To stay ahead, having the most up to date infrastructure and technology is usually wise. Unfortunately, staying current can be costly and many companies are not always able to frequently their networks and management programs. When it is finally time to update and make improvements, the IT project turns out to be a huge undertaking that has the potential for disaster.

Before beginning any such project, it is essential that it be scrutinized from every angle possible. These endeavor have historically gone over budget and have had the ability to cost people their jobs, ruin companies and even have negative effects on cities and countries. There is no such thing as a simple IT project. If careful planning is done, it certainly has the potential for being successful.

There are many horror stories in the industry about such failed attempts. For example, when the Hong Kong Airport badly needed to update the IT infrastructure, there were major problems with the flight information system as well as cargo tracking. Over $600 million in lost business occurred as a result of this.

That is not to say that nobody should attempt such IT projects because of the potential for disaster. There are also stories of companies that were amazingly successful with their projects. In all of these cases, the companies often spent tireless months just in the planning stages. Every angle was looked at and almost all possible scenarios were reviewed. Having the fewest amount of surprises is usually what makes thing go the smoothest.

There are a lot of risks involved with any IT project, but it is just as risky to not make important updates and changes. If you plan things out, it will hopefully go smoothly and even benefit the business in the long run.

Most problems don’t have a cause. They have causes. Such is the case with the health care cost crisis in America. Some describe it as a dilemma, others an epidemic. Whatever term people use, all sides agree that things need to change.

Here are 3 things causing the cost crisis in health care:

1) Greed.

Many health care companies earn their money by actually letting people get sick or die. By doing the exact opposite of what they advertise, corporations are able to make enormous sums of cash.

The insurance companies need to replace their animalistic bosses with concerned employees that actually want to help others.

2) Fragmentation.

There have been many attempts to overhaul the health care system. These start-and-stop efforts have broken the program up into many smaller parts and left them scattered throughout the nation.

If someone is injured or sick, they must go through several intermediaries just to find out if they are eligible for treatment. This splintered framework works well for people on the inside, but for those on the outside, it can kill their bank accounts.

There needs to be a single-payer system, eliminating all these unnecessary channels and go-betweens so people can be helped.

3) Anger.

When people are angry, they don’t make wise decisions. The country is so mad about its rising health care costs that it has become incensed and cannot see the proper solution.

People must join together in civilized town hall discussions, where there are no enemies, traitors or “fake” Americans, only people that want everyone to receive the same level of health care.

Health care is not a commodity like shoes or phones or video games. Without health, people will die. It’s just that simple. Unfortunately, with a greedy, fragmented, angry atmosphere, the solution isn’t that simple.

Communicating your strategy more effectively is all about getting people to do what you need them to do. Forget “clear communication,” anybody can communicate clearly. The trick is talking so other people will listen, getting them to pay attention and actually follow along with the plan.

Here’s the number one Big Secret to dealing with people: take an interest in them before expecting them to take an interest in you.

It may seem altruistic, but in reality, the quickest and most effective way to get what you’re after is to take an interest in other people, be they employees, business partners, clients or investors. People aren’t naturally interested in other people, and they’re not naturally interested in you and what you’re trying to offer them. What they’re interested in is their own hobbies, their own work and their own finances.

If you can give people what they want, if you can play into what interests them, then getting them to follow along with your strategy will be the easiest thing in the world.

Here’s a trick: when writing emails, try not to use the word “I.” Use the words “you” and “your” as much as possible. This will incline you to focus on their needs and wants. By letting a client know what you have to offer them, rather than what you need from them, you get them on your side quickly and you have a captive audience for whatever plans you want to push.

Getting people to really listen to your strategy is not so much about barking orders and telling people what must be done, it’s not even about convincing them that it’s the best course of action. It’s all about letting them know what’s in it for them. Those who can master this skill are invariably the most effective leaders in all fields of life.

The iPhone has been ruling the smartphone world for some time now, so it comes as little surprise that starting in mid-October Apple is bringing the phone to Sprint. Following in Verizon’s footsteps, Sprint becomes the third major carrier to offer the iPhone, and they will carry both the new iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4.

Bringing the iPhone 5 to Sprint should make a lot of their subscribers happy. Sprint is the only major carrier to still offer unlimited data plans, but their selection of phones is lacking compared to Verizon and AT&T. The announcement of the iPhone 5 is a step in the right direction as the iPhone is still the highest selling individual smartphone. Unlimited data plans make Sprint too appealing for prospective iPhone purchasers to pass up. . If you were given three identical phones and were told that you would have limited data with two of them and unlimited data with the other, which one would you choose?

So what does this mean for the industry? The most immediate effect is that Sprint’s customer base of 52 million subscribers will continue to grow and they should solidify their hold as the No. 3 U.S smartphone provider. The iPhone was introduced to Verizon earlier this year and sold more than 4.5 million devices, and Sprint will likely have similar, if not slightly more modest, success. With the announcement coming that the iPhone 5 won’t be available until mid-October it also means that those who were hoping for a September release are going to be disappointed. The delay seems like a small issue considering the early Christmas present Apple is giving to Sprint subscribers.

With the recent shaking and quaking going on around the world, many smartphone owners are looking to the app store to see what their smartphone can offer when the ground begins to rumble. App developers have taken this project on themselves and produced some amazing programs to keep users up-to-date with vital information, life saving tips, and even a place to organize safety kits.

For only the most basic of information, Earthquake is the app to download. Utilizing Google Earth, Earthquake keeps a database of earthquakes as they happen all over the planet. Users can zoom in on locations to quickly find the epicenter with colored pins that increase in size along with the magnitude. This app is a quicker reference for time, magnitude, and location.

When it comes to being prepared after an earthquake, there are two apps that every smartphone owner is going to want to download. Earthquake Survival Kit is a comprehensive app that offers users a handful tools when natural disasters take a turn for the worst. With a single tap this app will search for the nearest hospitals, emit light and sound signals for rescue workers, and send an SMS signal that will allow for easier tracking. The final app will be priceless when an emergency takes place. Pocket First Aid & CPR is a single stop for full first aid information. It covers everything from a timing people for CPR compressions to the correct way to tie a tourniquet.

For those that find themselves in or around an earthquake, these apps can save lives. After everyone is safe and secure though, the next step is getting information on event. Fox Radio Mobile or the multitude of police scanner apps will keep your party well-informed on the situation from start to finish.

With the world beginning to gear up for the iPad 3 and its competition, it is easy to look over the past two years and notice how even the most basic day-to-day functions have been dramatically changed by mobile technology. The rise of the tablet has ushered in a a world that could potentially go paperless within the next twenty years. While newspapers, magazines, and book publishers are gnashing their teeth at this new technology, there is one industry that the iPad found a perfect home in, air travel.

United Airlines has recently announced that they have purchased 11,000 iPads for use by their pilots. As the first few pilots have begun their training on these tablets, they expect their entire fleet of Continental and United Airlines pilots to be completely paperless in the cockpit by the end of this year. While this may seem like an expensive venture in an industry that has suffered setback after setback in recent years, there are a handful of financial and safety reasons that tablets are changing air travel for the better.

Every single iPad in the cockpit is estimated to remove over 38 pounds of flying manuals which will translate into a savings of 16 million sheets of paper and 326,000 gallons of jet fuel per year. This comes as a welcome notice for an industry that is not exactly known for having the smallest carbon footprint. The other advantage to putting tablets in the cockpit is safety. The iPads have had Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck pre-installed, an app that offers high quality information including flight paths, up-to-the-minute natural disasters, GPS readings, and worldwide weather patterns. This is a positive step forward for mobile technology and hopefully not too many pilots will be fired for playing Angry Birds at 35,000 feet.

It would be tough to riffle through any wallet or purse and not be come across 2, 5, or even 6 credit cards within. The world has become obsessed with credit cards with the average household in most western countries hovering around $10,000 of credit card debt. Due to the complexity of larger financial institutions, this has many credit card carriers curious as to some of the pervasive myths that have come to surround these innocuous pieces of plastic.

Many people are told told write “check ID” on the back of their card instead of a signature. This is done to absolve the owner of liability as well as well as force the clerk or cashier to double check the signatures. This does not work for multiple reasons. First, if the thief cannot reproduce an exact signature, it is likely that the clerk will not have the training to check for minute changes to handwriting. Secondly, credit card owners are liable by law for $50 worth of used credit if a card is stolen, unless waived by the company itself.

Another common myth is that retailers can enforce a minimum for using a credit card. This myth is not only false, it completely violates the contract between credit card companies and the retailers. Retailers are charged a small amount per transaction, so they attempt to set a minimum to make the transaction worth their while. Any retailers caught doing this are often barred from using that credit card company.

A final myth, and perhaps the most common, is when retailers ask for an ID when using a credit card. This is another severe breach of contract between the retailer and the credit card company. Many retailers ask this to prevent fraud, but it is in fact one of the leading causes of fraud as clerks and cashiers will then have access to credit card numbers as well as personal information off of the ID.

For most people, credit card and other bills come at various times throughout the month. Most people do not have the best organization when it comes to paying bills. Keeping the envelopes in a stack on the desk or kitchen counter is not considered organized. There are a number of great ways to set up bill reminders to never miss a payment and hopefully become a bit more organized.

Most banks offer online banking that comes with the option to set up online bill payment and reminders. It only takes a few minutes to set this up, and it is extremely simple and handy. In 2011, nobody should have to write out checks to pay bills. The reminders through the bank show up on the account and can be emailed out as well.

There are also banking apps for smart phones that have similar features. With some apps, a person can see all of his accounts at once and set up email or text reminders for bills. This is a great option for a person who is always on the go.

Finally, if a person utilizes an online calendar such as Google Calendar, bill reminders can be added as an event and alerts attached to these events. Depending on when a bill is due, these reminders can be set up for several days in advance, so a person has time to transfer funds and make the payment.

All of these methods will work for a person who takes action after the reminder. For this to be successful, there needs to be follow through. Otherwise, the bill reminder is simply a nuisance.