(BPT) – More than 57 million people will play fantasy sports this year, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA). With fantasy football season underway, you need to make sure your game face is on and your line-up is set. If you have a t…

(BPT) – More than 57 million people will play fantasy sports this year, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA). With fantasy football season underway, you need to make sure your game face is on and your line-up is set. If you have a team this season, or this is your first year playing, here are some tips for scoring a successful season:

1. Don’t receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Whether you’re playing in a formalized league or one the office football aficionado threw together, it’s important to know and follow the rules of your league. Just like the real deal, fantasy football has rules and regulations. Run afoul of those rules in a formalized league and you might be invited to leave, or at the very least, not come back next year. Mess up in the office and you’ll have to hear about it until you retire. Realize people will play with varying levels of commitment and proficiency, but everyone wants to have fun — and rules help make that possible.

2. Avoid fumbling your lineup. Once you have your lineup locked in for draft day, your player knowledge doesn’t stop there. Devote time each week to research your player’s strengths and weaknesses. You can rank players on many criteria, from last year’s performance to expert predictions of this year’s performance. Researching can help you get your best lineup each week to crush the competition. Whether you’re playing to win or just for fun, some preparation can help ensure you put together your dream team.

3. Score savings with an audible. More than a third of fantasy sports players primarily use their phones to track scores, follow teams, make lineup changes and communicate with others about their fantasy sport, according to the FTSA. That’s a lot of phone usage on-the-go that can potentially cause high overage charges. Switching to a more affordable plan can make your fantasy football season more cost efficient. Just in time for kick-off, Straight Talk Wireless is launching Straight Talk Plus(TM), giving customers even more options to save on their wireless service. Available exclusively at Walmart, Straight Talk Plus lets you get the latest smart phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 for just about $1 a day. Just add our unlimited service plan with 5GB of high speed data (then 2G speeds) starting at just $45 per month to make sure you’re covered for all of those game-day lineup changes. Best of all, there is no contract on your smartphone or unlimited plan – letting customers cancel anytime with no activation fees or penalties.

4. Tackle Traditions. Every fantasy football league is different. It’s much more than just strictly about winning. This is a game that brings friends, roommates and colleagues together to participate alongside their favorite players each week. With this, the collective personalities and traditions between leagues can vary. Whether you’re new to the league or the reining champ, make sure you double check the scoring system and are aware of your league’s traditions.

5. Get caught up with sideline streaming. Remember, one does not simply pick a team and then stop paying attention. In fact, keeping track of how players on your team are performing in real life is what makes fantasy football exciting. Not everyone has time to watch every game their players are in, or even just the highlights. Consider downloading a fantasy football app for your smartphone to stream games, keep track of stats, scores, injuries and more. Straight Talk Wireless will help you have your data streaming needs covered.

Now you’re well on your way to a winning team and prepared for the season ahead. For more ways to save, visit www.StraightTalk.com.

This is a lease-to-own transaction – except in MN, NJ, WI, and WY where straight leases are offered. Well-qualified credit may be required to purchase. Smart Pay terms: Lease-to-own transaction for the Samsung Galaxy S7 total cost is $722.88 with 24 30-day payments plus any taxes and fees except in North Carolina where final payment may be more. No ownership until all payments made. May be able to exercise early purchase option. Retail cost of the Galaxy S7 is $599, subject to change. Customers may end lease and return phone at any time. Wireless service subject to Straight Talk Terms and Conditions. On the $45 Unlimited plan the first 5GB of data is at high speeds. After 5GB, speeds are reduced to 2G where streaming and audio may be affected.

(BPT) – There was a time when only a few could afford a large screen television. The resolution was clunky, the sound poor and the cost high. But over the past decade, technology has advanced so remarkably fast that today a 60-inch television with unbe…

(BPT) – There was a time when only a few could afford a large screen television. The resolution was clunky, the sound poor and the cost high. But over the past decade, technology has advanced so remarkably fast that today a 60-inch television with unbelievably crisp resolution is within many people’s budget.

Add to this the fact that tickets for movie theaters are more expensive than ever, and it makes sense why more people are building a home theater in their house. With some planning and amazing electronic toys, it’s possible to create a media room that delivers theater-quality sound and visuals. And you can enjoy it in more comfortable seats and without obnoxious strangers interrupting the show.

But 4K televisions, surround-sound speakers and bass cannons are only part of the overall experience.

To compliment these electronics features, you need the right setting to amplify the experience. This means taking the time to design a proper media room that enables your equipment. These five indispensable tips will help you do just that.

1. A great media room begins with the right walls. Incredibly strong, Habito(TM) drywall is able to hold up to 30 pounds on a single screw. This drywall does away with wall mounts and the need to find a stud, allowing you to mount your speakers, television or screen exactly where you want them to go.

2. Paint wisely. While what color you choose for your room will be based off personal preference, aim for earthy, neutral colors that minimize glare. To help draw the focus of the room toward the screen, many paint the wall a burgundy or maroon.

3. Great sound is a result of more than speakers. Designing your room with acoustics in mind is key. Hard surfaces create a sharp, echoing quality to the sound. To avoid this, your media room should be carpeted and instead of hard blinds, use sound dampening curtains to help enhance the sound and keep out the sun. The density of Habito drywall also contributes to reduced sound transmission between rooms, helping to create separation between your media room and the living area of the home.

4. Think about speakers, walls and storage. Though most people’s attention will be drawn to the wall with the television on it, the surrounding walls are equally important. Here is where you mount speakers for the 360-degree sound effect, sconce lighting and floating shelves for design and storage. To properly achieve this, you need a durable wall, such as Habito drywall, that can both hold the needed weight and is strong enough to make it easy to redesign and remount fixtures as needed.

5. Create lighting to accommodate a variety of moods. A media room is meant to be used in a number of ways. Even when you’re watching a movie, you’ll probably turn the lights up then down before it’s over. For this reason, be sure to install dimmable lights that can easily be controlled. This way, you can keep it dark for the dramatic scenes, and when the pizza arrives, have just enough light to see your food but not detract from the picture quality.

It’s easy to only focus on the big “toys” when building a media room. But the secret to a truly great home-theater experience begins in the construction phase, well before anything is plugged in. To learn more about Habito drywall, visit HanginWithHabito.com.

Hailing from Indianapolis, Ind., Aaron Walker studied creative writing and French literature at Georgia State University and is now focused on becoming a singer-songwriter. When he needed quality production and real instrumentation, he turned to Fiverr and got all he … Read More

The post Singer-Songwriter and Fiverr Make Beautiful Music Together appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

(BPT) – Just a decade or two ago, home automation was still something of a novelty. Some homeowners might have had programmable thermostats in their homes, but many probably hadn’t thought of automating things like window coverings. Moreover, they like…

(BPT) – Just a decade or two ago, home automation was still something of a novelty. Some homeowners might have had programmable thermostats in their homes, but many probably hadn’t thought of automating things like window coverings. Moreover, they likely viewed any home automation they did have as a convenience. Today, home automation is becoming an essential efficiency-enhancing element in many homes.

Right now, just fewer than 6 percent of American households have automated homes, but within four years that percentage is expected to triple to nearly 19 percent, according to data compiled by Statista.com. What’s driving more people to automate their homes? A report by icontrol networks found security, cost savings and eco-friendly energy efficiency are what people find most exciting about home automation.

Heating and cooling, lighting and security systems are among the most common elements automated in homes, but they’re far from the only ones that can save you money and make your home more efficient. Here are three surprising things you can automate in your home to further improve efficiency, boost energy savings and lower energy costs:

Window coverings

Shades, drapes, blinds, and awnings can all help control the amount of heat and light that enter your home. Selecting window coverings to block out light and heat in summer, and admit light in winter, can help your home’s heating and cooling systems work more efficiently. However, the effectiveness of window coverings hinges on opening and closing them at the right time — something you may forget to do, or not be home to do.

Automating and powering window coverings can help automatically maximize their effectiveness. Depending on the climate where you live, automating window coverings could yield energy savings of 11-20 percent, according to a study commissioned by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

Somfy’s motorized solutions easily integrate with any home automation system, regardless of brand or technology, and offer many options for controlling window coverings. Select from a wide variety of hand-held remotes, sensors, wall switches, and the myLink app that allows you to control your motorized window coverings from mobile devices.

Door locks

If you’ve ever been locked out of your house or had a guest arrive at your home when you were out, you probably wished there was some way to unlock your front door without a key — and from miles away. Smart locks allow you to do both those things and more.

You can replace or supplement an existing lock by installing a smart lock, and you won’t need a professional locksmith to do it. If you can install a regular lock and operate a smartphone, you have the expertise you need to add and use a smart lock.

In addition to allowing you to lock and unlock your door without a key, smart locks also allow you to operate the lock remotely from an app on your phone. You can also receive alerts when the door has been unlocked — a great way to track the comings and goings of latchkey kids. Many allow you to generate a single-use digital key that you can email to guests or service providers who may need to enter your home when you’re not there. Smart locks can also be paired with most popular home automation systems.

Smart appliances

Many appliance makers are offering smart, connected appliances with the big draw being their “wow factor.” However, some of the features of these appliances do hold the potential to improve a home’s efficiency and energy savings.

For example, a refrigerator that tracks groceries and lets you know when you’re about to run out of an important item could help you better plan your shopping trips. Fewer car trips conserves gas and reduces greenhouse emissions. Cooking is another area where automation can relieve some of the energy waste caused by human error. Smart ovens and cooktops can sense when to turn themselves off in case you forget to do it — reducing energy waste and fire risks.

More homeowners are discovering the convenience, security and efficiency advantages of home automation. Technology is helping make American homes more livable and enjoyable.

When you get too wrapped up in the day to day minutiae of running your business, it’s easy to forget that there’s a whole wide world out there of personal and professional opportunities. From travel to trying new things even … Read More

The post Gig Economy News: Looking Beyond Your Business appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

As a physical education teacher, it’s been a dream to combine my passion for physical education with my love of writing. When I first started working in physical education I had no mentor and no guidance. Once I finally found … Read More

The post The Lessons This Teacher’s Learned: Charles’s Fiverr Story appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

Nicole Leinbach Reyhle is the Founder and Publisher of Retail Minded, the Co-Founder of the Independent Retailer Conference and a regular contributor to various publications. Additionally, Reyhle is the Author of the book “Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and … Read More

The post Excellence, Execution & Entrepreneurship: Best Practices to Help Your Small Biz Thrive appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.