Aloe vera application – use freshly harvested leaves to squeeze out drops of aloe and apply to the sunburn. Alternatively, use an aloe vera prepared product and apply topically to affected areas.

Apple cider vinegar compress – sure it stinks, but it works miracles in taking the heat out of a nasty sunburn. Soak a cotton ball and apply directly to affected areas, or soak a washcloth to cool larger areas. Helps prevent blistering/peeling.

Baking soda bath – add about a cup of baking soda to a lukewarm (or cool, if you can stand it) bath and soak affected areas. Alternatively, dissolve in water and make a cool compress.

Cucumber spa treatment – fresh cucumber slices will cool and soothe sunburns.

Epsom salt soak – dissolve 1-2 cups Epsom salt (available at any local pharmacy and most groceries) in a tepid bath, or make a cooling compress with a wash cloth or soft rag.

Oatmeal spa soak – oatmeal has a remarkable cooling and moisturizing effect. Add some to your bath water and soak; alternatively, fill a clean soft sock (one you don’t intend to wear again) with oatmeal and tie the open end closed. Soak thoroughly until the oatmeal softens and use gently as a soothing compress. Also works miracles on eczema. Rinse off the oatmeal residue with cool water before drying your skin.

Potato shreds – When all you have in the house is a potato, never fear. Simply grate the potato and apply to affected area. The starch draws out the heat and soothes the burn.

Witch hazel works wonders – soak a compress and apply to affected area for quick soothing of a nasty sunburn.

While it’s fresh in your mind, why not take steps to prevent a sunburn next time? Stock up on sunscreen and place extra bottles of sunscreen in your car, your purse, near your back door (for playing in the back yard), near your front yard (for fun in the front yard), your pool/beach/gym bag, in the kids’ sports bags, and wherever else you enjoy time outdoors. Send a bottle with each child to day camp, and remind camp counselors to apply sunscreen before your child plays outdoors. If you have sunscreen with you, you’re much more likely to remember to apply it regularly. Be safe and have fun in the sun!

Prefer to play it safe and stay indoors? Rent a projector from Projector123.com and keep the whole family entertained for days – without risk of sunburn. Click here to get started.

Choosing an Insect Repellent

Review when you can start using an insect repellent on your kids and get help choosing an insect repellent that is safe and provides good protection against mosquito bites and other bugs.

Don’t let this happen to you! Put your audience on the edge of their seats with a compelling presentation and a powerful LCD projector rental from Projector123.com. Good news for low-tech presenters: a rental projector from Projector123.com is fast, easy, convenient, and super-simple to use. And if you do encounter any kind of challenge, you can count on our 24/7 technical support in plain English.
Click here to reserve your rental projector now.

We thought you might appreciate a bit of social media humor on this luckiest of days. Enjoy!

Gift Cards

While it’s true that a gift card is only slightly less impersonal than cash, it’s still likely to be greatly appreciated by the recipient. Just be sure to choose a gift card that fits the person, and select a thoughtful card to go with it. And think outside the store — perhaps the person on your list would love to receive a gift pack of movie tickets, or gift cards for greens fees, restaurants or other services.

Food Deliveries

Though you’ve likely missed the cut-off date for paying anything less than an arm and a leg for the shipping of perishable items, there’s still hope. Many companies (such as http://HarryAndDavid.com) feature email notification of the shipment of gifts — in other words, you can still order a gift basket or food items today, and though the company won’t deliver until after the holiday, the recipient will get an email card explaining that a gift is on its way. In these cases, it’s best not to send holiday-specific items (in other words, nobody wants to receive Christmas decorations or Christmas cookies on December 27th). Stick with fruit, sweets or the classic wine-and-cheese selections.

Music

The gift of music is always appreciated, and the iTunes store allows you to send electronic notification (i.e., email) about gift cards or MP3s purchased for someone on your list.

Looking for a truly unique gift for a family or couple? Why not consider a projector rental from Projector123.com. Starting at just $99 for a weekend rental, you can give the gift of togetherness — imagine how much fun they’ll have creating their own film fest weekend, family movie night, nostalgic digital slide show or big-screen gaming weekend. Click here to order now.

A screen-door is great for keeping the bugs out but it wouldn’t have the same positive effect when placed between a client and your slideshow.

All digital projectors are susceptible to a pixelated image. It’s also known as “the screen-door effect” or “fixed-pattern noise.” This visual artifact makes the whole screen look like there’s a small rectangular or hexagonal grid of black lines running throughout the image.

Whether it’s an LCD or DLP machine, pixelation is simply a matter of how the unit shoots each dot of information at the screen. The tiny electronics that surround each pixel deep inside the projector are what block the light from shining perfectly evenly.

The first digital projectors (in the 80s) had quite a problem with fixed-pattern noise, but technology has improved, making it much less noticeable. Still, the screen-door effect can be as distracting as letting a fly in. Here are four remedies:

Go DLP: DLP projectors are much less susceptible to the tiny black grid compared to LCD models. While there will be some minor pixelation, it’s not as perceptible as with the LCD counterparts. Luckily, Projector123 only offers DLP projectors.

Choose a higher-resolution projector: Resolution is a matter of how many pixels your projector unleashes on the screen. (You can read more about resolution here.) Higher-resolution projectors (like our 3000 Lumen model), display more pixels at once. More pixels may mean more lines — but it also means that those lines are much smaller.

What if you already have the projector? Try these solutions:

Move viewers away from the screen: The farther your audience is from the screen, the less they’ll be able to see the individual pixels and the lines between them. Afterall, every digital image looks pixelated at a very close distance.

Adjust the focus: A sure-fire way to reduce the screen door artifact is by playing with the focus a bit. This will cause the lenses inside the projector to optically blend pixels together. Start with the projector perfectly focused – so that the screen effect is crisp and visible – then move the focus ring ever so slightly. You want the pixels to blend together without intersecting, which will blur out the black lines in between. Be careful, though, because this ever-so-slight blur can cause eyestrain for viewers over a long period of time.

Linus Åkesson, a Swedish designer, wanted to have a chandelier in the same room as his projector — without casting a permanent lighting fixture silhouette on his favorite movies.

Most of us would’ve moved that projector to a different (and maybe less-desirable) movie-watching room or axed the medieval chandelier in exchange for a flat-to-ceiling option at Home Depot. Instead, Åkesson knew that there’s no need to sacrifice tasteful interior design just because you have a projector installed.

His DIY solution is a sliding track that mobilizes the lighting fixture. On movie night, he can easily move the chandelier to the side of the room so that it casts no shadow over Lawrence of Arabia.

Granted — putting your lighting on a moving track is more for a bachelor’s home than Martha Stewart’s, but that doesn’t mean the final product is a jury-rigged mess. The track is made from a narrow white wooden door jam, keeping it clean and easy-on-the-eyes. The anchor for the lighting fixture is made from small parts from a special building kit and tiny 4mm steel rods, keeping it discreet and tight to the ceiling. The power line is coiled like an old telephone cord to keep the cabling organized.

When it comes to projecting the perfect movie, Åkesson chose function over form. Sacrifice neither by renting a projector from Projector123 — instead of struggling with permanent installation.

12 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Dentist

When selecting a dentist and corresponding dental practice based on a need for cosmetic dentistry procedures (teeth whitening, porcelain veneers) or restorative procedures (dental fillings, dental crowns), it is important to consider the following factors:

1. Find out how long the practice has been in operation.
2. Ask about the extent of the dentist’s training and clinical experience in performing the specific procedure you may require. For example, not all dentists are trained in specific cosmetic dentistry procedures.
3. If the dentist does not perform certain procedures, ask about his referral process.
4. Before committing yourself to a dentist, identify all the procedure options that would solve your cosmetic dental concern. Ask about the pros and cons of each option.
5. Ask about the types of professional dental societies the dentist participates in. Some societies require dentists to take continuing education classes to keep them up-to-date on the latest procedures and technological advances in the field.
6. Ask about the type of emergency care offered. For example, is the dentist available after hours and on weekends?
7. Inquire about patient comforts, such as pre-medication or nitrous oxide, and amenities such as music or heating pads.
8. Inquire about the use of dental lasers as an alternative to traditional dental tools such as tooth drilling and scalpels.
9. If your needs include cosmetic dentistry procedures, ask to see before-and-after photos of the dentist’s previous patients. Bring a photo of the result you would like to see or a picture of yourself before the need for cosmetic dentistry to help set a reasonable expectation for your procedure’s outcome.
10. Determine dental costs prior to treatment. Dental cost totals should include procedure fees, anesthesia fees, and facility fees. Your out-of-pocket costs are typically determined at the initial consultation.
11. Is the dentist’s office located nearby? This could be important if your procedures require frequent or multiple visits.
12. Is the dental team friendly and courteous? You may not want to see a dentist long term if you don’t feel comfortable with the dentist’s team.

1. Ask for referrals.

Talk to friends, neighbors, and family members and ask if they are pleased with their current family physician. Find out what they like about that particular physician and why they continue to see him or her.  If you are brand-new to the area, you might check in with the school your children will attend — ask which pediatrician’s names seem to come up most frequently on school medical forms (some schools will not divulge this information even though it doesn’t breach any student confidentiality).

2. Consider your options.

You have many choices when it comes to health care. For starters, you might want to decide whether you choose to see a family physician (one doctor who can treat the whole family), or whether you prefer to use a separate internist (a general physician who treats adult patients) and a pediatrician (physician who only treats children and adolescents). Family physicians offer convenience, with just 1 location and physician to visit no matter which family member is being seen. However, family practice physicians do not possess the specialized training and experience in treating children (as compared to pediatricians).

3. Consider the cost.

Depending on whether you are insured or self-insured, and whether you have an HMO, PPO or HSA, this can impact your total cost and your choices for which physicians are in the network.

4. Conduct interviews.

Ask a lot of questions — especially if any of your family members have special medical needs.

5. Trust your intuition.

If you feel a particular affinity toward (or repulsion from) any of the physicians you interview, don’t take that indicator lightly. If your children don’t feel comfortable with a physician during the interview, it is unlikely that they will grow to like that doctor. First impressions can be very telling.