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January 2014 Newsletter
Happy New Years !
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On behalf of the crew at Allison Lawn & Landscape Services, we would like to wish you and your family a Wonderful New Year. Blessings, prosperity and peace! In this issue, we'll discuss what you should know about the 2014 light bulb ban, frosty mornings and how to protect your data. Please let us know if there is a special topic you would like to see in our upcoming issues. email: webmaster@AllisonLawn.com |
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What You Should Know About the 2014 Light Bulb Ban
Say Good-Bye to the old light bulbs - not so fast ....
The light bulbs we grew up with are going extinct this year. 2014 will be the next step in the phasing out of incandescent light fixtures, and 40W and 60W bulbs will no longer be brought into the U.S.
Don't panic, this doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means. Here is your guide to the phase-out and what your options are now.
What the Phase-Out Means
First, the phase-out doesn't directly affect you and your home. You're not banned from having incandescent bulbs in your house and you won't be prevented from buying them. The U.S. will simply no longer allow 40W and 60W bulbs to be manufactured or imported, just like 100W and 75W bulbs have already been phased out.
There are many exceptions to the rule, and special types of bulbs like 3-way bulbs, appliance lamps, colored lamps, and rough service bulbs will remain legal to produce and bring into the country. Regardless, any incandescent light bulbs you have in your house, either already in fixtures or stored under the sink or in the closet, will remain perfectly legal to use as you see fit. The phase-out applies to the production of incandescent bulbs, not their purchase and use.
Second, you'll still be able to buy incandescent bulbs well into 2014. The phase-out doesn't affect bulb inventories on store shelves or warehoused domestically, so you can expect to see 40W and 60W incandescent bulbs in stores at least through the spring.
Be Careful With Dimmers
When buying a new light bulb, halogen light bulbs work so similarly to incandescent light bulbs, they can function with any dimmer switch that adjusts the voltage sent to the light bulb by switching on and off hundreds of times per second. In other words, any solid-state dimmer made in the last half-century will probably work with a halogen bulb. CFL (the "curly" type light bulbs) and LED bulbs are a completely different story.
CFL and LED bulbs generally can't be dimmed, and bulbs that work with dimmers are marked on the packaging. Even if a CFL or LED bulb can be dimmed, you need to use it with the right type of dimmer; if you try to use an older, pre-CFL and LED dimmer with a CFL or LED bulb, you risk damaging the bulb itself because of how the dimmer affects the electricity going through the bulb. Some CFL bulbs can function partly with a dimmer, but it can still produce an irritating buzzing or flickering effect. Lutron and other light control system manufacturers offer dimmer switches that work with CFL and LED bulbs. However, even they need to be the right CFL or LED bulb to work properly. Individual companies like Lutron often have lists of CFL and LED bulbs compatible with their switches.
To read the full article from PC Magazine, Click Here
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Keep Off the Lawn on Frosty Mornings
Here's the scoop ...
Although we've been blessed with a warm winter so far, it's only a matter of time before we have cold mornings. In Florida, it is not uncommon for a lawn to be covered in frost on a cold winter morning. Whatever you do, stay off of the grass. We have a general rule - if it's below 37 degrees, we will delay service so we don't damage the grass.
What Causes Frost?
Frost occurs on cold, clear nights when atmospheric conditions cause objects, like grass, to become colder than the surrounding air. Depending on the conditions, frost can be light and scattered, or heavy enough to kill flowers and bring on dormancy in plants.
Why Stay Off the Grass?
When a lawn is frosted, the grass blades are literally frozen. Any activity on the lawn while it is frosty, like walking on it or mowing it, will "break" the grass blade and damage the lawn. It will recover eventually, but it may not fully bounce back until the following spring.
For a homeowner, deliveries, mail-persons, or children are usually responsible for unwittingly damaging the lawn.
Walking on morning frost will cause damage. Therefore, we will not service any properties if the temperature is below 37 degrees.
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Defend Your Data: 5 Online Security Don'ts
Here's what you need to know for online security .... 
When it comes to protecting your finances from cyber-criminals, most consumers
have heard the online security basics before: Avoid entering financial information at a public computer, and don't repeat passwords across multiple sites.
The same experts also warn against using public Wi-Fi hotspots to conduct transactions on your own computer. "You never know who's sitting next to you at Starbucks when you log on to pay your bills or check your bank statement," says Eric Friedberg, co-founder of Stroz Friedberg, a security firm in New York City. And just to beef up online security, all security experts advise consumers to take advantage of extra layers of protection, such as secondary passwords, security questions or tokens, if their financial institutions offer those services. But as our daily lives grow more intertwined with technology and cyber-criminals become more sophisticated, there's always more you can do to make sure you aren't the next victim. Here's what you need to know for online security 2.0. - Don't Ignore Updates
- Don't Forget to Eye the URL
- Don't Click on Shortened URLs
- Don't Take Social Media Offers at Face Value
- Don't Assume All Mobile Apps Are Safe
To read the entire article from Bankrate.com - Click Here
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Here's a few security tips from Dennis Topo (former Silicon Valley Technology Executive)
- Never enter personal information on a webpage that doesn't begin with https (the "s" means Secured)
- Be careful who you give your credit card number to - Allison Lawn & Landscape will never ask for your credit card over the phone (nor do we have access to or store your credit card information)
- Don't use Free Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware or Anti-Maleware Software (there's a reason it's free....)
- Be careful about using Wi-Fi devices such as photo cameras, security cameras, Internet TV's, wireless baby monitors, smartphones/tablets, GPS enabled devices, anything with a camera, mic and/or speaker, etc. Most of them are connected to the internet without security encryption and anyone can see what you're doing or where you're going. There are websites that search/publish your device addresses that are connected to the internet - anyone can then connect to that device unless it's secured.
- Smartphones are the new laptops - in may cases, a smartphone contains more personal information that the average laptop computer. Treat your smartphone like you do your social security card.
- Did you know that the highest average data consumption was seen on Android phones 2013, which consumed an average of 2.2 gigabytes of data a month on one network according to a recent study. By contrast, iPhones used roughly 1.7 gigabytes a month and Windows phones used approximately 1.4 gigabytes a month.
- Have trouble remembering passwords? Read my 3 page Password Guide that I have used in the corporate world. (Click Here for a pdf)
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We hope you enjoyed our newsletter and feel free to email us ideas on topics you would like us to cover. Please feel free to forward this email with the link below.
Sincerely,
Jeff Allison & Team
Allison Lawn & Landscape Service, Inc.
Office: (813) 435-3112
Website: www.AllisonLawn.com
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