Laser quasar is a very modern game that is popular throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and in the US, (though in the US it is known as Q-zar). Despite it being bang up to date, the original version of it was invented some years ago in Australia, so we will take a look at how it began and how it developed into what is now a popular pastime for all the family and one of the more popular corporate team building sports.

The game was devised in 1987 by an Australian named Geoff Haselhurst. He is a very interesting man, a kind of self styled philosopher and scientist with some fairly bizarre ideas on the nature of space, matter and time; apparently all matter is really a wave. Fortunately for us he took time out of his philosophical and metaphysical musings to do some real work and create Quasar which, when you think about it, is also all about waves.
Essentially the game involves players who are equipped with a gun that fires beams of infra-red light and a combat vest in which is incorporated several sensors that detect infra-red light. The objective is to shoot an opponent with the gun and to avoid being shot oneself. When the vest sensors detect that they have been hit, they trigger a counter that knocks one life off the player’s current count and sounds an alarm and vibrator built into the vest. The player is temporarily knocked out of the game.

There are numerous formats of the game. Generally it is played with two opposing teams though it can also be a free for all where everybody is everybody else’s enemy. Naturally the latter variation can be fairly chaotic.

Of course technology has moved on somewhat since 1987. In those twenty five years electronics has taken huge strides forwards. In the early days the vests were cumbersome and uncomfortable and the guns were very basic, but with the miniaturisation of microelectronics, modern vests are light and comfortable and the guns are very sophisticated and incorporate most of game control systems.

The gaming environment is also complex and exciting. Set in the future, there are ramps to navigate, gangways and flashing stroboscopic lights with swirling fog. There are hiding places where you can stalk the enemy without being seen and plenty of opportunity to take him by surprise. But you too much always be on the lookout as you are also being stalked. It can be a very fast paced game and it is always very competitive.

There are Laser Quaser venues all over the UK and there is almost certainly one not too far away from you.

Poker has always been very popular throughout the country, and one of the most convenient ways to enjoy the game is to host your own poker party.  When you play party poker, you can set the rules, the gambling limits, even who sits at the table with you.  You can even have the other players bring the food and drinks!

Planning

To organize the poker party you must first decide how many people you want to invite.  Will everyone be playing poker?  If not, be sure to have other activities available, like board games, television, and perhaps kids’ activities.  Having 8-10 players is excellent, so start by inviting about double that number.  While you can have good hands with just four players, the game is much more exciting when more people participate.  Call people one or two days beforehand to remind them, and apply a little pressure – or bribery if needed – to make sure they will show up.

Poker party day

Have several good tables available for play, and enough chairs for everyone to be comfortably seated.  If you don’t have enough tables and chairs, swing by a local rental company and pick up what you need. With the popularity of poker parties, many rental centers now carry actual poker tables, which can add a sense of authenticity to your party.

Don’t forget the chips and money (if betting with real money is allowed where you live).  Hopefully you set the ground rules when inviting people so everyone knows if they will be playing with real money or chips.  If you will be using chips, double-check that you have enough and that the chips are good quality and are not chipped or broken.  It is often easiest to write down the house rules and have them available on paper as everyone arrives.  That way there is no doubt later in the night about who wins which hands.  If any of your players are relative newcomers to the game, a “cheat sheet” showing the order of poker hands will be helpful, as well.

Food and drink

What’s a party without food and drink?  You can suggest things for people to bring to help keep your costs down or just provide the food and drink yourself.  Either way, try to keep things reasonably simple.  There is less setting up and cleaning up for you that way, and the serious players can concentrate on their game.  Pizza delivery is a favorite for poker parties because it’s easy, filling, and almost everyone loves it.

Style your party

For a little added pizzazz, add a theme or style to your party.  For example, you can decorate like old Las Vegas, when the Rat Pack ruled the town with entertainment and gambling.  Or try a Roaring 20’s theme or a western theme if Texas hold ‘em will be the game of the night.  Plan ahead for a selection of music that goes along with the theme, perhaps some food and drink from the era, and even some old-fashioned card decks if that fits in.  Then sit back and enjoy the play!

Life is much simpler with a credit card. While it is not impossible to go through life without one, having a credit card does make life simpler in a variety of ways. For one, credit cards make it easier to book travel and to shop online. Online shopping is far more secure with a credit card; should someone still your identity your credit card company will issue you a refund of any funds spent on your credit card after you report it stolen. Additionally, when you book travel, you have to present your credit card to hotels and rental car agencies for incidentals; when you use a debit card to do these things a hold is placed on your card for up to 30 business days. The amount of that hold is then unavailable for you to spend until it is refunded to your account. This does not happen with a credit card.

Knowing how much easier it is to go through life with a credit card, it is time to figure out for which one you should apply. With so many hundreds of cards available for you to apply, it often becomes confusing and difficult to choose the perfect card. When it comes to choosing a credit card to apply for, there are several things you should look for in a card to help make the most informed decision; the best card is the one that costs the least and offers the most benefits.

The first thing you should look at when you apply for a credit card is the interest rate. The interest rate is one of the most important aspects of a credit card because it determines how much interest you will accrue on outstanding balances. Outstanding balances on any credit card are subject to the interest rate that is agreed to when you apply for the card. The only way to avoid hefty interest rates is to pay the balance of the card each month, in full. A zero balance cannot accrue interest. However, leaving a balance on the card by only making the minimum payment will result in interest charges. The lower the interest rate, the less you will have to pay over the long haul.

If you are looking to transfer a balance from another card that you hold, you should look at the interest rate for balance transfers. Many cards offer a zero per cent interest rate on an initial balance transfer and a much higher rate for subsequent balance transfers. It is important to read the fine print and the terms to determine whether or not an initial balance transfer offer is really as good as it seems. Some credit card companies offer new cardholders a low rate for life on purchases, outstanding balances and balance transfers as long as the cardholder makes at least the minimum payment on time each month. If you opt for a card such as this, be aware that making even one payment late by as little as an hour will cause your interest rate to go up significantly and there is nothing you can do to lower it afterwards.

Less important, but still important to many cardholders are the rewards that cards offer. Many credit card companies offer incentives to cardholders in the form of points or airline miles or cash back. When choosing a card, it is wise to consider your lifestyle. If you do not go on many holidays, the card with airline mile rewards may not be the best option for you; however, the card with a cash back offer for purchases may be exactly what you need.

Going through life without a credit card is difficult; having one makes life much easier, which is why choosing the right credit card to have is essential to living a financially savvy life. Before you commit to choosing a credit card, check out all of the possible aspects of the card by reading the fine print. Compare credit cards that seem like good ones for your lifestyle by using an online credit card comparison site. Comparing cards makes it easier to see which one has the best features and is the most beneficial card for you to have. Card comparison sites will help you to make the best decision.

Getting cheap car insurance is relatively simple if you have some time to sit at home during the evening or at the weekend and use a comparison site to search among various providers for the best deals.

However, many people will not feel like spending their spare time engaged in this task when they could be getting on with something more fun.

The good news is that there is a new car-insurance comparison application from MoneySupermarket which will let you shop around for the cheapest offers when you are out and about.

As a result, you will be able to browse the deals when you are on your daily commute or strolling into town, which means you can get more of your free time back to do what you want while still saving money with cheap car insurance.

The application is available for both the iPhone and Android handsets, so many mobile users will be able to download it today. It has also recently been made available to iPad owners.

MoneySupermarket’s car insurance app is also completely free of charge, so the only thing you will need to worry about is whether or not you have a monthly data allowance on your phone, as it requires network access to retrieve quotes and compare prices.

The first time you use the application, you will need to enter details about yourself and the vehicle you want to insure, which will not take long thanks to the intuitive interface and concise set of questions.

The app will then use the same tools as the full MoneySupermarket website to scour its library of providers, coming up with the most affordable offers available at the moment.

When you check out a particular offer, you can see how much it will cost for a whole year’s cover or, if you want to pay monthly, how much more you might need to pay.

The average user of MoneySupermarket can save almost £375 on their car insurance, which is not to be sniffed at.

When you have got your quotes, you have the option to call the insurer directly from the app so that you can find out specific details about a policy and then make a purchase if you so choose.

If you have searched and found some interesting offers but do not want to commit immediately, you can retrieve them later from the app itself or from your PC.

Best of all is the fact that your details are saved in the app, which means the next time you need to get some car-insurance quotes you will not have to go through the process of filling in all your information again.

The MoneySupermarket car-insurance comparison app is great for getting cheap car-insurance quotes when you are out and about and the savings will speak for themselves.

There are very few options these days for grown-up games.  Most are developed with children in mind, such as board games and computer games.  However, casino games are definitely adults only games, whether choosing to spend time in a live casino or play the online versions at home.

Spending the evening in a live casino can be an expensive night out, but it is a chance to dress up in eveningwear and spend time in the company of friends and those with similar interests.  The social side of a night out at the casino is an amazing experience.  Very few people go there alone and many arrange trips with their friends, going together as a group.  If the opportunity arises, a visit to a real casino should be top of the list of must-dos.  The chance to have a glamorous night out and possibly win some money does not come along every day.

Not all regions have a casino to go along to and it is often the case for many people that there are financial considerations.  After all, it is not just the cost of placing a few bets.  A night out at a casino can mean a new outfit, hairdressing appointment, transport, and dinner out too.  Luckily there are now other ways of joining in casino games without breaking the bank.

Why not have a casino party at home?  Guests can come along – dressed up to the nines if preferred – and the playing of games can be done online with the addition of some of the more traditional games in person.  Card games such as blackjack and poker are easy to arrange at home, and roulette wheels are also available for those who want to give the home a real casino feel.  Slots games can be played online by those who are not taking part in the other games, and guests will feel entertained all evening without too much effort on the part of the host and hostess.  Thanks to online casinos being available around the clock, it is not essential to have this type of party at night – the party can be held at any time that suits.

Guests do not even have to play with real money.  Online games can be played in demo versions to avoid any heavy losses, and other games can be played with chips.  Nights like this can be used to raise money for charity or simply to provide friends with an alternative to an expensive night out.

Playing online has a number of advantages.  There are a number of virtual casinos to choose from and each offers the standard casino games, including poker, and a wide variety of online slots for those who want something a little less technical.  The social side of a casino visit is not lost by playing online as there are always others online and a number of online casinos have chat rooms, where players can get to know one another and make virtual friends.

Cruise holidays are becoming increasingly popular and there are many last minute cruises available for people looking for a luxury holiday in the sun. There are several cruise lines out there to choose from. Here are two of the best known:

P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises operate with seven cruise ships departing from Southampton to a wide range of destinations. This historic cruise line has been transporting passengers across the globe since 1844 and has a reputation as an industry expert. This popular cruise line blends high standards of safety with exceptional customer service with a strong emphasis on employing highly trained staff that can deliver outstanding service.

P&O Cruises for 2012 is offering some exceptional cruise deals. Leaving from Southampton one of the most popular routes is the Mediterranean cruise where people can enjoy the vibrancy and beauty of Greece, France, Italy and Spain. For something truly memorable cruises to Norway to the fjords will literally take your breath away with fantastic views of some of the world’s most stunning natural landmarks.

Princess Cruises

Another well-known cruise line is Princess Cruising which started out in 1965 taking passengers to Mexico. Now the cruise line is the third biggest globally and is rated for its advanced ships, high standards of customer service and fantastic choice of on-board facilities and entertainment.

Princess Cruises is known for their expertise in cruising across the globe and their fleet of 17 cruise ships offers a vast range of destinations. In 1977 Princess Cruises enjoyed celebrity status when one of its cruise ships, Pacific Princess, won the star role on ‘The Love Boat’, a TV series that was to become a worldwide hit. This popular series can still be seen today and it has been claimed that its success fuelled the growth of the cruise holiday industry.
Princess Cruises offer a wide range of last minute cruises for those looking for a quick getaway.

In today’s cash-strapped economy, it makes sense to become as savvy as possible about managing your personal finances. That goes for taking responsibility for what you spend and save and also becoming aware of the strong forces that are in play every time you go into a supermarket!

The fact is, as a consumer, you are constantly bombarded by the forces of marketing and advertising. Most of us have gone into a particular supermarket in response to something we’ve seen in the media, on an outdoor advertising board, or become aware of via a different marketing channel.

Once we enter the supermarket, the real psychology kicks in. Everything, from the minute we park up at the store, to when we leave with our bags, is designed to encourage us to part with as much of our cash as possible.

Retail psychologists are employed by supermarkets to analyse every aspect of the shopper’s experience, to understand their feelings, motivations and attitudes towards purchasing and gently manipulate variable environmental factors to encourage that purchase decision.

Firstly, the supermarket will be designed to make you linger. It won’t be logically laid out and products will frequently change around to force you to hunt them out and possibly spot new products to become tempted by instead.

In-store demonstrations are an example where supermarkets encourage shoppers to linger and engage with new products, to see examples, demos and tastings and pick up a new product in the process.

Shops place their most profitable items on the shelves where a customer’s eye naturally falls, so value ranges will tend to be on the bottom shelf where they are trickier to reach. You’ll need to reach or bend to get the best deals!

Supermarkets also know to assault the shopper’s senses as they go in to create a pleasant experience designed to help them spend. This will range from the smell of fresh bread wafted through the store, to the colourful displays, soft music and comfortable temperature. Free samples might be given out, to allow the shopper to taste or experience a small part of the product and decide to buy it.

Surprising additions are other ways that supermarkets engage customers by eliciting a response of joyful surprise, such as finding a new product line or interesting new product category.

This is one reason why supermarkets extended so widely into complementary and lifestyle lines such as clothing, home wares, electronics and more.

Good customer service is a genuine way in which stores will try to encourage customer loyalty. By offering friendly and helpful staff and till packers, the customer associates the shopping experience with speed, friendliness and convenience.

The store may also delay the customer more as they are paying. Whilst waiting in a queue there will usually be other lines to look at whilst lingering, such as magazines, sweets and personal items. These will frequently be picked up as an impulse buy.

At the purchase point, the customer service agent may prompt additional sales, such as signing a customer up to a reward scheme, mentioning a finance product or offering extras such as stamps.

Even after the sale is made, staff may be on hand to delay the customer with vouchers and other promotions for a return visit.

Certainly, the psychology behind shopping is very powerful and most customers are manipulated into buying what supermarkets want them to. This can lead to overspending which, in turn, may mean that you need to take out a loan to cover your payments, click here for more information on loans and interest rates.

However, if you make sure you go shopping armed with knowledge and a clear list, (and not necessarily a credit card) you can avoid becoming one of the over-spending masses!

Gourmet Burger Kitchen is a bit different from most burger places you’ll find. It’s not really what you’d call a traditional fast food joint and should be thought of more as a restaurant instead. By using the freshest ingredients and creating classic and innovative flavour combinations they aim to provide their patrons with ‘the best burgers in town’.

Everything is made freshly to order, so as well as picking from the menu, you can ask for something to be added, or left out to make it just as you want it. Buns are made by an artisan baker, and beef patties are made from Aberdeen Angus beef. Sauces are made freshly every day, and all the kitchens are on view so you can see your food being cooked from beginning to end.

The first Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) was opened in Battersea in London in 2001 by three New Zealanders, and since then, this restaurant has spread and there are over 50 restaurants which can now be found right across the UK from Brighton to Edinburgh, as well as a number in other parts of the world from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, to Greece, Turkey and other places.

The burgers themselves are a beauty to behold – and even better to eat! You can choose between original size and small size for most of the burger options, so that taking kids along isn’t ever a problem.
One burger which doesn’t come in a ‘small’ however is the Kiwiburger – this amazing combination is stacked with beef, beetroot, egg, pineapple, aged cheddar, salad, mayo and relish, It’s not a cheap burger coming in at £8.95 which is the third most expensive item on the menu, but, whenever you buy one a donation is made to help save the Kiwi too. The most expensive item is ‘The Mighty’ burger. This comes with 2 beef patties, aged cheddar, streaky bacon, garlic mayo, salad and relish, and is a meal all on its own without any extras.

All this wonderful food sounds quite expensive, but there are cheaper options on the menu, and you can also get printable vouchers from the internet, which can reduce the cost substantially. Vouchers vary, but can be along the lines of ‘Burger, fries and drink for £10’, or ‘Buy 1 burger or main course salad, and get a second for £1’, or even ‘Any burger for £5.95’. Vouchers like these can save you quite a lot of money, and mean that you can treat the family for a very reasonable sum indeed.

Powwownow is the leading free conference call provider in the UK and was founded seven years ago. They offer instant conference calling that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with as many participants involved as you require across over 100 countries around the world.

The Powwownow system uses its own teleconferencing technology and operates with low overheads to make it more cost effective for conference calls to take place world wide. Within the standard service that they provide, they don’t charge any kind of fees, so each caller only pays the cost of their own call making it substantially cheaper to use than virtually any other conference call provider.

Powwownow also offers a great premium business service with tailor made business solutions for customers. They aim to understand what their customers need and build conference packages to suit all their requirements while at the same time providing an excellent level of service, innovation and support.

The biggest difference between Powwownow and other conference call competitors is that they don’t charge a bridging fee – this is the fee that most conference call providers charge the chairman of a conference call for chairing the call. Because of this, powwownow can save business customers who regularly use conference calling hundreds if not thousands of pounds while still providing a level of support which is extremely high.

The premium business service offers an automated, reservation-free service where meetings can be held 24 hours a day 7 days a week with no pre-booking required and without the assistance of a call operator unless you wish for assistance.

The service that is provided by Powwownow includes a variety of features that many companies don’t offer, or charge extra for. Amongst other things, you can receive:

Unlimited number of conference calls
Unlimited pairs of chairperson and participant PINs allowing concurrent conference calling
A choice of dial in numbers and rates (such as shared cost, geographical and freephone)
International access to over 100 different countries
Secure call recording so that conferences can be reviewed and shared
Real-time reporting on all your calls
A simple to use scheduler tool to make it easy to invite callers to conferences
Web conferencing

Overall, using powwownow can save your business money, and allow you to add another dimension to your business by bringing together many people for effective communication without requiring face to face meetings.

When you visit London, there are several excellent choices for hotels, fine dining, live entertainment and of course, popular attractions. Because London is a world-class destination and a very large city, it is helpful to plan ahead prior to visiting some of the popular tourist spots.

This article will focus on two famous London sites, Kensington Palace and Hyde Park and what you can do and see when you are there. These two sites border each other so it’s conceivable that you can see both sites on a single day. If you are planning on staying in this central location then both Kensington apartments and Hyde park executive apartments can offer a cost effective way of staying and exploring the area.

Some of you may recall that Kensington Palace was once the official residence of Lady Di, the Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret, but the palace is rich in history and has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the early 1600s. In fact it was the birthplace of Queen Victoria, who became Queen of England in 1837. Kensington Palace is on the grounds of the beautiful Kensington Gardens and was the royal palace before there was Buckingham Palace. It was here where Lady Diana’s body was returned after her tragic accident in Paris in 1997. Thousands of cards, letters and flowers were brought to Kensington Palace in honor of her memory. Her body was eventually taken to Westminster Abbey by horse-drawn carriage to her funeral.

One of the top attractions at Kensington Palace is the Enchanted Palace, which is in a newly remodeled section that might alter your perception of what a royal palace has to offer. Here within the Enchanted Palace, rooms have been transformed into visual memories of what they may have looked like during that era. In one room, you might see Princess Victoria’s room before she became queen and another room might display many outfits from Lady Di’s wardrobe.

Nor far away from Kensington Palace is the grand and glorious Hyde Park, where there are plenty of activities to choose from. Hyde Park is the among the 7 designated Royal Parks, originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom. Popular activities include swimming, hiking, jogging, tennis, row boating and of course perhaps the most recognized activity is at Speaker’s Corner, where people from all walks of life have a public forum in which to speak openly on subjects such as religion, politics and war. In the same section of Hyde Park is the famous Marble Arch, which is made of one of the most expensive types of marble, Carrara from the city in Italy, which bears the same name. The park also has some great 8 places for food and beverages.

Hyde Park has also been home to many notable rock concerts with artists such as the Rolling Stones, the Who and Queen, performing there over the years. Next year, during the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Hyde Park will host the triathlon and marathon swimming events.

Hyde Park and Kensington Palace are both located in central London, northwest of Westminster. It is easily accessible by the London Transport and staying in any central London apartments when you are in the city will mean you have a great base to to explore from. Between visiting Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, you are certain to have an enjoyable day, bringing back a lifetime of wonderful memories.