The best laptop under $500

Lenovo delivers a great student laptop at an affordable price, combining the latest generation Intel processor with a 15.6-inch high-definition screen. The computer features a dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 processor with 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The computer is also equipped with a DVD drive, a 4-in-1 memory card reader for easy file transfer, and Bluetooth 4.1 and USB 3.0 ports.

Not surprisingly, it's the Chromebook that occupies this category. The Chromebook Flex 5 is good stuff for little money, Tech for Life reports.

10/01/2022

Which laptop should a student choose from the Lenovo line?

Hey, depending on the requirements of the specialty/faculty, the choice of laptop may be different. Not by much, though. As Reyus Mammadli from Technology for life correctly wrote in his article on choosing a Lenovo-branded student laptop, these are the Lenovo Ideapad 3i, Lenovo Flex 5 (for engineers and architects), etc. models. I can definitely say that you can fit between $400 and $600 and get a great model for your entire college education.

09/30/2022

A good profession is a good career

A student should make every effort to ensure that time in college is spent efficiently and that the knowledge acquired is of maximum benefit. There is no doubt that laptops have made life much easier for students by becoming an integral part of the learning process. Many brands offer special laptops for students, trying to meet all the basic requirements of the educational process and, at the same time, be budget-friendly. Like Lenovo's best laptops, which are already appreciated by thousands of students.

09/28/2022

What is the world's national debt, who does everyone owe?

The media often write about the debts of countries and the danger they pose to the financial market. The coronavirus has given us many events: sovereign debt defaults in Argentina, company bankruptcies in China, etc. And meanwhile, the world debt is over $272 trillion - that's 360% of the combined GDP of all countries. To pay back the loans, the entire population of the world would have to work for more than 3.5 years without spending a penny. Obviously, it is impossible to pay off such debts in decades.

The United States has the biggest combined debt: financial and non-financial organizations, households, and the government owe over $80 trillion. But this does not mean that America is the most indebted country. The debt-to-GDP ratio is more revealing, because it shows how much the economy can earn to pay off the debts.

Government debt

This is perhaps the most frequently discussed type of debt. Government debt shows how much the government owes on bonds to domestic and foreign investors. The U.S. government occupies the most by volume (over $28 trillion or 131% of GDP), but Japan has the largest public debt to GDP (266%). Sudan (259%) and Greece (205%) are slightly behind.

Japan's key rate has been near zero for the last 20 years and in negative territory for the last 5 years. This allows the Japanese government to borrow at a negative rate, even with 9-year bonds.

In the case of Sudan, the national debt is due to the country's indebtedness to the IMF and a complete loss of control over the budget deficit and inflation.

Greece, by the way, also borrows a lot, as it has a troubled economy and at the same time is able to borrow money on relatively favorable terms from wealthier EU countries.

09/27/2022

Working as a farmer...what?

How many young Americans wonder if being a farmer is a good thing? In fact, there are quite a few. You might argue - hey, we're in the 21st century, high tech. What's a farmer? What livestock farming? Why would young people plant wheat and corn? In fact, many studies have shown that humanity can expect food shortages. Yes, this is just speculation, but why not be on the side of the "fed"? After all, if bread or a piece of meat is going to be more expensive than gold, why do we need the gold? 

I found out about how much farmers are making now on the Technology for Life website. But if any predictions come true, the price of farmers' products and in general, farmers' incomes will increase dramatically. Isn't that a reason to leave the digital life and settle into a healthier environment and do useful and in-demand work?

09/26/2022

What you shouldn't forget during negotiations

In order to conduct a competent and effective meeting, avoid these situations:

• You are nervous and fidgety.
• Do not indicate goals and objectives at the beginning of the conversation.
• You do not know anything about your opponent and the rest of the negotiators.
• You have not prepared a plan for how to conduct the conversation.
• You cannot confirm your words due to the lack of data, reports and tables.
• Provoke a conflict situation.
• Show with all your appearance that you are not interested and it would be time to finish.

09/24/2022

Effective Negotiation Process: Tips

We have collected some effective tips on how to negotiate properly.

• Stick to the rules of etiquette, be polite with the interlocutor.
• Try to predict the actions of your opponent, a prepared plan will help you in this. So you can smoothly lead the interlocutor to the desired question and give a clear answer to it.
• Do not disregard the opinion of your opponent, listen to what he is saying and what he wants now.
• To avoid conflicts - at the beginning of the conversation, define the goal and tasks that will be discussed at the meeting.
• If you have moved away from the topic and your opponent corrects you - take it calmly and return to the main question.
• Help the interlocutor develop a thought if he did not explain something or chose not to deliberately dwell on a moment.
• If, in the midst of negotiations, you realize that you are overwhelmed with emotions, say so calmly and take a break.
• To reach understanding, summarize. This will also help the participants to see that the conversation has gone beyond the original topic and need to return to the main question.

09/23/2022

Business Negotiation Rules

1. Set realistic goals and objectives. For example, if you want to attract an investor, evaluate his capital and think about the maximum and minimum amount that he is willing to invest.
2. Try to adhere to democratic communication, do not show your power and authority, so as not to once again antagonize the interlocutor.
3. Study the background of your future opponent. Read about him on social networks or search for data through search networks, and also interview acquaintances. Analyze and find out what are the strengths and weaknesses of the interlocutor, what are his interests and needs, and also assess his financial condition. If you are engaged in the production of radio-controlled trains, and the future investor has a railway in the lobby of the company, you may be able to reach an agreement with him faster.
4. When giving a speech to an opponent, back up your words with accurate numbers. People want to be clear about how much money they will spend and when they will make a profit.
5. Ask questions and ask again if something is not clear. If you and your interlocutor work in different areas or you have a big age difference, you may not find a common language from the first word.
6. Write down theses and important information. This will help to avoid ambiguity - and if it does, you can ask additional questions at the end of the conversation based on your notes.
7. Don't make excuses to your opponent or show your weakness. If you are confused about some answer - calm down, drink some water and start over.
8. Avoid conflicts and disputes. If the interlocutor deliberately provokes a conflict, redirect the conversation in a different direction.
9. If the conversation lasts longer, take a break to defuse the situation. Signing a deal with a large company may require more than one meeting - so don't worry if you don't come to an agreement the first time.
10. Avoid intrusiveness and give your opponent time to process your words to make an informed decision.
11. Keep promises. For example, if you predict the return on business in a year, do it.

09/22/2022

Roles of negotiators

In the course of studying books about business, by authors such as Ivar Unt or Roger Fisher, we learned about the psychological portraits of the negotiators and decided to talk about them in this section.

Leader

A self-confident person who has a well-delivered speech. He takes the lead in negotiating and speaks for the entire team.

To cooperate with him and be on the same wavelength - switch attention to yourself, ask additional questions, give arguments, invite a third party to confirm your thoughts and ideas of the opponent. Find out what results the leader wants to achieve - and make concessions on some issues, while thinking over a move, thanks to which you can win just like your opponent.

Deputy Leader

Usually this person listens carefully and monitors the progress of the negotiations. This could be a lawyer, economist, or business partner. He supports and advises his supervisor what to do next and how best to do it. He is also able to moderate the course of a conversation and draw attention to details that are important to him. For example, to those that you decided not to touch during the main conversation - which means you may not be ready to answer his question.

Stick to your plan and don't divert the conversation. Say that any additional questions can be discussed at the next meeting - or you will provide a detailed answer within a few days. If you know in advance that there will be such an opponent in the negotiations, prepare several detailed answers for each paragraph of the presentation.

Observer

As the name suggests, this person observes what is happening and analyzes the information received and the nuances of the behavior of both parties. This can be an analyst or an assistant manager who writes down the theses and tries to "figure out" the interests of opponents.

To understand the thoughts of the observer, periodically involve him in the discussion process - you can ask questions and ask his opinion.

Good guy

An open and sociable person who gestures and smiles a lot. Opponents are imbued with sympathy and trust for him, which is fraught with a loss of vigilance in difficult issues. This could be a director or a confidant who has only one task - to distract you.

Throughout the meeting, you will have a pleasant negotiating feeling, but when you are done, you may be "led". Therefore, turn your attention to the other participants in the conversation and ask them questions.

Bad guy

A self-confident and cocky person who will be happy to interrupt you and constantly express negativity. This behavior leads to conflict, but this person is playing on the fact that you give the slack and take the opponent's side.

Do not succumb to his provocations, do not show reciprocal aggression, behave calmly. Try to shift your attention to other participants in the conversation, and if for some reason you can't do this, answer the bad guy's questions, focusing on statistics that are difficult to argue with.

Optimizer

A calm and focused person who analyzes the arguments of both sides. He, as a mediator, helps to get out of deadlocks and point out inaccuracies in the position of one of the participants.

If an optimizer is sitting in front of you, try to support him and listen carefully, as he helps opponents to agree and come to a common solution.

09/20/2022

Discussion

When you move on to the main thing, namely, the search for a solution to the problem, be careful, do not go into an argument and do not raise your voice. Respect your interlocutor, try to calmly discuss mutual benefits.

If your opponent is nervous, switch his attention for a while - tell about the other side of the “good” decision, in his opinion. If you don't have an argument like that, just suggest taking a short break. Remember, your goal is to reach an agreement on terms that are beneficial to all parties.

09/19/2022