If you have any trouble reading this issue, you'll find a copy posted at:
http://www.pragmaticsolutionsnow.com/newsletter/pragmatic-solutions-now-newsletter/10/may/27

Editorial

Greetings my friend,

As I write this editorial, I have just ordered a copy of Windows 7 to install on my main computer.  For the last several years, I've used Linux on my main computer and Windows XP on my laptop.  Having Windows around was always good for testing my various websites, and there are a few software programs that just don't have a Linux version available, such as the software I used to produce the entrainment recordings, and to process online postage for shipments.

When I first started using Linux, it was mainly to learn how to manage the server hosting my websites.  I wanted a "safe" way to try my hand at doing some server adminstrator tasks, and it seemed a lot safer to do this at home where I couldn't interfere with the live sites.  Initially, Linux was installed on a secondary computer, but I was soon intrigued by the possibilities, and converted my main computer to a "dual boot" system with both Windows and Linux.

A couple of years ago, when I upgraded that computer, I decided to drop Windows completely and run Linux only.  I had grown comfortable with it, and to be honest, I didn't see the point of paying for Windows when Linux did almost everything I needed for free.

For most of this time, I've been happy with Linux and saw no reason to go back to Windows.  My laptop ran Windows, and it handled my "shipping station" downstairs, and could be pulled out whenever I needed to produce an entrainment audio program.

The only disadvantage to Linux, as I saw it, was that a new version came out every 6 months, and while there were always options to upgrade my system from one version to the next, that never seemed to work very well, and I always ended up starting over with each upgrade.  And then there were times when something just didn't work right, and I would spend a day here or there to find a solution so I could get back to work.

Recently, though, I've realized that I never spent as much time fiddling with Windows to get it to work.  In fact, when I seriously thought about it, the only REAL benefit to Linux is that there aren't many viruses to infect the computer.  Of course, with good anti-virus software, this isn't so much of a threat even with Windows, and it's really not enough to stay with Linux when Windows is so much easier to use.

Buying Windows 7 (full version) was a $150 purchase from Amazon.com.  To justify the cost, it only needs to save me 3 hours of my time, and I'm sure that will happen easily in the first 6 months.  After that, it will actually SAVE me money by eliminating lost time that would have been spent dealing with Linux issues.

As a regular reader of Pragmatic Solutions Now!, I'm sure you see the pragmatic solution in this.  But for the newbies, let me point it out and make it clear -- sometimes it's much wiser to spend money and get the "right" tool for the job rather than trying to pinch pennies and "get by" with something that's not as good.

Linux may be free, but there's a cost associated with it that I'm no longer willing to pay.  And although I don't like the idea of a monopoly, and Microsoft does have it's problems, they produce an Operating System that works, and that's really the bottom line, right?

Current Events

Just yesterday, I announced a "birthday special sale event" at the PowerKeys Publishing website.  Next Monday, May 31st, I'll be turning 44, and I'd like to do something special for all my members and subscribers.  So, I've created a coupon code that will give you a full 44% discount off anything I offer on the www.PowerKeysPub.com site.

That coupon code is:  happy44  (valid until next Thursday, June 3rd.)

Just type that in when you get to the signup form and any $49 package will cost you only $27.44, and any $97 package will drop to $54.32.

As a subscriber, I'd also like to point out a loophole you can take advantage of here.  As you can probably recall, I recently invited 100 folks into a special test group to help me develop a new Entrainment Package.

That special invitation has ended, however, there is still a "back door" into the program. It's the Platinum Membership, which is no longer described on the main website, but is still available on the signup form.

At this time, the Platinum Membership is priced at $297, and gives access to EVERYTHING in the members area, including the special test group.

At 44% off (using the coupon above), this Platinum Membership may be purchased for just $166.32.

Of course, if you already have a Silver or Gold Membership, the upgrade price will be even lower.

If you're not already a member, you'll need to click the link at the side of the website, at the bottom of the "Members Login Here" box, which says, "If you do not have an account, please register an account."  (Members received an email yesterday with info on adding packages to their account.)

By clicking that link, you'll get the FULL signup form, which lists EVERYTHING. The Platinum Membership is the 2nd thing listed there.

http://www.PowerKeysPub.com

This Week's Articles

We have a nice variety of new articles this week.  Contributing authors Charles Burke and Adam Eason are back again with fresh insights to help us find joy and hypnotize others with body language.  We also have a few guest authors sharing their wisdom in solving various problems.

How to have Hypnotic Body Language

Submitted by AdamEason on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 2:37pm

The winter is truly over. Spring is well and truly here — there are daffodils in my gardens, the sun is shining and I am sat writing this on my balcony watching the waves of the sea rolling in.

At the time of writing this, this weekend was the time when I had to do the longest of my training runs prior to London Marathon in a couple of weeks’ time — 22 miles across the sea front and the New Forest, and the beautiful weather helped me lift my feet in those latter miles.

Adam gets nostalgic and uses sci-fi for personal development, yet again!

I had lunch with a friend of mine that I went to school with at the weekend, and he was pulling my leg, laughing and speaking about how I used to be an avid sci-fi film and TV buff when I was at school and that I used to profess to my ridiculing friends that it was far more educational than anything they watched.....Read more »

Getting to Joy

Submitted by CharlesBBurke on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 2:33pm

AXIOM 1: The kind of thoughts that fill your mind will create the same kind of events to fill your life.

AXIOM 2: Joy feels good, and it's safe.

Those two items are all the theory we're going to need for this lesson. The remaining 1,667 words will be how-to.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Man is what he thinks about all day long."

And best-selling author Dr. Joseph Murphy, in his landmark book "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind," wrote:

"Whatever thoughts, beliefs, opinions, theories, or dogmas you write, engrave, or impress on your subconscious mind, you will experience them as the objective manifestation of circumstances, conditions, and events. What you write on the inside, you will experience on the outside."

Teachers continually remind us that we should think about what we want. They tell us that if we spend our time fixated on what we don't want, or what we're afraid of, we'll get more of the bad stuff and less of the good.....Read more »

The Tyranny of Urgency Addiction

Submitted by SiteAdmin on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 2:30pm

Written by Ken Keis

"Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant."
- Stephen Covey
Author: First Things First

Any of the following sound familiar?

"I want to spend quality time with you, but I have to work. I have this deadline and it needs to get done. I know that you understand the situation."

"I can’t seem to find the time to exercise. I know it’s important, but after 10 hour days I simply don’t have the energy for it. Maybe when it gets slower."

Today’s society has progressed to the point where in some work environments unless you operate with urgency addiction you are negatively judged. You are seen as a slacker not willing to pay the price for success and not committed to the cause. However it can also be a way that we feel exhilarated and useful. If it gets strong enough we get addicted to the perpetual motion and being busy becomes the goal.....Read more »

Speed Reading Secrets

Submitted by SiteAdmin on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 1:26pm

Written by Jon Rhodes

There are many courses out there that make bold claims that they can help you read at extraordinary speeds. They charge a fortune for online courses and the like. Here you can get this information for free! I am a little sceptical about the gravity of some of these claims, but there is no doubt that you can train yourself to read much faster. I suppose if you trained long and hard enough then you could achieve some pretty amazing stuff, but for most of us that time spent would be counter productive to our original aim – to save time!

There is also a payout to reading fast. The faster you read, the harder it is to comprehend and remember the information. That is why you need to practice comprehending at fast speeds, and learning what to ignore. When a child first learns to read, their comprehension levels are very low. They build this up with practice. You must do the same – at speed! When you are good enough, you can re-read material two or three times and understand it more than reading it at a normal pace, which would take longer.....Read more »

Are You Learning, Or Are You One Of THEM?

Submitted by SiteAdmin on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 1:20pm

Written by Gary Varnum

I met an old friend recently who didn't know what I was doing on the 'net.

As we talked...I heard it. (And not for the first time.)

"I've read over 200 personal development books"

It's like a talisman.

A sign of achievement. Look at how many books I've read.

"But are you living the life of your dreams, then?" I asked.

"Well, er, no. In fact I'm still unhappy, in debt, and hate my job."

Suddenly the alarm bells start going off. Ah, he's one of THEM!....Read more »

As always, Take Care!

- Alan Tutt

Dedicated to helping you get positive results quickly.
http://www.PragmaticSolutionsNow.com

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PowerKeys Publishing
1805 Walker Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504 USA

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