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Archive for April, 2009

Interior design careers require not only a sense of design, but also technical aptitude and sophisticated communication skills. A bachelor’s degree and passing mandated government exams is just the beginning of this highly competitive – but rewarding and inspirational career.

Designing your life with a career in interior design can give you the lifetime reward of living with a job you love. Interior design careers are for the creative individual who also has the ability to manage the creativity logically and enjoys working with materials. To be a successful interior designer, you must also be able to communicate the creative and logical aspects of your design to clients.

An interior designer works for their client. The client will issue their requests, demands and specifications for the interior design. The interior designer will then take those specifications and create a design, using creativity and talent to create a design, and educational background and on-the-job experience to make the design a reality. Textiles and materials, form and function, safety and security are all areas of study that the interior designer has to master. Aesthetics must meet functionality and it starts with a degree.

Your Interior Design major will begin with the fundamentals. These courses will include learning about the basic principles, processes and elements of design, types of materials and furnishings, identification of fabrics and textiles, and utilization of space. From there you will move on to the physical properties of materials, composition, light, color, sketching and mechanical drafting. Later in your education, your studies will focus on blending the visual and the practical, then move to business practices, government regulations, environmental considerations, communication and building your portfolio. Safety courses will include fire regulations, building codes, ADA regulations, and space constraints.

Most states require an interior designer to be insured. To qualify for the exam, you will need six years of college, and work experience. If you claim you are an interior designer in those states and perform work, it’s possible you could be criminally prosecuted. Once you complete your education, complete the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam. The NCIDQ exam is administered twice a year and includes three sections. Section One is “the Principles and Practices of Design (Building and Barrier Free Codes included), Section Two is “Contract Development and Administration,” and Section Three is “Schematics and Design Development.” Once you pass your NCIDQ exam, you will be assigned a certificate number and get your license.

During your studies you will likely find your area of preference and expertise. An interior designer can work in general interiors in residential or commercial buildings, or they can specialize, working for just restaurants, hotels, skyscrapers, or any other specialty that they’ve found their talent for. An interior designer might work for a large corporation, a small design firm, or out of their own home. The interior designer’s education, license, portfolio and work experience will determine reputation and career.

Interior design takes a great deal of creativity, skill and knowledge. Years of education and training take place before your interior design career becomes a reality – but once it does, your life will be designed for success.

What is a Rotary Tool?

A rotary tool can be defined as a hand held power tool with a number of rotating accessory bits and attachments that can be employed for cutting, polishing, carving, sanding and many other applications.  Extremely versatile handheld tools, Rotary tools are well suited for do-it-yourself and professional applications. Being versatile in nature, it is too confusing to choose an appropriate rotary tool. An extensive search through the internet guides you to buy apt rotary tools.    

Advantages of Rotary Tools:

The smaller rotary tools employ high revolutions per minute (RPM, a unit of frequency) to maintain the correct cutting conditions for the tool bits. These rotary tools are available with low torque which makes them safer, for freehand employ, compared to the larger higher powered models or similar power tools. These tools are confident to help you with a number of accessories for applications including cutting, carving, sanding, polishing, and grinding.

Types of Rotary Tools:

There are two types of rotary tools available in the market – Cut Out Tools and Basic Rotary Tools. These tools can be differentiated by their sizes and motors. Cut out tools usually have larger motors.  

Cut Out Tools:

Cut out tool does not have comparatively as many attachments as basic rotary tools, but those powerful motors make the most of each attachment available. Some of the attachments of cut out tools including:

•    Circle Cutter— it enables the operator to cut perfect circles more or less in any building material.

•    Grinder, Cut Off, Sander and Polisher Attachment— it enables the operator to grind, cut sand or polish a wide range of materials.

•    Guided Bits— it enable the operator to cut wallboard around electrical boxes without damaging the box.

Basic Rotary Tools:

Since the introduction of basic rotary tools in 1930, the manufacturers have got enough time to develop and refine attachments for these tools. Some of the attachments of basic rotary tools including:

•    Router Attachment— it enables the operator to employ the tool for freehand routing.

•    Router Table— it enables the operator to employ the tool as a table-mounted router.

•    Drill Press— it changes the tool into a mini-drill press.

•    Bits— it is designed for routing, engraving, metal cutting, etching, tile cutting, metal shaping, polishing and so on.

Power used in Rotary Tools:

Available in both cordless and corded versions, cordless cut out tools have been proved to be more convenient. However, the corded versions are slightly more powerful than cordless.

•    Due to availability of motors ranging from four to five amps, corded cut out tools powerful motors enable the tool to quickly cut through most building materials without bogging down.

•    However, corded rotary tools comprise motors around one amp. Rotary tools don’t cut as fast as cut out tools do, but the smaller motors give the user better control.

Group salsa lessons are a fun, social, and affordable way to learn how to salsa dance. Some group classes can be as large as 40 people or as small as 5. The average class size at 15-20 people and oftentimes students are required to rotate partners through out the evening. If you’re a guy, this helps you learn to lead different women. If you’re girl, this helps you learn how to follow different leading styles. Students who take group classes on regular basis also form friendships and there is no better place to meet a potential dance partner then in a salsa class.

People who get a lot out of group salsa classes are usually very good at following directions and well coordinated. People who are active in martial arts, yoga, sports, or other forms of dancing usually can follow their dance instructor with relative ease. On the other hand, people who are poorly coordinated may find themselves struggling to keep up in their first few classes.

That is the unavoidable downside of group lessons. They are a one size fits all solution. I teach a weekly salsa class in Times Square that ranges from 15-30 people. I have to teach at a pace that accommodates everyone in the room. Therefore some people will feel the class is too fast while others may feel the class is too slow. The other downside of group salsa lessons is the instructor can’t give you individual attention. That means if your executing a move incorrectly, the instructor may not even notice because he/she is watching the entire class and not just you. Having that critical eye focused only upon you is why you may want to consider spending a little more for private salsa instruction.

Private salsa lesssons usually cost some where in the range of $80 – $100. It’s about 4x more than what you would pay for a group class. On the other hand, students who take private lessons learn at a much quicker pace and can cut your learning curve in half. The instructor has his/her attention focused on teaching you and you only which will prevent you from picking up bad habits. Most people pick up bad habits with out knowing it. Small things like not being wary of your posture or moving your hips the wrong way take a very long time to unlearn once they have become a habit. A good salsa instructor will keep you on the right path and weed out any potential bad habits at the first sign. Thus a student who wants to have a more refined technique and accelerate their learning ought to take private salsa lessons.

Private salsa lessons are also the way to go if you are not some one who learns well in large groups. The most important thing for an absolute beginner is to have a proper foundation. People who are new to salsa and have a below average sense of coordination may find themselves struggling to keep up in a group class. If this is the case, consider a few one on one sessions at a pace that you feel comfortable with. You can take group classes once you have developed a good grasp of the basics. The great thing about private salsa classes is that they can be custom tailored to meet your needs. You may want to take private lessons for any of these reasons listed: 1. You’re an absolute beginner and need things broken down more. 2. You already know the basics but find yourself unable to move past a sticking point. 3. You want to further refine your technique beyond what your group classes can offer.

The one main benefit that group classes have over private lessons is the opportunity to practice with many different dance partners. Learning to follow and learning to lead is a skill that develops over time through experience. One must practice with many different people in order to gain the experience necessary to develop this ability. I believe the optimal way to learn is to take both private and group lessons hand in hand. This gives you the critical one on one attention along with regular partner-work experience.

- Todd Chen