April 15th, 2012
Did you get your taxes finished? Here’s a bit of humor to brighten your day.
 How about a rental projector to break the tension and unwind a little? Click here to visit Projector123.com and discover how easy and affordable it is to rent a projector today.
April 12th, 2012
For many spiritual communities and religious organizations, this is the perfect month to begin planning spiritual retreats and periods of focused introspection. If you’ve been put in charge of planning a spiritual retreat for your organization, let us help you maximize the experience with some helpful planning tips and suggestions.
Plan in Advance
Planning a retreat requires a substantial amount of planning and coordination, and you may find it prudent to begin planning several months in advance. Some of the best locations book up early, and you may need to secure your location as much as one year in advance. Plus, the sooner you set your dates, the sooner you can encourage your community members to save the date.
Choose a Theme
This is the part that can boggle the mind. Choosing a theme is the foundation for planning your entire event, yet there are almost unlimited choices. Consider your community, and what would be the most beneficial and timely topic. Then build your activities around this central theme.
Create a Logo
One way to unify the participants is to have t-shirts or some other item custom-made, which includes the name, logo and date of your event. This makes a wonderful (and relatively inexpensive) keepsake for attendees, and immediately helps to garner interest from future participants in next year’s event.
Diversify Activities
A spiritual retreat will inherently possess high points and low points – this is simply part of the experience of deep introspection. One way you can help to facilitate the flow and keep a good balance throughout the retreat is with careful planning of activities. Certainly, you will need some fun icebreaker activities to help participants loosen up and get to know each other. But it’s also wise to include activities that deepen the experience. You may consider independent journaling inspired by thought-provoking topics, or one-on-one work between partner participants. Small group or team activities are also a must, and many of these specific ideas and suggestions can be found online.
Include Down Time
In order to truly create a cathartic group experience, participants need “down time” for rest and unstructured recreation. Allow breaks to facilitate the development of social bonds, during which time participants can break off into impromptu small groups, participate in ad hoc sports, or simply spend time alone to reflect and sit with their thoughts.
Make Meals Fun
If possible, take measures to ensure that participants get the opportunity to enjoy meals with different people, as opposed to staying in their usual cliques at mealtime. Additionally, it helps to involve participants in meals whenever possible. For example, you might take turns or give assignments to cook, serve food, refill beverages, or clean up after a meal. Play music during meals and allow your participants to discuss what they are getting out of the weekend. You may even consider
Rent a Projector
For a truly memorable experience, rent a projector to help display inspirational images, to assist the speakers with visual aids, or to recap photo memories captured throughout the weekend.
To rent a projector from Projector123.com, click here to learn more or to reserve your unit today.
February 24th, 2012
Here’s a little chuckle for Oscar night we thought you might enjoy. Don’t miss the window to rent a projector for your next social or business gathering. Click here to learn more.
January 31st, 2012
How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? If you’re like most people, it probably went something like this…
At any rate, you can still have fun and spend quality time with your family with a rental projector from Projector123.com. Click here to reserve yours now.
December 13th, 2011
During this time of year, it’s easy to let certain things fall to the wayside – including health and fitness. If you’d rather not deal with the “holiday bulge” come January, why not cozy up and keep warm with an intense workout that’s enhanced with a rental projector.
Family Fitness
Before bellying up to another holiday buffet, why not coordinate a weekend workout for the entire family? Simply grab your favorite gaming system and enjoy some active time inside. Why stress about getting to the gym when your living room provides a convenient and adaptable location for a family workout.
Whether it’s a rigorous game with your favorite gaming system, or time-tested exercise DVDs, a rental projector is the perfect added touch to encourage everyone to get moving. Playing games or sports together allows you to exercise without feeling as though you’re dragging yourself to the gym – this way, you can enjoy fun times with family and friends while burning up those added holiday calories. Just think, playing a game is far more entertaining than running on the treadmill — you can tone your body while having a blast.
Celebrate Together
Once the workout is complete, why not reward yourself for a job well done? Rent a movie or find a new game for the family to enjoy together. You’re staying fit and making memories at the same time. Maximize your projector rental period with a variety of fun family activities, such as family movie night, gaming tournament, workout competitions, and watching old home movies.
Easy Setup and Takedown
You don’t need a projection screen when you rent a projector for family fitness or fun. Simply find a blank, solid-colored wall in your living room or den, or hang a light-colored sheet – this can be done easily with thumbtacks. Setup is as easy as 1-2-3 with a plug-and-play LCD rental projector. Rental projectors connect easily to your Wii or Xbox Kinect, as well as to your DVD player or laptop (depending on what type of entertainment you’re using your projector rental for). Takedown is a breeze, and the rental unit is shipped in a carrying case that keeps all your cables in one place, and doubles as a shipping carton.
A rental projector may be your easiest, most affordable, hassle-free way to ensure you get an extra workout in during the holiday season, and there are an unlimited number of ways that you and your family can maximize the use of your rental unit together.
With projector rentals starting at just $95, Projector123.com is your ideal choice for home projector rentals. Click here now to order yours today.
August 31st, 2011
Before you say good-bye to summer, why not go out with a bang? Rent a projector from Projector123.com and keep the summer fun going just a bit longer.
July 11th, 2011
Whether you’re planning to travel for business or pleasure this summer, here are our coolest tips for making your experience as smooth (and affordable) as possible.
The Road Less Traveled
If you’re traveling for pleasure, consider visiting destinations outside of the most popular choices. For example, the Florida coast is packed with beaches just waiting for your discovery – you don’t necessarily need to hit Ft. Lauderdale to have a good time. You might find you can have just as much fun straying from the beaten path – even road tripping to a nearby city or state, within less than a day’s drive.
For business travel, consider adding a layover (if you can). You’ll get to visit a new city, and will likely save a significant amount on airfare on the trip.
/>Last-Minute Deals (Whenever Possible)
Even if you can’t take advantage of last-minute travel packages for your business travel, you can still use bidding sites like Priceline.com to locate affordable lodging and auto rental services. Vacationers can save a bundle with last-minute specials from airlines and online travel services, as industry giants seek to fill plane seats, hotel rooms and resorts.
Keep Your Cool
If something goes awry during your travels, it pays to keep your head. Stay calm, remain easy to work with and firmly request an upgrade or other compensation. Hotel desk personnel and airline reps are much more likely to grant concessions to friendly travelers rather than those who raise a stink.
Additionally, you can keep cool by drinking plenty of fresh water during your travel, and snacking on healthy fruits and vegetables rather than fried foods or baked goods. Always use sunscreen, even if the sky appears overcast.
Try an Agent
If you haven’t used a travel agent in awhile (many people erroneously think it costs a lot more to use travel agents), consider enlisting help in booking your trip. The more complex your itinerary (such as Disney World, for example, or a cruise that requires airfare and airport transfers to the dock), the more you’ll benefit from the expertise of a seasoned travel agent. In many cases, the travel agent can share helpful insider tips, save you money, and help you get the most bang for your buck, with the least amount of hassle.
When you return, why not plan a gathering to share your photos with a vibrant slide show on a slide show rental projector? It’s easy and fun – just click here to visit Projector123.com today.
June 29th, 2011
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Even if you’re not a food critic or professional chef, there are countless reasons why you may need to be able to photograph food in a skillful and appetizing manner. For example, perhaps you are an excellent home cook and you want to remember some of your most delectable creations, for the sake of posterity. Maybe you have a product or service to showcase at an upcoming trade show or convention, and you want to avoid the expense of hiring a professional food photographer (and also avoid the embarrassment of displaying amateurish photographs in front of tons of potential customers). Perhaps you’d like to launch a food blog, which means you’ll need to be able to capture stunning photos of plated food, perhaps armed with nothing more than your smartphone.
Whatever the reason, here are some simple tips for photographing food.
1. Be mindful with color and contrast.
Choose a simple background to highlight the plate itself; select dishes and accompaniments (flatware, napkins, tablecloths, etc.) that either harmonize or contrast sharply with the food itself. In the realm of food photography, monochromatic themes are not appealing.
2. Set the lights
Whenever possible, use natural light. This may involve moving the plate closer to a window or photographing outside. If dining at a restaurant at night, experiment with candlelight ambiance.
3. Make a Statue
If photographing at home or under controlled conditions, use a tripod whenever possible. If shooting at a restaurant or on the fly, remain as still as humanly possible.
4. Zoom in on Details
The closer you can get, the better, in order to highlight details such as intricate plating, texture, garnish, etc. It’s ok to have the foreground focused with a blurred background, as long as whatever’s in focus is the most interesting detail of the item.
5. Focus Focus Focus
Never display or post a picture where the entire frame is blurred (even slightly) or out of focus. It displays a lack of skill in photographing food, and will be further magnified when projected or printed for viewing. Ensure at least focal point of the image is crisply focused.
For your next trade show, dinner party, or the kickoff of your new food blog, be sure to rent a projector from Projector123.com. After all the hard work you’ve put into making sure your craft is perfected, it pays to showcase your artwork in bright, vivid color. Click here now to rent a projector today.
June 17th, 2011
Welcome back to the final installment of our three-part series on projector rentals and book clubs. In this last segment, we’ll explore movie night – an excellent way to transition from one book to the next, maintaining emphasis on relaxation and socializing.
/>It is estimated that approximately one-third of today’s movies are adaptations from previously published books or short stories. Therefore, there’s a very good chance that the books you’re choosing for your book club will also have films associated with them.
While learning and broadening one’s horizons are certainly good reasons for participating in a book club, we cannot discount the social benefits. That’s why it makes sense to transition from book to book with some kind of social gathering, and a movie night certainly fits the bill.
With rental projectors as low as $129 per weekend including round-trip shipping, it becomes an easy and affordable way to celebrate the completion of each book. Members may wish to chip in to defray costs (consider that in an ideally-sized book club of 10 or so people, a weekend rental would cost just $13 per person).
Setup and takedown are easy, and a DVD can be projected onto any blank wall or solid-color sheet hung from the ceiling.
Likewise, you may wish to invite friends and family to this event, as an expanded form of socializing. This also gives family members a chance to hear other perspectives on the movie, as gleaned from members’ study of the book.
What can you do if the book is so new that it has no Hollywood counterpart? Choose a film from a similar genre, the same category or style, or the same author. As long as you keep the film “in the spirit” of the intention of the book club, you will be good to go.
We hope you have enjoyed our three-part series on planning fun and entertaining book clubs. Projector123.com is your one-stop shop for rental projectors for book clubs and other social gatherings. We rent only high-grade LCD rental projectors that are versatile, reliable, and easy to operate. Click here to discover why Projector123.com is as easy as 1-2-3.
June 15th, 2011
Welcome back to part two of our three part series on book clubs. In the prior segment, we looked at reasons that people join book clubs, as well as potential intentions (think: driving focus) for such clubs. In this article, we’ll look at the logistical steps necessary for starting and continuing your own book club.
Extending Invitations
When extending invitations to friends and acquaintances to join your book club, be clear and up front about your intentions for the club. That way, the people who say “yes” are the folks who are genuinely interested in the purpose of your club. Don’t pressure anyone into joining, and don’t be offended if someone says “no” because it’s usually not personal. People are busy and need to prioritize their extracurricular time. If you pressure someone into joining, they will likely not read the books assigned, or will find excuses not to attend club meetings. Go for willing participants only.
Group Size
The ideal size for a book club is around eight to eleven people. This makes it relatively easy to find a common date/time that works for everyone, as well as facilitating easy hosting in someone’s living room or den. Initially, it’s best to invite no more than 12 people, as you can always extend more invitations if you find you’re getting a lot of “no”s.
Structure of Meetings
Depending on the nature of the group and the common intention, you can have as much or as little structure to your meetings as you like. Here is an example of a highly structured meeting schedule, which you can adjust for less structure.
Book Club Meeting Agenda
7-7:20 PM Meet & Greet (social time, snacks)
7:20-7:30PM Call to order, roll call, review current assignment
7:30-8:30PM Individual sharing on pre-prepared questions, average of 7-8 minutes per person
8:30-8:45PM Q&A
8:45-9:00PM Set next meeting date, time and location; determine next assignment
9:00PM Meeting adjourned
Consider that the greater the focus on “learning,” the greater the need for structure; whereas, the heavier the focus on socializing, the less apparent need for structure. A social book club meeting might last for the same two hours, but in a much more casual setting, where individuals share their experiences with their reading, while enjoying snacks and beverages. Conversation can easily lead to off-topic discussions.
In addition to meeting structure, there are also social logistics. For example, where will meetings be held? Will one person always host, or will members take turns? Are refreshments provided potluck style, or does the host supply snacks and drinks? Is alcohol allowed or encouraged or reserved for after-meeting socializing? The group should come to agreement on these issues and other logistics. In fact, your first meeting will likely be a planning meeting, designed to address these and other such club formation issues.
Choosing the Books
/>This is by far the most collaborative part of creating a book club. There are many different ways to choose reading selections, including but not limited to:
- Everyone takes a turn choosing the book
- NY Times bestseller list
- Amazon bestsellers within a particular genre, author or category
- Spontaneous selection (“this sounds like a good read”)
- Suggestions from Oprah or other societal icon
- Club members submit their top 3 picks and selections are drawn at random
Whether you choose a highly structured book club format, or a more casual group discussion, remember that a rental projector from Projector123.com is an affordable and exciting way to treat the group to a social-only break when transitioning between books. Click here to rent a projector now. Remember to come back and see us for part three – the conclusion of our three part series on book clubs.
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