Home Security Camera Systems: Taking Your DIY Home Security System to the Next Level

Back in the 80’s, visual, information and auto-detection technologies were very poorly understood by the average person. If you’d suggested building a DIY home security system in 1990, most people would probably have thought of Kevin McCallister’s maze of booby-traps in Home Alone.

But computers have traveled light years in the past couple of decades. Hardware glitches, though still not a thing of the past, are far rarer, and operating technologies such as media recording and storage and motion detection is now a fairly simple business, accessible to anyone with the time to skim through a short user manual or do a little browsing on the internet. You can, believe it or not, actually build pretty efficient DIY home security systems using simple webcams of the sort people use to chat online. With a little more cash in hand, you can even override issues of poor lighting by installing your own infrared security cameras.

You should keep in mind, before you get too caught up in building a DIY home security system that turns your home into a hi-tech fortress, that the most effective form of crime prevention is really simple common sense. More than half of all burglaries occur as the result of negligence – someone leaving a door or window open, or forgetting to put the alarm on. Make sure that your spouse, children, and any other residents of your home are set in the ritual of locking doors whenever they leave, even if it’s only to run a quick errand.

On from this, you’ll want to install contact sensors on all your windows and doors. Contact sensors are simply two pads which, when in contact, complete an electrical circuit. If that circuit is broken by, say, the opening of the window, a switch will trip in the contacts, causing them to signal to their central hub (which, in the case of a DIY home security system, would probably be your personal computer). Contacts can be purchased for less than ten dollars at most hardware stores.

If your DIY home security system effort is going to include the rigging of a full-blown home security camera system, it’s possible to have your contacts serve as the activators for the recording function of your cameras. Thus your cameras will be set to record as soon as the contact circuit is broken and the perimeter of your fortress is breached. Truly, if the lighting in the house is decent, and you’re generally at home at night, there’s no reason to construct your home security camera system using anything more snazzy than a few good webcams. Webcams start at under $ 20, and go right up to the point of being far more accurate as regards color and contrast discrimination than the human eye.

Infrared security cameras present an opportunity to take your DIY home security system to the next level, leaving it immune from changes in lighting conditions, and ensuring that you find out what happened in your home entirely regardless of whether a bulb blew. The flip side of this coin is the fact that buying one may leave you feeling like you’ve been robbed – while infrared security cameras have become a lot cheaper in recent years, decent ones are still priced in the $ 2000 area. The question is really one of need – if your home is adequately lit by streetlights from the outside, then your home security camera system probably won’t be much improve by the purchase. Keep in mind, however, when doing your cost-risk calculations, that infrared security cameras can double as fire detectors, eliminating the need to install smoke detectors.

For more useful tips on Home Security Camera Systems be sure to check out www.Home-Security-Pro.com.

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A Pivot Point Education Takes You to a Higher Level of Artistry

Article by Dotty Zukoff

“A license doesn’t earn a living, but an education does.”James Federico, Founder of Federico Beauty Institute

How would you like to spend your down time at work flipping through fashion and celebrity magazines without upsetting your manager? As a licensed Cosmetologist, in between appointments, you’ll be expected to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in hair styles and fashion to make the best, most stylish choices for your clients. If you love being creative and transforming hair into an art form, then Cosmetology is your dream career.

Hair Trends 2009Throughout 2008, haircuts got shorter, according to fashionising.com, a fashion community and social network for people who love fashion, including people in the fashion industry,. There was the bob hair trend, the pixie-crop and several other styles in between. Trendy hairstyles for 2009 include the short and light bob and the short boy-cut.

Although the bob haircut is still in fashion in 2009; it’s just not as unique. So, for 2009, fashion-forward women are faced with a predicament: keep the bobs…or to stand out… cut their hair even shorter or let it grow.

State-of-the-Art Cosmetology EducationYolly ten Koppel, International Artistic Director for Pivot Point International is responsible for having her finger on the pulse of fashion every day. Says ten Koppel, “This is the best profession because it is innovative and never dull. We hair designers need to interpret clothing trends and lifestyles into our hair designs. Clients expect you, as a hair designer, to know what’s fashionable. They don’t want a cookie-cutter haircut, but one that’s trendy and customized to their individual lifestyle.” ten Koppel urges Cosmetology students to absorb trends around them.

Federico students were able to meet ten Koppel in person in September 2008 when she gave an Advanced Haircutting Workshop at the beauty school’s Sacramento campus. Only Federico students who completed and passed hair sculpting class were qualified to take the workshop.

Ten Koppel, recipient of the Coiffure award and three-time winner of the U.S. Educator of the year award, is one of Pivot Point’s most recognized ambassadors at industry shows. She teaches and trains hair designers and educators, from entry-level to professional status.

Pivot Point International was founded in 1962 by Leo Passage and is the industry’s most recognized provider of educational tools and design resources. Federico Beauty Institute is one of 2,000 Pivot Point Member Schools located in 70 countries. More than 50,000 cosmetologists graduate world wide each year trained in the Pivot Point system of education.

Leo Passage is credited with changing the concepts behind cosmetology education and shattering the myth that successful hair designers must be born with an artistic ability. According to Passage, artistic talent is developed, not innate.

Pivot Point teaches the “why” — the freedom to create — not just the “how” – the technical skills. Pivot Point Member Schools train students to elevate their technical skills to a higher level of artistic creativity. A Pivot Point education teaches students to see, think, create and adapt as a designer – not just duplicate the latest fashion trends, but to be the innovator of these trends.

Setting the standard in beauty education, Pivot Point has launched many to the top of the hair and beauty field, including:• Dean Banowetz – head stylist for American Idol• David Raccuglia – founder of American Crew hair products for men• Christine Schuster – senior vice president, Redken• Andre Walker – five-time Emmy winner and personal stylist to Oprah

The talent, knowledge and skills gained from the Pivot Point education provided by Federico Beauty Institute will open a variety of exciting beauty career opportunities whether it’s working in a top salon, running your own business, competing on the international circuit or heading toward the fashion stage.

ABOUT FEDERICO BEAUTY INSTITUTEFederico Beauty Institute is a third-generation, family-owned and operated beauty school that continues its 60-year commitment to educating cosmetology and esthetics students. Their mission is to hold the highest standards to produce future leaders of the beauty industry. Federico’s educator staff is comprised of professional tenured educators who vow to motivate and mentor students to be the best they can be as beauty professionals. They teach methodology as well as hands-on training, and stay on top of industry trends and changes through constant continuing education. For more information, visit http://www.federico.edu.

Federico Beauty Institute Article.