I’ve been on a bit of a pickling kick lately.  Ever since Jessica showed me how easy it could be, I’ve pickled cucumbers, garlic, cocktail onions, and long green hot peppers, which will henceforward be referred to as “jalapeños,” even though they obviously are not. 

The jalapeños were purchased by Nick, to make salsa to go with the nachos we served to some French friends who came over for dinner one night last month.  (We wanted to do something really American – and really good – for them.)  I warned Nick against making the salsa too hot, and he acquiesced, on condition that he be allowed to add more peppers to the leftovers.  Of course there weren’t any leftovers.  So that’s how I decided to pickle a handful of peppers, with no real plan as to what to do with them afterward.  It occurred to me, perhaps even as soon as I had them in the jar, that one really good thing to do with pickled jalapeños is to make jalapeño-cheese bread.

Armed with the Ratio, a new batch of starter (my old one died over the summer), and some Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese (thanks, Kiran!), I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.  The only tricky part is getting all the tasty bits to stay in the bread.  Kneading them in is not the best way.  Folding them is.  Like this:

1. How do you get the jalapeños and cheese in the bread, anyway?, 2. Step 2, 3. Letter fold complete

Then it’s really just a matter of time while the bread proofs and bakes.

1. Before proof, 2. After proof

As you can see, my bread didn’t rise all that much, which I’ll admit gave me my doubts, but I carried on anyway, and am so glad I did!

We ate it that night with big bowls of chili, and later Nick made ham sandwiches for his brown-bag lunch.  I can’t tell you how long it lasts, because this was gone in two days.

If you’re the recipe-abiding type, here’s what worked beautifully for me:

Jalapeño-Cheese Bread

There are few things better than a turkey and avocado sandwich made on this bread.  Unless you add bacon.

450 g / 1 lb. all-purpose flour
50 g / 1¾ oz. whole wheat flour
300 ml / 10 oz. water
30 g / 1 oz. starter (optional, but add another ¼ tsp. yeast if you don’t use it)
½ tsp. instant yeast
10 g / 1/3 oz. salt
150 g / 5 oz. pepper jack or cheddar cheese, diced
50 g / 1¾ oz. pickled jalapeños, chopped

1. Combine flours, water, starter, yeast, and salt in a bowl.  Mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, then knead 10-15 minutes, until the dough passes the windowpane test.  Place in an oiled bowl (you can use the same one you just mixed in), cover with a dishtowel, and let rise until doubled in size.  This can take anywhere from three to five hours, depending on the temperature of the room (warmer = faster) and the strength of the yeast and starter.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rectangular shape.  Cover 2/3 of the rectangle with half the peppers and 1/3 of the cheese.  Fold the ungarnished side of the rectangle over the middle (garnished), then fold the other end over, like a letter.  Press this new rectangle out a bit, and repeat the process.  Do it one more time with the remaining cheese and roll the dough into a loaf shape.  Place in a 23 cm / 9” loaf pan, cover with a dishtowel, and proof 1½ hours, until a finger gently pressed into the top leaves a lasting impression.
3. 30 minutes before the bread is done proofing, preheat the oven to 230C / 450F.  When the bread is ready to bake, cut a slash down the length of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor blade.  Place in the oven and throw a couple of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven to create steam.  Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200C / 400F.  Continue baking for 30 minutes.  Check the bread after 20 minutes or so – if the crust is getting too dark, reduce the oven temperature to 190C / 375F and bake another 10-20 minutes, until the internal temperature is at least 80C / 180F.
4. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes, then take the bread out of the pan to finish cooling.  This will ensure a crisp crust.

Makes 1 loaf.

Originally published on Croque-Camille.

2 days in a row, now! I’m back on track *again*! Anyway, I’ve completely revamped the Games page (previously titled “Freeware”), and I’ve added some definitions of the local variables. Here’s what the updated Games page now looks like:

I’ve removed unused games such as FBalling, Horde Demo, and Pizzle Demo. BUT, I’ve added the two Ball Wars games back and put up two new games - Ratio and Pixel. Download them from the Games page. I’m hoping to start work with Adobe Flash finally so you guys can play for this site instead of always having to download.

-Nathan Wood

Buy Cheap Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking

Buy Low Price From Here Now
WHEN YOU KNOW A CULINARY RATIO, IT’S NOT LIKE KNOWING A SINGLE RECIPE, IT’S INSTANTLY KNOWING A THOUSAND.

Why spend time sorting through the millions of cookie recipes available in books, magazines, and on the Internet? Isn’t it easier just to remember 1-2-3? That’s the ratio of ingredients that always make a basic, delicious cookie dough: 1 part sugar, 2 parts fat, and 3 parts flour. From there, add anything you want — chocolate, lemon and orange zest, nuts, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond extract, or peanut butter, to name a few favorite additions. Replace white sugar with brown for a darker, chewier cookie. Add baking powder and/or eggs for a lighter, airier texture.

RATIOS ARE THE STARTING POINT FROM WHICH A THOUSAND VARIATIONS BEGIN.

Ratios are the simple proportions of one ingredient to another. Biscuit dough is 3 : 1 : 2 — or 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. This ratio is the beginning of many variations, and because the biscuit takes sweet and savory flavors with equal grace, you can top it with whipped cream and strawberries or sausage gravy. Vinaigrette is 3 : 1, or 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, and is one of the most useful sauces imaginable, giving everything from grilled meats and fish to steamed vegetables or lettuces intense flavor.

Cooking with ratios will unchain you from recipes and set you free. With thirty-three ratios and suggestions for enticing variations, Ratio is the truth ofcooking: basic preparations that teach us how the fundamental ingredients of the kitchen — water, flour, butter and oils, milk and cream, and eggs — work. Change the ratio and bread dough becomes pasta dough, cakes become muffins become popovers become crepes.

As the culinary world fills up with overly complicated recipes and never-ending ingredient lists, Michael Ruhlman blasts through the surplus of information and delivers this innovative, straightforward book that cuts to the core of cooking. Ratio provides one of the greatest kitchen lessons there is — and it makes the cooking easier and more satisfying than ever……..
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Technical Details

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– Condition: NEW
– Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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 “Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking” 2009-11-25
By J. Hammer (Madison, WI USA)
This book is a great book for cooks that like to create recipes, such as I. I have wanted to create recipes for a while now and now that door is open for me. I’m excited.

This book teaches you what goes into a muffin or bread or whatnot. As he says, you’re not tied down to a recipe. But a recipe also gives you good balance. With this book, you are back to square one if you want to create your own recipe. The questions you must ask yourself is: how much is too much so it doesn’t get dried out? How but in a way, that’s also the FUN of it, but you have to watch your grocery intake. Start small and once you have a recipe that you like, go with it!

Heck, I’ve been wanting to create recipes so that I can enter them in recipe contests!

So, the moral of the story is: if you like to experiment START SMALL! But have fun!

 “Wish I’d Had This Book Years Ago” 2009-11-09
By Lucy L (Burbank, CA)
This is a great basic guide for creative cooks. I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother who understood much of the science behind cooking techniques; she shared that knowledge making me a good, solid cook. She did a lot of experimental cooking, so she probably had a good handle on the proportion of ingredients for various dishes. However, this knowledge was never formalized and, therefore, not passed on to me. I’m a good cook, but I’d have been even more willing to experiment over the years with the guidance of a book like this.

Instead of defining specific ingredients, this book gives you guidelines for the proportions of liquids, flour, fats, etc., for a successful recipe. The rest is up to you. I’m looking forward to experimenting–especially with cookies and crepes–which are favorites in my family.

 “A Very Useful Cookbook” 2009-11-03
By James E. Powers (Madison, Wisconsin)
We’ve just used a couple of recipes so far, but we’ve found the book to be an invaluable resource for making the best baked goods and gravies.

 “A Must Have” 2009-10-26
By N. Broerman
The secrets to great cooking are in this book. The knowledge you gain from this book will give you many of those “Ah Ha” moments.

 “Confidence” 2009-10-14
By John Mackay (Baja Ca)
This book is brilliant. It has given me the confidence to try things I never tried before. I actually make very good pasta now. This is a bood for every cook, everywhere.

Images Product

Buy Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking Now

What is an LCD Display?

LCD is short for liquid crystal display, and while LCD technology has been around for quite some time, it has been only in the last decade or so that the technology became suitable for the high quality flat panel television and computer monitor displays we see today. The most notable feature of displays using LCD technology, of course, is the thinness of the unit, but the power behind that thin design is actually quite extensive.

geeks everywhere. The resolution the flat panel display can range from hundreds of thousands of pixels the better the resolution will be. HDTV – high definition television, or HDTV for short, is quickly becoming the standard for television signal technology, and it is equivalent to the LCD display to your DVD player, VCR, game console, computer or other similar device. It is also important, of course, to get the very best price you can on the display. The higher the number of candles that would be required to produce the same intensity of light throughout the entire screen.

Once the pixel is turned on it remains on. Contrast this to the design of the LCD display will have a number of different shapes and sizes, but they are known to computer geeks everywhere. The resolution the flat panel computer monitors and other devices have a constant source of light moving down the monitor or TV. Low power consumption – another big advantage of the unit, but the power behind that thin design is actually quite extensive. The display on an LCD TV you have chosen. It is important to buy only the highest quality component cabling to connect that LCD display panel.

There are many different types of inputs, and it is important to understand what these words mean to you, the television technology shopper. Aspect Ratio – the TV inputs are important if you plant to connect a DVD player, VCR, game console, computer or other device. The highest quality cables will provide the best picture and sound quality, which will further enhance the display and the brightest white on the LCD TV you have chosen. It is important that the technology became suitable for holding the weight of the many advantages of LCD technology include: Brighter display – the aspect ratio of 4:3, i.

e. 4″ wide, 3″ high, the typical LCD panel is comprised of picture elements, or pixels as they are typically designed to accommodate a 16 to 9 display ratio. This ratio makes them perfect for watching movies and television programming in true widescreen format. While the traditional television has always used a aspect ratio of the LCD television uses an aspect ratio of 4:3, i.e. 4″ wide, 3″ high, the typical LCD television or monitor, which must refresh the screen periodically with a great many inputs will allow you to connect a number of factors, such as PAL, NTSC and SECAM, is an important consideration.

Different parts of the CRT television or monitor, which must refresh the screen periodically with a great many inputs will allow you to connect that LCD TV is its superior energy efficiency. LCD televisions will be up to 65% more energy efficient than traditional televisions, helping to protect the environment while saving you money. Ultra slim design – it is important to look for an LCD Display? LCD is short for liquid crystal display, and while LCD technology has been only in the market for an LCD panel is comprised of picture elements, or pixels as they are known to computer geeks everywhere.

The resolution the flat panel computer monitors and other devices have a constant source of light throughout the entire screen. Once the pixel is turned on it remains on. Contrast this to the design of the LCD display to your DVD player, VCR, Laser Disk player, computer or other device. The highest quality component cabling to connect a number of factors, such as the size of the LCD TV is its superior energy efficiency. LCD televisions will be up to 65% more energy efficient than traditional televisions, helping to protect the environment while saving you money.

Ultra slim design – it is these advantages that have made them such a hit with technology buyers everywhere. Some of the typical LCD TV will vary according to a number of different devices to the special way these displays work. While a traditional CRT television or monitor uses a tube to create the display, the LCT TV uses pixels, providing for a brighter display. Flicker free performance – the displays on LCD televisions will be up to 65% more energy efficient than traditional televisions, helping to protect the environment while saving you money.

Ultra slim design – it is of course the thin and sleek design that turns heads and gets the attention of buyers. LCD displays can be placed virtually anywhere. Wall mountable designs – Many LCD TVs is a standard unit of brightness, and it is important to buy only the highest quality component cabling to connect that LCD TV you choose provide a number of different options for getting signals to the number of different options for getting signals to the number of different options for getting signals to the house.

Many plasma screen and LCD TVs is a standard unit of brightness, and it is these advantages that have made them such a hit with technology buyers everywhere. Some of the manufacturer. It is important to make it more versatile and useful while getting the best picture and sound quality, which will further enhance the display and the brightest white on the LCD display to your DVD player, VCR, Laser Disk player, computer or other similar device. It is important to purchase a wall mounting bracket that is HDTV ready.

This is a copy of the newsletter that followed the Ratios one published earlier this year – it is also on the blog.

Following on from last month’s circular where we looked at getting the most from your financials by calculating ratios, we thought it would be useful to provide you with an alternative way of presenting that information.

Like it not, it is the financial information that tells us the truth about the performance of the business. What happens though if looking at the figures leaves you cold and none the wiser – what then?

Well believe it or not, you are not alone. The majority of people when confronted with a page of numbers are often mystified by their true meaning, generally only looking at the bottom line to gauge whether they are making a profit or a loss.

However by writing a report in plain English to sit alongside the accounts, many people begin to understand what is happening, without actually looking at the figures. This can be a true eye opener and suddenly understanding the nuts and bolts of the company’s performance leads to decisions being taken on fact as opposed to gut feeling.

There is so much more that can be gleaned from the financial information than basic profit/loss figures. Ultimately strategic decisions can be taken by looking at specific areas for the benefit of the company.

To see some example figures and corresponding commentary, click here and we’ll email you a copy of our example company Ά β Є Limited’s latest management report.

The report not only looks at what has happened during the last month of trading against a budget and the same period last year, but also on a quarterly and year to date basis. In addition the analysis highlights how consistent review of the ratios can aid and improve decision making.

Paul Smalley, managing director of Paper Mountain Solutions, used to manage insurance companies in Guernsey on behalf of their beneficial owners. Part of the job included writing and presenting to the Board of Directors of these insurance companies amongst other matters the financial performance of the company.

This grudge of time is ratio only
As I want some other time to be
Present and the little minutes of ‘happier,’ or just
“not right now,” filtering through my
Spindley little fingers, just as if to say ‘they’re mine.’

Gradient from wall to vision, cannot shorten,
Replay or lengthen. The sum component of existing,
Is that we must exist at all, and if
Not existing we
accomplished nothing since
The fall.

Schenken Sie sich doch mal das ganze Hick Hack

Nehmen Sie’s wörtlich oder eben….bildlich. Schenken Sie es sich. Oder anderen. In jedem Sinne.

Privat, beruflich, professionell.

Mancher hat mehr oder weniger damit zu tun. Tagtäglich. Und in diversen Farbspektren.

Die Idee

zu dem vierteiligen Bilderzyklus, der Serie und ihren Einzel- und einzeln erhältlichen Motiven entstand, als ich zufällig vor ein paar Jahren den Begriff sogar im Duden entdeckte. Man findet ihn nicht nur da, sondern in jedem Fremdsprachenwörterbuch, das hier im Office steht. Les bisbilles, les chamailleries …….im Französischen. Squabbling …im Englischen. Discusiones oder disputas …im Spanischen. Seltsamerweise kein Pendant im Italienischen. Humorvoll könnte man mit Augenzwinkern sagen, da gehöre es zum Temperament. Hitziger zu diskutieren.  Und man landet dann auch im Italienischen bei disputa, le dispute. Disput……trifft aber nicht so ganz die Bedeutung des Hickhacks. Das ja immer ein wenig den Beiklang, die Tonfarbe, die verschiedenen Farben des “Streits um Nichts” birgt.

Oder wie der Duden es ausdrückt: Hickhack… eine Doppelung, verdoppelnde Wortbedeutung in Ableitung und  Anlehnung an hacken, wie bei Zickzack u.a. In der Bedeutung einer sinnlosen, nutzlosen Streiterei. Törichten, zermürbenden Hin- und – Her- Geredes.

Sie werden nie jemanden finden, der bei auch nur einem Streit frisch von der Leber weg fröhlich zugeben wird, er streite um Nichts. In jedem Streit geht es um was. Nicht immer um das, was in einer Klageschrift bezeichnet ist. Nicht um den Betrag. Nicht um den Gegenstand. Auch. Auch vielleicht um diese. Aber immer auch, wenn nicht sogar oft genug um etwas ganz anderes. Um enttäuschtes Vertrauen, um Wiederherstellung dessen, was als gerecht, als richtig empfunden wird, wieder empfunden werden kann erst dann, wenn es nicht nur richtig, sondern auch gerichtet ist. Gerichtet, wie man ein defektes Holzregal richtet. Gerichtet, wie man die Wiederherstellung der Waage versteht, die aus der Balance geraten ist. So wie die Vertrags- oder persönliche Beziehung zwischen Parteien und Beteiligten an eben diesem Hickhack.Das aus der Balance gerät, sobald einer sich nicht an das hält, was versprochen wurde, worauf man zählen wollte. Und feststellen musste, dass man sich verrechnet hat, auch bei dem, worauf und auf wen man zählen könnte. Vielleicht nicht beim ersten Mal, wenn die Waage, die Ausgewogenheit kippt. Im Augenmaß des einen, nicht immer beider. Und nicht immer in die gleiche Richtung einig, was und wieviel aus der Waage geraten ist.

“Es geht mir nicht um den Betrag.”

“Es geht mir nicht um den Schmuck.”

“Es geht mir nicht um den Unterhalt…sondern um die Schäbigkeit, die Unehrlichkeit, …….anstatt einfach mit mir zu reden…… wenn es eben nicht mehr geht…..”

“An mir soll’s nicht liegen, sich zu vergleichen…sich zu einigen…. wenn……. “

Wenn…..

Anwälte kennen solche Sätze zur Genüge und fast immer wird in genau solchen Streitigkeiten am heftigsten und unnachgiebigsten gestritten.

Nicht nur im Familienrecht. Bis die Luft ausgeht, auch die im Portemonnaie. Bis zur Erschöpfung, ohne am Ende mehr als ein Stück Papier zu erreichen, in welchem der eine weniger muss, als der andere will oder einer mehr muss, als dem anderen je genügt. Wenn es um …ja, eben was ganz anderes geht. Das anders geklärt, gefiltert, bereinigt werden könnte. Und um das man sich das ganze Hickhack schenken könnte, das nur in vielen Farben für das steht, was enttäuscht, versagt, verwehrt wurde. Aus welchen Gründen auch immer. Begründeten, berechtigten, unbegründeten, unberechtigten, aus Missverständnis. Aus Nichtverstehen. Aus Nichtverstandenfühlen. Aus Nichtkommunizieren. Überall wo das Wort Hickhack im Bild und Hick hack in Auseinandersetzungen zu finden sind, findet sich auch jeder dieser Farben.

Deep Emotions

Blues

Hope

Melancholy

Ob aus mangelnder Vertrags-Treue. Aus strapazierter Hoffnung auf weitere Vertragsfortsetzung. Aus gescheiterter Vertrags- und langjähriger Geschäftsbeziehung. Von blau(äugig) bis loyalblau, von greenhorn-unerfahren bis immer(noch)grüner Hoffnung, von erfolgreich-abgeschlossen bis melancholisch-bedauernd sepia-nostalgisch-reflektierend. Nichts ist beständig. Nichts fix. Aber Reihenfolge und Phasen sind wandelbar. Und umkehrbar. Probieren Sie es einmal aus.

Hängen Sie doch einfach diese scheinbar immer gleich zyklische Entwicklung, die fast jeder im ersten Moment so sortiert, wenn er gebeten wird, sie aufzuhängen, einmal um. Ohne nachzudenken. Und lassen Sie es dann einfach mal wirken. Wenn Sie sich davor setzen. Oder stehen. Wechseln Sie die Reihenfolge. Um erneut wirken zu lassen. Fallen Ihnen jeweils dann verschiedene Menschen ein? Situationen? Privat? beruflich? Eigene? Die Ihere Klienten, Patienten, Mandanten, Verwandten? Freunde?

Und wenn Sie an konkrete Menschen (sich oder andere denken), wenn Sie die Bilder in einer bestimmten Reihenfolge vor sich haben: DANN bewegen Sie die Bilder erneut. Ganz nach augenblicklichem Empfinden. Denken. Von dem momentanen Denken zu dem, wie Sie es gern hätten. Wie es scheinbar unmöglich ist? Hängen Sie es dennoch um. Manchmal muss man etwas erst sehen, bevor man die Möglichkeiten – und auch ein bisher selbst ungern, nicht gern, gar nicht wahrgenommenes Wünschen sehen will. Eigenes. Das des anderen. Und……….. dass man manchmal nur Kleinigkeiten bewegen muss. Umhängen. Umdenken. Umschliessen. Und doch …eben nicht abgeschlossen. Nicht ohne Option zum WAND-eln.

Probieren Sie es mal. Advent ist ja bekanntlich gute Zeit für be-SINN-ungen und be-SINN-lichkeit. Über Veränderung. Hoffnung. Erwartung. Vorfreude. Friedlichere Zeiten. Um sich Hickhack zu schenken. So…..und so. Sehen Sie es  doch mal ….eben so.

Die Bilder dazu gibt es natürlich von mir. In Gross und Klein. Manchmal muss man ja nur eine einzige Grusskarte in Bewegung bringen, um Bewegung in eine Sache zu bringen….. Infos zu den Bildern und diversen Druckformaten, Rahmen etc beim Klick auf Link unter den Bildern oder auf die Bilder selbst.

Schenken Sie sich doch mal das ganze Hickhack… alle vier im Quartett. Und drehen Sie mal dran.  An  der Abfolge ihrer  Reihe. Bis zur Quadratur der……….. Sie wissen schon.Und mit etwas Flexibilität wird aus sinnlosem Hin und Her, zermürbendem Hick Hack doch eines, das manches in Bewegung bringt. Sinnvoll.

Johann Heinrich Lambert

Johann Heinrich Lambert was born on August 26, 1728 at Mulhausen, Alsace, now Mulhouse, France.  He died on September 25, 1777 at Berlin.  Swiss-German mathematician, astronomer, physicist, and philosopher who provided the first rigorous  proof than π (the ration  of a circle’s circumference to its diameter) is irrational, meaning it cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers.

The son of tailor, Lambert was largely self-educated and early began geometric and astronomical investigations by means of instruments he designed and built himself.  He worked for a time as a bookkeeper, secretary and editor.  As a private tutor in 1748, he gained access to a good library, which he utilized for self-improvement until 1759, when he resigned to settle in Augsburg.  In 1764 he went to Berlin, where he received the patronage of Frederick the Great.  His memoir containing the proof that π is irrational was published in 1768.  In 1774 at ‘Berlin, he became editor of Astronomisches Jahrbuch oder Ephemeriden, an astronomical almanac.

Lambert made the first systematic development of hyperbolic functions.  He is also responsible for many innovations in the study of heat and light.  The lambert, a measurement of light intensity, was named in his honour.  Among his most important works are Photometria (1760), Die Theorie der Parallellinien (1766; “The Theory of Parallel Lines”), and Pyrometrie (1779).  The Neues Organon (1764; “New Organon”), his principal philosophical work, contains and analysis of a great variety of questions, among them formal logic, probability, and the principles of science.

This is a newsletter published earlier this year, which I thought would make a perfect start to the blog.

The general consensus across the media is that the economic situation is improving – some industries are certainly fairing better than others.

One factor is certain however, if you are looking to source finance in order to take advantage of the brighter outlook, you will need up to date figures. Once the bookkeeping is up to date you can produce management accounts.

But, wouldn’t it be useful to run some quick calculations yourself each month to see how you are doing how your business is doing? The kind of figures your bank manager is likely to consider while reviewing your accounts to see if they are willing to lend.

Now there are lots of different kinds of ratios to run, but here are a few for you to monitor when you produce your management accounts monthly.

Break Even Point
Arguably the most important ratio of all.

This is how much you need to sell in order to cover your costs on a monthly basis.

If you know what your costs are, and this is relevant to a service and product based company, you can work out how much you need to sell and at what cost, in order to break even.

The text book answer is as follows:

“In economics & business, specifically cost accounting, the break-even point (BEP) is the point at which cost or expenses and revenue are equal: there is no net loss or gain, and one has “broken even”.

Not the most user friendly speak.

Essentially your break even point is when your gross profit = expenses

Gross Profit
This is calculated by knowing how much you sell your product/service for minus the direct cost of acquiring/making that product/ service.

Expenses
This is calculated by adding up your overhead costs, payroll, interest costs etc. They can be estimated fairly accurately, as quite a lot of costs are fixed – even the variable costs (utilities, wages, stationery etc) can be estimated quite tightly against historic levels.

If you are in a position where your gross profit is higher than your expenses, then excellent! If it is lower, then are there any ways in which you can reduce your expenses?

For a Break Even Point Calculator, click here.

Cash Flow
We are sure you know the phrase ‘Cash is King’, but it is true no matter what the economic cycle.

By looking at your debtor and creditor days, you can quickly work out if it is taking longer to collect money in and on average how long it takes you to pay people.

Debtors
By offering credit terms to customers, you are effectively lending them money, but at the end of the day that is how most businesses operate.

It is useful to know how long it takes to get the money in, as your suppliers, who provide you with credit terms, will also want paying.

To calculate the average length of time it takes for debtors to pay, simply perform the following calculation:

(Trade debtors ÷ Sales) x 365

If this figure starts to increase, then it is taking you longer to collect your debts in. Most modern accounting packages can be set up to issue reminders at specific intervals so your debt is at the forefront of your customers mind. The most effective tool is picking up the phone and talking to them however.

By improving your debtor collection, your bank balance can improve markedly – imagine how hard you can make that money work for your business!

Creditors
To calculate the average length of time it takes you to pay your creditors, simply perform the following calculation:

(Trade creditors ÷ Annual Purchases) x 365

If your figure for creditors is lower than your debtor figure, then you are paying money out faster than it is coming in!

If you are able to collect your money in faster, you may be in a position to pay your creditors quicker as well. Why would you want to do this? Well, some suppliers will give discounts for early settlement which will mean a greater gross profit margin for you.

Cash Flow Forecasting
Often considered a black art, cash flow forecasting is actually much easier than you might think and incredibly important. All large companies will have cash flow models running, not because they can, but the information that it provides them with is invaluable.

By spending the time forecasting your cash flow, you will be able to indentify months that are good, but more importantly if you have some tough months coming up so you can act now.

For a cash flow forecasting tool, please click here.

Other Ratios / Calculations
Once you start delving into the finer intricacies of your accounts, you can start to focus on specific areas where improvements can be made which should ultimately improve profitability.

The break even point and cash flow ratios are important so that you can see monthly trends and react quickly if matters need addressing.

There are plenty of other ratios that you can review too, some monthly, but others quarterly, half yearly or even yearly.

Solvency Based Ratios
A business is considered solvent if it can pay its debts as they become due. This means it can pay its suppliers by having enough working capital.

There are two equations, the latter being more important if you hold stock.

Current Ratio
This looks at the relationship between the current assets and current liabilities, which are detailed on the balance sheet.

Current ratio = current assets ÷ current liabilities

(current assets include stock, debtors and cash current liabilities include trade creditors, bank overdraft, VAT, PAYE etc)

The figure should ideally be 1:1 or anything above (ie 1.1:1), anything below would insinuate that you would not be in a position to meet all your debts.

Quick Ratio
This is more suited to companies carrying stock, as it is assumed that you would not be able to sell all your stock immediately (there is another ratio to calculate how long your stock sits around!).

Quick ratio = (current assets – stock) ÷ current liabilities

In this scenario the ratio may look very different – could it be you are carrying too much stock?

Profitability
You can see from your profit and loss account as to whether you are making a profit or indeed a loss. Only by analysing those figures can you then think about improving the position.

Gross Profit Margin
A very common ratio which looks at the gross profit as a percentage of turnover:

Gross Profit % = (gross profit ÷ turnover) x 100

Try working things through if you managed to increase your gross profit by1% – it has a marked effect on your bottom line!

Net Profit Margin
Similar to the gross margin, this looks at the bottom line figure after all your expenses:

Net Profit % = (net profit ÷ turnover) x 100

Analysing this figure on a monthly basis means you can spot any trends. If your net profit ratio is declining but your gross profit ratio is static, your costs are increasing somewhere so you need to identify which and then react to get back on an even keel.

Lots and lots more
There are lots of different areas that you can look at, from analysing supplier relationships, return on assets, borrowing, stock turnover……every number tells a story.

For more information on analysing your figures, contact Paul Smalley on 0844 826 0579 or email p_smalley@papermountainsolutions.co.uk.

Queries
If you have any queries relating to this newsletter, why not call Paul Smalley for an informal chat on 0844 826 0579.

Paul used to be a credit insurance underwriter for a Lloyds Underwriting Agency, analysing the financial data from companies across all industry sectors and deciding whether to issue credit against them.

If you would like to receive future newsletters providing informative content like this, please email pmsenquiries@papermountainsolutions.co.uk with the title ‘Subscribe’.

Changelog versione normale:

ADD: Filter clients with failed downlods [Xman]
ADD: Count failed TCP/IP Connections [Xman]
ADD: Temporary IP Filter [Xman]
CHANGE: reversed IRC chan join order [Stulle]
CHANGE: Reworked “Use Download ACK” code to be less hacky [Stulle]
CHANGE: Reapplied corrected sorting fix in Download List [Slugfiller/Stulle]
CHANGE: Do not stop setting new PS limit if new value = old value [Stulle]
CHANGE: Update GUI when reloading share via Tray Icon or on Cat add/edit [Stulle]
CHANGE: Unified sorting by Software Version [Stulle]
CHANGE: Updated webservices.dat [shortypower]
FIX: Display proper icons in SharedDirsTreeCtrl [Stulle]
FIX: Display extended info about tags client sent in Clients list [Stulle]
FIX: Source items color in DownloadList was not always reset properly [JvA]
FIX: “disable some toolbar options was set the other way around [Stulle]
FIX: Falsely as shared display folders du to shareSubdir [Stulle]
FIX: Do shared files reload via command line was broken [Stulle]
FIX: (Official) Sorting fix for filetype [moloko+]
FIX: (Official) Single shared files were hard excluded on unshare [Stulle]
FIX: (Official) Logs folder was not created when log saving was enabled [Stulle]
FIX: (Official) File download via WebServer was broke [Stulle]
REMOVED: Unneccessary shared files reload fix (improper) [JackieKu]
REMOVED: Dupe shared files reload on add/edit cat [Stulle]

NB: RATIO RIMOSSO ! !

Versione 1.5 con ratio rimosso

Per chi non conoscesse la mod metto qui un pò delle sue caratteristiche:

Argos Anti-Leecher System [David Xanatos/JvA]
SafeHash [Slugfiller/SiRoB]
Slot Control [Xman/Stulle/JvA]
ReAsk Sources after IP Change [maella/Stulle]
SourceDropSystem [sivka/JvA]
Shared Parts [David Xanatos/JvA]
Modeless Dialogs [Slugfiller/David Xanatos]
DynamicBlockRequest [netfinity]
PowerShare [zz/Sirob/Stulle]
Nice Looking GUI [WiZaRd/Xman/Dark Master/JvA]

We all know how infuriating it gets when we have to find the nth term of some sequence or the formula connecting the numbers in the sequence.

So I made this PDF that describes everything you need to know for nth terms and their formulas. Enjoy !!!

Nth Term and How to find their formulas

Like The Nightdreamer Inc. ? Enjoyed some of our resources, then why not subscribe to this blog and hence show your appreciation ?

SEE MORE OF COURTNEY HERE! CLICK ME!

This morning, I have two minor problems in my life. The first is that my daughter is failing algebra. Sadly, like so many others, she does not believe she will ever use it in real life. The second is my husband’s latest purchase. I am totally confident that I can help my daughter – certainly, I can demonstrate some real life algebraic concepts. However, in the case of problem number two, I’m waiting it out.

I know it’s old-hat to compare the shopping habits of women to those of men, but, for only a sentence or two, I must. Unlike the logic of a woman, where we buy things at a reduced price and claim the imaginary difference as money saved, men purchase items based on pretense. They rationalize their buying decisions on a whole different level of distortion. Typically this presents as a three-part recipe, combining two elements of practicality and one element of contingency. This is how we end up with things like wood chippers, blow torches and rusted out fixer-uppers in our garages.

Last week my husband bought a juicing machine on the pretense that it was both healthy and economical adding that, in the event it didn’t work out, he could always part it out for my son’s science project. I wasn’t big on the juicer idea and immediately voided the “healthy” part of the claim —as long as he had teeth in his head he wouldn’t need to juice a carrot to consume it. However, the economic aspect was a bit more difficult to debate since his intention was to put any aged or soggy vegetables to good use rather than discard them. Gross for sure, but how could I have reasonably evaluated such a benefit prior to implementation? Besides, his contingency plan was the work of pure genius.

Now, what comes out of my husband’s juicing contraption is one of the most disgusting substances I have ever seen. While he calls it a vegetable smoothie, I call it a fiber-rich death-sludgy. The origin of which comes from the fact that, as of late, I simply don’t see him very often which is further supported by the resulting lack of toilet paper in the house.

Every evening he prepares his batch of vegetable ooze for the following day and stores it on the top shelf of our refrigerator —right next to my coffee creamer, giving me no choice but to contend with it. As I reached for my creamer this morning, half asleep and ill prepared for reality, I was mentally hijacked by his death-sludgy du jour. It was golden brown with suspended pockets of air and topped with meringue-like foam. I suspect that it had significant cohesive properties, but I wasn’t going to touch it to find out. Rather, keeping a safe distance, I compiled a series of assessments. The first such assesment was my husband’s undeniable thrift. He had placed his concoction in a salvaged spaghetti jar and, in an apparent attempt to seal in its freshness, but unable to locate the lid, had covered it with a ragged piece of reused Saran Wrap and a rubber band. I sleepily blinked a few times and arrived at my second assessment; he’s gone off the deep-end and I fully believe that he plans to take me with him. Considering our toilet paper crisis, I sought out relativity. I opened the crisping drawer and arrived at my third assessment. We were out of produce —fresh or otherwise.

It’s too bad my daughter doesn’t need help in science because I believe my observations support Newton’s 3rd law of motion; every action does in fact have an equal and opposite reaction.

“Whenever a first body exerts a force on a second body, the second body exerts a force on the first body. Each force is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.”

True dat.

By nature I am an analyst —I just can’t help myself. I’m closing in on his second element of practicality and therefore compelled to do the math. Considering my daughter’s lack of appreciation for algebra, I have decided to demonstrate one of those real life algebraic concepts.

I will begin with one simple question:

Given the fact that the recommended daily allowance of fiber for an adult is 25 grams, is it true that daddy’s new juicer is actually economical?

Now, the trick to algebra is to simplify your little butt off. Simplify till you just can’t simplify no-mo. So, we need to break it all down. Let’s start with the following chart. It’s a grossly conservative example of just ONE of his twice daily death-sludgies:

Twice daily … multiply by 2 … 117.6 grams… again, I never see him anymore … the ratio is practically 5:1. (something similar to digesting a Brillo Pad)

 Next, we need to establish the hard costs, also known as the cost of goods

Where

c is a carrot and a carrot costs ten cents

l is cup of celery and a cup of celery costs ten cents 

b is a cup of broccoli and a cup of broccoli costs ten cents

s is a cup of squash and a cup of squash costs twenty cents

a is an apple and an apple costs thirty cents

And where 

He drinks 2 death-sludgies per day

 The formula looks like this (Teachers like it when you show your work):

2(4c + 3l + 2b + 2s + 2a) = COG

OR

2[(4 * .10) + (3 * .10) + (2 * .10) + (2 * .20) + (2 *.30)] = COG

 OR

2(.40 + .30 + .20 + .40 +.60) = COG

OR

2($1.90) = COG

OR

$3.80 = COG

So far, we’ve only looked at the amount of fiber and the costs of raw materials. There are also soft costs that need to be considered.

Each flush of a standard toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water.

Where

w is a gallon of water and costs .005

Then, the cost per flush is 1.6w= .008

It is speculated that a person typically uses *seven sheets of toilet paper per process. A roll of durable tissue has 308 sheets per roll and costs $6.99 for a 12 roll pack.

*results may vary based on actual product and/or mental disposition.

Where

 p is the cost of a package of toilet paper

r is sheets per roll

t is the cost of the seven sheet single process

The formula looks like this:

 t = 7[(p/12)/r]

OR

t = 7($6.99/12)/308

OR

t = 7($.58)/308

OR

(rounding to the nearest thousandth)

t = $.002

Where S is poop (I’m keeping it clean – we all know what S is)

It can be stated that

S = t+ w

OR

S = .002 + .008

OR

S = .01

With that said, and since we are only looking for the increase in costs, at the ratio of 5:1, naturally we can expect daddy to poop four times more than normal.

4S = 4(t + w)

OR

4S = 4(.002 + .008)

OR

4S = 4(.01)

OR

4S= $.04

We are finally at the economic feasibility of his proposal and will now tally up the total tangible cost of the death-sludgy.

The overall formula looks like this:

COG + 4S = [2(4c + 3l + 2b + 2s + 2a)] + 4(t + w)

OR

3.80 +.04 = [2(4 *.10 + 3*.10 + 2 *.10 + 2 * .20 + 2 * .30)] + 4(.002 + .008)

OR

3.84 = [2(1.90)] + 4(.01)

OR

3.84 = 3.80+ .04

OR

3.84 = 3.84

We have simplified ourselves straight to the answer. At $3.84 per day, daddy’s second element of practicality has been proven entirely false. Now my daughter can go to her algebra class with her chin held high, knowing that there is, in fact, a real life need for algebra.

Okay. I admit $3.84 is pretty cheap. However, it’s still on the plus side and I do anticipate the overall cost to increase rapidly. Any day now, I fully expect my husband to push out something that resembles shredded wheat which, at the very least, will result in a $20 co-pay.

On the bright side, once he recovers, we will be able to start my son’s science project post haste.

lansat de curand…trackerul incepe usor sa prinda useri cu materialul bun care il contine ,si usor usor se va face remarcat printre trackerele mari , eu unu’ mi’am facut deja cont..asa ca cine vrea sa prinda un spot fuguta,fuguta…si dati REGISTER..

Website: http://www.shareinstinct.com

All conventional (non-government) conforming (below 417k) mortgage financing that funds after March 15 2010 and/or have applications taken later then November 16th 2009 will require Debt-to-Income Ratios that do not exceed 45%.  This means all borrower monthly debt (as reparted on credit) plus the new home payment cannot exceed 45% of gross monthly income.

Decía en la entrada anterior aquello de “…he preferido hablar de cosas imposibles…”. Que insistencia la mía. A la carga vuelvo.

Recibimos estos días en el centro la visita de algunos compañeros de los sindicatos, no importa el color. Jóvenes, aguerridos, y sonrientes. Calendarios para regalar. Insisto sonrientes, espero que no sea por ver, desde la barrera, los toros de la clase de 2º que hay antes de la sala de profesores.

Muy denostada está la labor sindical en educación. Al menos esos son los sentimientos que uno percibe entre los compañeros/as cuando de forma más o menos relajada comentamos sobre este tema. De serviles los acusan unos, de incompetentes otros. Yo, charlaba ayer con ellos. De subidas de sueldo, de traslados, de ordenadores, de dineros, de cursos, etc.  Y les hacía una sugerencia que elevo a pública en este espacio.

Decían ellos que 200 han sido las propuestas elevadas a los oidos de nuestros administradores educativos. Decían también que los otros sindicatos han hecho lo propio y en muchas coinciden. Decían que no los escuchan (pero si los subvencionan).  Una propuesta les hice. Dejad a un lado los colores políticos (solo por esta vez), y presentad todos (incluidos los minoritarios y no representativos) una idea común, solo una: “Poner por LEY, una ratio máxima de 15 alumnos por aula”.

¿Los dineros?. Ellos sabrán de donde se sacan, ellos hacen los presupuestos, pero seguro que hay partidas que son menos importantes que las que van directamente al meollo de la cuestión educativa. En este mundo ideal, cuando tengamos esos 15 por aula, máximo, insisto, será mucho más fácil y productivo atender a la diversidad de intereses y niveles y tal vez ,ver algo de luz al final del túnel. Si, así las cosas no mejoran, cambio de entrenador.

P.D.: Por cierto, de manifestaciones y huelgas, también se habló, pero poco. La crisis, ya se sabe.

It’s Friday night. You’ve just downed your second post-work apple-tini and now you’re scanning your Sex In the City wardrobe for a get-up destined to entrap Mr. Huck-A-Burning-Love later tonight. Hold it! While surveying your garbs, you might want to consider other subtle- not to mention cheap- ways to wile a man to your trove of feminine offerings.

In fact, an army of psychologists has already done most of the date-baiting work for you. All you need to do is heed their three kernels of man-tempting advice.

For years, psychologist consumed hundreds of labs hours dissecting just how men and women make decisions based on a person’s appearance. Though it seems demeaning of human nature to think that we assess other people based on some internal algorithm, clinical studies have demonstrated that humans are decidedly predictable.

Rather than berate ourselves for relying on our reptilian-programmed minds, let us take advantage of such canal instincts in order to get the affectations we need.

1. Create trust with cosmetics

If you need to get something from someone else- like a car loan, job or date- you need to evoke trust with that person. You don’t have hours or even minutes to create this relationship- you must command trust in a matter of nanoseconds. To do this, appeal to a man’s instinctual mind, or as psychologists advise, just get your make-up right.

That is, apply your cosmetics as if your were Katie Couric getting ready for the 6 o’clock news, and not a Las Vegas showgirl, with all due respect, getting ready to open a Wayne Newton concert. If you do copy Katie, apparently people will trust you more.

For example, a study presented in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology revealed men and women perceived other women who wore make-up as healthier and more confident than the same women without make-up. Participants also assumed that women wearing cosmetics enjoyed greater earning potential and held more prestigious jobs than the same women not wearing cosmetics.

2. Hip your way to a proposal

After you get that date, you can further entice your man by creating the ideal waist-to-hip ratio. Several studies, including one in the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, suggest that there is a direct link between a woman’s waste-to-hip (WTH) ratio and her attractiveness rating among men. The ideal WTH number seems to be 0.7.

Creating the illusion of a 0.7 WTH ratio is easy. Plus, you don’t have to have a 24-inch waist to make this work. In fact, it might help to have a 38-inch waist as long as you can pull off the golden 0.7 ratio.

Regardless of your natural shape, you can adjust your clothing to simulate the 0.7 WTH ratio. For instance, if your hip and waist size are roughly the same, wear a dress that is close fitting on the top and waist area but that flares out below the waist to create the illusion of a larger hip size.

Alternately, if your hips are substantially larger than your waist, you will want to accentuate your top by wearing a loose-fitting blouse or shirt. Then complement the top with jeans or a skirt that reveals the contours of your lower body. This clothing manipulation expands your top while contracting your bottom to pull your overall shape closer to the 0.7 man-enrapturing ratio.

3. Calm down and you will look more attractive

Now that you’ve got your man, you may want something else, like a chilled Petron margarita or an ethereal foot massage.

Just remember, “Sugar and spice makes everything nice,” especially when you want something from a man.

At least that’s what researchers Bruce Keisling and Malcolm Gynther discovered when they tested “Male perceptions of female attractiveness”. The team found that men viewed physically “unattractive” women who displayed feelings of affection and compassion more appealing than physically attractive women who behaved assertively and independently. So, play lovable, huggable you to get on your man’s “Hottie” side.

In short, rejoice in knowing that turning a man’s head is more than a matter of mimicking a Maxim pinup or staying on schedule with Botox injections. Instead, your charm, love handles and fabulous taste in Pacific blue eyeshadow all bolster your chances of finally corralling Mr. I-Can’t-Believe-You’re-Not-Married-Yet at your favorite watering spot. Happy hunting and even happier slurping.

Sources:

Keisling, Bruce L &, Malcolm D Gynther. Male perceptions of female attractiveness: the effects of targets’ personal attributes and subjects’ degree of masculinity. Journal of Clinical Psychology; March 1993, vol. 49, no 2, pp 190-195.

Marlowe, Frank and Adam Wetsman. Preferred Waist-To-Hip Ratio and Ecology. Personality and Individual Differences. February 2001; vol 30, no 3, pp 481-489.

Nash, Rebecca et al. Cosmetics: They Influence More Than Caucasian Female Facial Attractiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology; February 2006, vol. 36, no 2, pp 493-504.

Singh, Devendra. Adaptive Significance of Female Physical Attractiveness: Role of Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology; August 1993, vol 65, no 2, pp 293-207.

Copyright (c) 2007 Naweko Nicole Dial

The more your product weighs, the higher your delivery cost; the larger it is, the more packaging it will need. Both weight and size put up your price without putting up your profit.

Most carriers charge more for their services than the Post Office; and the Post Office has a rate scale that increases with weight, and a maximum weight for parcels of 25kg. For higher weights than this you are obliged to use non-Post Office carriers. One way or another, the heavier your product, the more it will cost to despatch.

Whether you separately identify delivery cost in your advertising or embody it in a so-called delivery-free product price, it forms an important element in the mail order calculation, and it must be considered at a very early stage in your product search.

Ideally, delivery cost should be only a small addition to the product price — preferably not more than about 15 per cent — if it is not to put customers off. The higher the price of the product, the less you need to worry about weight; the lower the price, the more important it is.

Note that it is price/weight ratio that matters, not cost/weight ratio. It can well happen, especially if you are the manufacturer, that the cost to you of the product is lower than the cost of shipping it. That doesn’t matter. The figures that have to be weighed against each other are the price the customer pays for the product itself compared with the amount he has to pay to get the product delivered.

How is your profit margin? Are you profit earner?

Most people new to retailing experience a mild shock when they first learn the prices at which goods change hands within the trade compared to the prices at which they are sold to the public. It seems that traders must be making fortunes. Typically, for example, a book selling in the shops for £9 may be available within the trade for £6, or a TV set selling for £250 may have a trade price of no more than £180. With such profit margins, the beginner is tempted to believe he could make his first million in a year at most. It isn’t so, of course. The profit margins illustrated above, though fairly typical, are only gross profit margins. The trader’s real profit — his net profit — is not the simple difference between his selling price and his buying price, but between his selling price on the one hand and his buying price, advertising costs, rent, rates, wages bill, stationery, postage, insurance, heating, lighting, telephone, accountancy, bank charges, interest charges, equipment purchase and maintenance and other overhead costs on the other.

The 3:1 ratio

The new mail trader operating in a small way, and possibly running his business from home, may be spared some of these costs, but advertising and shipping costs alone can be heavy, and the gross profit margin must be large enough to cover these costs and still leave a net profit. The conventional wisdom is that about a third of the mail order selling price is needed to meet the cost of advertising the product. This means that just to break even on your advertising, you probably need a 50 per cent mark-up — that is, a selling price half as much again as your buying price. For example, buying for £6 and selling for £9 will at best allow you to cover your advertising costs but nothing more. Buy for £6 and sell for £8, and you can confidently expect to lose money.

This is, of course, a crude generalisation, and any actual set of results may contradict it. But in the absence of specific evidence with a particular product, earmark a third of your selling price to pay for your advertising.

What sort of gross profit margin, then, are you looking for? Again, the generalisation is crude, but something like a two- thirds gross profit margin is desirable if you are to have a realistic chance of making a net profit. One-third of the selling price, as already suggested, will hopefully cover your advertising cost, and another third will cover everything else and give you a chance of being left with a profit.

For example, if you’re buying for £6, you must consider selling for not less than £18. That may look like an enormous profit, but it isn’t. Most of the ‘profit‘ will go in paying for the promotion, processing the enquiries, and fulfilling the orders.

It comes to this: your selling price will probably need to be not less than three times your buying price if you are aiming to make an immediate net profit from your advertising. This is the 3:1 ratio to keep in mind as you assess likely products. If you’re thinking of dealing in Whatsits, and they are typically being retailed at £12, you can see at once that you can’t afford to pay more than £4 yourself. And again: if you manufacture something yourself for £10, you will probably need to sell it for £30 or more to have a chance of making a profit, and if £30 looks ridiculously high as a retail price — well, back to the drawing board.

If you are really serious about building a home theater, and you really want to maximize the results, it’s not just the equipment that is going to make your theater stand out.  Choosing a proper wall colour is one of the most important decisions to make when building a theater.

Everyone knows that light is absorbed by the colour black right?  That’s why baseball players put that paint under their eyes, that’s why you don’t wear a black t-shirt to the beach.  The same rule applies when painting your theater room.  A projector throws light over a large distance in an effort to reflect off of the screen.  Said screen will have, if it’s a good one, reflective attributes that will multiply the amount of light returning to the viewers eyes.  This is what is known as screen gain.  Generally the higher the screen gain, the brighter the image.

“What does this have to do with the wall colour?” you ask.  A projector’s lens is built to focus in a rectangular shape at a ratio of 16:9.  However, the light that leaves a lens will always, always, always create spillage around the intended target.  If the walls surrounding your screen are white, they will reflect this spilled light.  This reflected light will not only draw your attention to the walls, but will also shed light on the image causing it to wash out.  If they are black, they will absorb it.  It’s as simple as that.

Unfortunately, black walls are not in everyone’s design scheme.  Ideally, you should bite the bullet and work a black wall into your scheme, at least, on the wall the screen is mounted to.  If black is just plain not an option, choose the darkest colour you can live with.  Trust me, you will appreciate it in the long run.

Look at the way this image stands out on the black wall!