How to Write Emails If You Want People to Actually Respond

Writing at Third Grade Level – For Email Replies

According to the makers of Boomerang mail plug-in, one of the best way in getting a reply to unanswered emails is to write as if you are a nine years old. As per their observation, writing at a third grade reading level is considered to be the right level of complexity for the average message after mining the data of the user for information on what type of writing would normally get replies. It is worth considering taking extra time to think why one would want to write like a nine year old.

 Emails tend to get a bad knock these days and are often considered to be inefficient. Viewing most of the email writing styles from Boomerang, the main thing of making messages seem better,are to keep the focus on ease. In order to get replies, the company recommends the use of shorter, simpler stretches and hence the third grading reading level could be helpful. Writing them this way would normally acquire a response rate of 53% as against the 45% for the messages written at a high school reading level. Simple writing too could reduce the chances of a reply.

Bit Expressive – Best Option of Getting Responses

Messages written at a kindergarten reading level would receive replies only at 46% of the time. However the poorest response rate would be for those writing at a college reading level at 39%. The company also observed that being a bit more expressive is the best option of getting responses. With an opinion and adding some emotional tone either positive or negative could also get a better result instead of being totally neutral. It also depends on how much one should say, to get too rambling would not get you the response one would be waiting to receive.

On the other hand if one is too brief, you could get a low response rate. If the email recipient would need extra information in making a decision or to understand the email’s subject, provide the necessary information as an attachment or a link. The reason for writing an email to a person is with the purpose of receiving a response from them, however too often than not, some of the emails tend to be overlooked or forgotten since they could be too long, too brief, too complex or do not provide adequate information.

Top Six Tips

Boomerang, email-efficiency service examined through data from around 5.3 million emails to check what type of messages would prompt the most replies from recipients. They came up with some useful discoveries. Alex Moore at Boomerang Blog reviews their top six tips established on their data. The following is the full list of the tips from the makers of Boomerang:

•  Usage of shorter sentences together with simpler words such as a third grade reading level seems to be the best  
• Including one to three questions in the email 
• Make sure that you include a subject line and aim for three to four words 
• Using of slightly positive or slightly negative tone since both could overtake a totally neutral tone 
• Take a stand, since intolerant messages tend to see higher response rate than objective ones 
• Write adequate though not too much and attempt to keep the messages between 50 to 125 words

Helmet Could Let Pilots Look Through Aircraft

Helmet with Night Vision Camera/High Definition Digital Display

One of the most advanced combat aircraft in the world, The Eurofighter Typhoon together with BAE Systems, has developed a helmet which could make its pilots more operative. Striker II is said to have an integrated night vision camera together with a high definition digital display which tends to project flight information on to the screen.

According to BAE, the helmet has the potential to virtually see through a Typhoon by connecting up to various systems on the aircraft and the helmet’s tracking system also seems to be important. It makes sure that the pilot’s position of the head together with the aircraft computer system is continuously in sync. The latest weapon of Typhoon is not something that is under the wing, but a system with brains which tends to sit on the pilot’s head.

The Helmet Mounted Symbology System is a sophisticated helmet which supports the system that enables the pilot to see through the body of the aircraft, providing them with an animated advantage with split-second decision making.Mark Bowman, director of flight operations at BAE Systems had stated that if one has a digital display there, it means that we can put in sensor information. It could be situations such as infrared image, an imaging pod, or it could be a radar display.

BAE Systems’ Research Lab – Test - `Shake & Bake’

He further adds that `if one has got a sensor located around the aircraft and if it tends to be beneath, then one can give the impression that the pilot is basically looking through the surface of the aircraft’.It is said that the new helmet has not been utilised for combat operation still, but it had been tested widely at the time of flight trials. Providing pilots with more technology has advantages, however depending on it too much could probably cause problems.

James Ixer, former RAF Wing Commander as well as managing director of the Drone Pilot Academy had stated that if Typhoon pilots tend to have a high tech helmet which was made bespoke to the pilot, what could happen if the helmet goes unserviceable en route to the aircraft for a scramble or as one plugs in and start the engines.There should be vigorous back-up plans in place. Everything built at BAE System’s research lab in Rochester, Kent, has to pass through a rigorous round of tests and one of the tests is known as `Shake and Bake’.

Major Advance – Aviation Capability

A device is put in a chamber which is subjected to extreme temperatures as well as vibrations. Mark Applegate, manufacturing resource manager at BAE Systems had said that they take an item and bolt it down and shake it to ensure that nothing literally would fall out.Besides this, they take it up and down in temperature so that there is some stress that goes through each item that is put through this type of test. The test seems to be of great importance.

Mark Bowman had commented that `this is a major advance with regards to combat capability and is something which gives Typhoon pilots a substantial advantage with regards to air combat. There is no doubt that the Eurofighter Typhoon led the world in terms of this kind of capability and this is something that all who has worked on the system can feel proud of it. It is a main advance in aviation capability.

Government Launches Porn Site Age Checks Consultation

UK Government – Implementing Age Checks on Pornography

The UK government has launched a public consultation over plans in implementing age checks on pornography websites and the proposal follows a Conservative Party platform commitment that all sites comprising of pornographic content should check that users are above the age of 18 years. Those asked to make their contribution to the consultation are internet providers, academics, charities and several others. A security expert had stated that the plans would tussle to challenge porn on free sites.

The government suggests in the consultation document that the checks need to apply to content which would receive, if officially classified, an 18 or R18 rating from the British Board of Film Classification –BBFC. The consultation document has explained that they are keen to hear from parents, child protection experts, schools, the pornography industry, internet service provider as well as online platforms which offer access to pornographic content.

The government aims to launch a new regulatory agenda in order to enforce compliance with any rules that are made law, as part of the plans.The Internet Safety and Security Minister, Baroness Shields had stated that `just as we do offline, we want to ensure children are prevented from accessing pornographic content online which should only be viewed by adults’.

Issue a Matter of Urgency

Chief executive of the NSPCC, Peter Wanless had said that the issue seems to be `a matter of urgency and that the children who had ready access to content rated over 18 could develop a `misrepresented view of sexual relationship’. Earlier to the general election, Sajid Javid, then the Culture Secretary had stated that the appointed regulator would have the power to compel internet service providers in blocking sites which did not perform effective age checks.

He also added that providers who did not support could be fined. Moreover, the consultation document also explained that the regulator of age checks on porn sites can be given powers to impose sanctions inclusive of fines. Those companies that tend to support or provide services to the producers of pornographic online content could be directed to withdraw their services if the sites were identified to be obstinately non-compliant. This could comprise directing payment firm to stop processing transaction for the producers of porn content.

A Challenging Regulatory Goal

Nonetheless, a leading security researcher had commented that this would not cast out much of the pornography, if available freely online. Dr Gilad Rosner, a member of the Cabinet Office Privacy and Consumer Advocacy Group had said that his initial response to this release was that while the UK government could get some traction with payment processor and that it could have some effect, it would not affect the free pornography. Dr Rosner further added that considerable pornographic content seems to be available on free sites and blogs which do not take any payments from the users.

This is particularly challenging regulatory goal and he would bet that we would not see much in the way of tangible results for the next five years. However, one of the most visited free sites for pornography had indicated its plan in co-operating. A spokeswoman for the site had commented that `porn-hub would fully fulfilany strong legislative and appropriate local measures which emerge from this consultation.

As members of the Digital Policy Alliance, they have already been working to carve out a technical solution that works for all and it is necessary that all explicit adult content is covered and non-compliant sites are taken down quickly’.

Handheld ZX Spectrum Vega+ Project Announced on Indiegogo

The Indiegogo Project – Handheld Vega+

The recently re-launched classic games console the ZX Spectrum by the firm, has now announced a portable version of the device. The creator of the original Spectrum, Sir Clive Sinclair tends to own a stake in Retro Computers, which is the firm behind the latest versions of his console. The Indiegogo project for handheld Vega+ has raised around £44,780 of the £100,000 funding goal and if successfully funded, would be provided with 1,000 games with another 14,000 tiles available for download.

 Besides this there is also a microSD card slot to load more games. The Vega+ presently on crowdfunding site Indiegogo has been a follow-up to the ZX Spectrum Vega that had been released over a year ago. While that was a plug-in controller to work with a TV set, the Vega+ is said to be a fully contained handheld device based on the lines of the Sega GameGear or Atari Lynx.

The handheld console is remarkably close to the iconic Spectrum on the feel and look, mainly owing to the concept design by Rick Dickinson who had designed the original computers.Retro Computers had explained on the Indiegogo product page for the project, that the device would feature an LCD screen though it would also be connected to a TV.

A Game Console to be Played Anywhere

Speaking regarding the new Vega+, Sir Clive commented that the present surge of interest in retro products had inspired him to plan the Vega+ as a handy games console that could be played anywhere. It has been developed by Christ Smith, who was a leading authority on the Spectrum. The Vega+ seems to be a new low cost hand held game console.

To give the product its full name, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ is based on Sir Clive’s earlier largely successful Spectrum products in the early 1980s and includes all the features of the ZX Vega and much more inclusive of the stereo output for amazing reproduction of gaming sounds as well as music. It is the only game console which tends to exist with 1,000 licensed games which are already included together with an LCD to be used anywhere as well as capability of connecting to a TV for home usage.

The company stated that the development of the product is complete with a total working prototype that is ready to go into production and the units would be shipped early this summer.

Vega+ a Licenced Device

Stuart Miles editor of gadget site Pocket-lint had stated that they believe there is room for retro gaming but at the same time people do not like sitting in front of TV all the time to play games. He informed that by making it portable, it tends to broaden out to the same audience which would have played Gameboy years ago. He further added that though at times nostalgia for classic games was not always satisfied when they are played again and sometime one is reminded how basic these games were.

The Vega+ is said to be a licensed device and the finished model will be the same black like the original Spectrum but pledger could choose limited edition copies in black blue or red. It is a flexible funding model which means that the project goes ahead irrespective of how much money has been pledged. Its final price has not been confirmed though pledgers could get it for £100.

Ripples are a New Tool for Exploring Space

Ripples in Fabric of Space – Gravitational Waves

Researchers have announced that they have identified ripples in the fabric of space known as gravitational waves and it is a ground-breaking discovery which had evaded Earth’s intelligent minds as well as sensitive machines for years.

It was 100 years ago, that Albert Einstein had predicted the existence of gravitational waves but he had thought them far too feeble to identify as they rolled across the universe. Radio waves had first been predicted by James Clerk Maxwell, a physicist in 1860s and then discovered by Hertz. Around 150 years thereafter, they strengthen our lives from radio to television to mobile phones and the present world would not be able to function without them.

Gravitation waves though weaker than radio, can have unexpected as well as vital usage in the near future. The identification of gravitational waves is a monumental discovery and is only the first step. One of the international team of scientists who had worked on the break-through, Professor Graham Woan had informed Sky News that it was similar to Galileo looking through the telescope at night for the first time. It was not that our comprehension of the universe had been toppled as it was in the Scientific Revolution, but we have a new tool, a new technology in exploring our cosmos and now we have a gravitational telescope.

Source of Waves – System of Two Black Holes in Orbit

The news had been announced on February 11, by members of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – LIGO, which is a 15-nation, 900-scientists, $1 billion experiment which had searched for signs of the phenomenon since 2002. Cornell physics and astrophysics professor, Saul Teukolsky had confirmed in a statement emailed to Tech Insider that, `finally these waves have been detected on Earth with an unbelievably sensitive experiment and surprisingly the source of the waves is a system of two black holes in orbit around each other, that spiral inwards and smash together.

The waves that the researchers had identified were created by two black holes colliding as well as merged, forming a single black hole, 1.3 billion years ago. When the two black holes had emerged, they seemed to release the energy of three suns. Physicist Szabi Marka, who is a LIGO collaborator based at Columbia University had informed Tech Insider prior to the announcement that identifying the waves would revolutionize physics and chart out the last undiscovered territory of Einstein and a collision of two black holes is a catastrophic event which we could only imagine of observing till now.

Right Path in Comprehending How the Universe Works

Marka states that `having gravitational waves as a tool would allow us to study black holes, which tend to hold the key to several future puzzles in science. He further added that they don’t know actually what tends to happen around a black hole and don't know what happens when a black hole meets another black hole. They are not aware what happens when a black hole eats something.

There seems to be several other usages of gravitational waves, now that all are within the realm of possibility. Marka states that the coming era of research that is barrelling towards us will be spectacular. The discovery not only justifies Einstein’s wildest prediction giving astronomers a powerful tool to probe further in the cosmos from deep within stars to the surfaces of black hole but also tends to back up a $1 billion idea informing us that we are on the right path in comprehending how the universe tend to work.