of all Hostile Work Environment cases are ever even reported. This might be partly due to the fact that management is already aware of the problems in the ranks and have chosen not to act. Whistle blowers are often the target of management’s wrath and the ostracization of that employee by others. So it seems like a vicious Catch 22.

Kenneth Wygand, a Los Angeles accountant, found himself the unwelcome target of Harassment by a boss who learned of Kenneth’s homosexuality. Kenneth became the brunt of office jokes and was intentionally left out of meetings. When he complained to a partner in the firm, he was assured that something would be done, but nothing was, and afterward, was characterized as ‘difficult.’ His supervisor continued to harangue Kenneth, pushing him to quit, rallying the other employees to ostracize him as well for fear of losing their own jobs. He was given terrible reviews and missed out on salary increases. But the boss simply defended his actions, saying that Kenneth was not performing up to standards. Out of desperation, Kenneth consulted a Hostile Work Environment Attorney and sued his former employer, and won a sizable case.

The fear of losing ones job is a powerful force. So many remain silent in the face of this destructive and debilitating behavior. But if the situation warrants, an experienced Hostile Work Environment Attorney can be your advocate where there is none in the workplace. If you feel you are a victim of a Hostile Work Environment, contact a Hostile Work Environment Attorney who specializes in workplace harassment issues who will help you get the compensation you deserve.

About the Author

Dietrich Elliot is a freelance writer, teacher and retired Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney. He writes about Personal Injury Law as it pertains to Los Angeles, the city in which he lives. You can contact Mr. Elliot by emailing him at: DietrichElliot@aol.com.

Article by Marcus Taylor

Bleak offices, factory production lines, windowless offices and smoky environments were all commonplace. Staff were managed on the original ‘theory x / theory y’ school of thought, which involved managing staff very tightly, with centralised decision making, little flexibility, a strong and process-driven operating environment and strict management controls.

Why is a good working environment so important?Numerous studies have shown the importance of a pleasant and healthy working environment. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – an established model of working satisfaction – a safe and healthy work environment is one of the most basic of needs for any employee.

How have things changed?Government legislation was one of the first steps to improving the working environment, addressing everything from working hours regulations, to the control of hazardous substances and protective clothing, all designed to improve the basic working conditions of staff. At a basic and fundamental level, this started to tackle the abysmal health and safety records of employers (hark back to the working environments of our Grandparents and injuries / deaths in service were not uncommon in many physical occupations). The positive effects on the workforces were noticed: reduced absence, sickness and staff turnover, more productive working time and fewer incidents in the workplace.

Developing the ‘softer’ sideMore recently, organisational psychologists started to investigate the links between ‘softer’ factors at work and business productivity. Staff morale and motivation was found to have proven links with business results and productivity and far greater emphasis was put into boosting employee goodwill, through strategies which included improving working environments. As society began to undergo a wider transformation, with greater numbers of skilled jobs, competition, qualified staff and changing expectations, employers were suddenly obliged to start making efforts to keep the best employees.

They began hiring experts to create pleasant working atmospheres. Everything from soothing office décor, to water fountains, better canteens, breakout areas and other on-site facilities, all designed to keep staff happy, comfortable, safe and secure during their working hours. No longer was basic safety sufficient, but employees, increasingly used to living in better environments, expected that their workplace would reflect this change for the better.

The resultsNumerous workplace studies have proven the causal link between working environment and employee morale / organisational productivity. An entire industry has been created around workplace design, ergonomics and environment and the trend shows no sign of reversing, with staff surveys increasingly referencing the importance of their working environment.

Practical Steps to improving working environmentsSmaller businesses needn’t despair however if they don’t have the budgets for koi carp ponds and water features in glass-fronted reception areas! Small details such as plants (proven to reduce stress in corporate environments), adequate water and refreshment facilities, large windows with views, controllable temperature controls, little perks such as food treats, spacious desk spaces and clean washrooms and kitchens are all small improvements that will pay serious dividends.

For more information on offices in Bracknell with great working environments visit Arlington Square Bracknell.

About the Author

The link between a good working environment and productivity is clear and proven. Previous generations of workers were obliged to operate in generally fairly dismal conditions.