Blog – Page 50 – PDRater – Permanent Disability Calculators

TWO New Calculators!

By Jay Shergill Posted on September 22, 2008 Posted in Calculators, EAMS, Free, Links, PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates, Workers Compensation Resources No Comments Tagged with Calculator, Claims Administrator, Claims Administrators, Free Bookmark, happy new year, kitten it, Legacy, New Search Engines, new year, Wcab, Webpage

EAMS Logo

As you may already know, the WCAB’s EAMS sub-webpage allows you to search for the new ADJ numbers or the official address for a claims administrator or representative.

Legacy WCAB to ADJ numbers, visa versa
Search for “Claims Administrators’ Offices“
Search for “Representatives’ Offices“

Using the same data, I’ve written my own search engines that, to be blunt, work better. You can find these two new search engines on the calculators page. They are named “WCAB ←→ ADJ” and “EAMS Registered Offices”.

Later this week I’ll post about “why” and “how” I’ve developed these two new “calculators.” For now, I’ll just talk about why you’re going to want to join this site (for free!) and bookmark the calculators page.

User Friendly. Search engines shouldn’t need pages of documentation. One search box is all you really need.
Easier. My search engines aren’t picky. Enter “OAK0123456, OAK 0123456, OAK123456, OAK 000123456” and you’ll get “ADJ522195, ADJ522195, ADJ522195, ADJ522195.” The EAMS page requires you enter the WCAB or ADJ number with no spaces and exactly 10 characters.
More powerful. Search the Claims Administrators’ Offices and Representatives’ Offices database or unlimited ADJ and WCAB numbers simultaneously.
Faster searches. You can search for 50 WCAB and ADJ numbers on my site in the time it takes you to search for one at the EAMS page.
Better results. Although I use the same information as the WCAB search engines, I’ve designed my calculators to apply your search query to more of the information. The result is better search hits.
One page to rule them all. Both new search engines are built into the same page as the rest of my calculators. No need to poke around the WCAB-EAMS website. Bookmark one page and have all of the latest EAMS information right at your fingertips.

Comments, questions, criticsms always appreciated.

Virtual Real Estate – Part II – Less Obvious Benefits

By Jay Shergill Posted on September 19, 2008 Posted in Business, MySQL, Not Workers Compensation, PHP, Technobabble No Comments Tagged with Avoidance, Backups, Different Company, Domain Name, Domain Names, E Mail Account, E Mail Address, Mail Accounts, New E Mail Address, Portability, Redundancy, Resiliency, Segment, Virtual Real Estate, Web Host, Web Space

The last post in this series was about the obvious benefits of owning your own web space and domain name. However, there are a lot of other benefits which might be less obvious. Frankly, I didn’t realize these benefits until well after I had set up my own website.

Virtual Real Estate – Part II – Less Obvious Benefits

Outsmart spam. When I need to sign up for a new online service or website, I just create a new e-mail address – and point it to my real e-mail address. For example, If I want to sign up for PDRater.com, I register with the address, “pdrater@my-very-own-domain.com.” If I start getting spam sent to that address – I delete the e-mail account!
Organization. Just as with spam avoidance, I can create e-mail accounts for differnet purposes and have them all routed to the same place. Later on, I can search for information I sent myself (or had others send me) by searching for “todo@my_very_own_domain.com.”
Portability. If you may need files while you’re out and about, just upload them to your website and have the file available anywhere.
Redundancy. There are a lot of companies that charge for online backups. Why not just do it yourself?
Resiliency. I made a point of purchasing the domain names through a different company than the one hosting my web space. If one of those companies were to suddenly go off-line, I would be able to put up a new site in roughly an hour. If the web host is down, just upload a new copy of your website to a new host and connect it to your original domain name. If the domain name host is down, just buy a new domain name and point the web host to the new name.

Next in this series: I haven’t thought of a next segment yet!

Virtual Real Estate – Part I – Obvious Benefits

By Jay Shergill Posted on September 18, 2008 Posted in Business, MySQL, Not Workers Compensation, PHP, Technobabble No Comments Tagged with Accountability, Creative Control, Customizer, Domain Name, Domain Names, E Mail Addresses, Ftp Account, Leasing, Mysql Databases, Tradeoffs, Virtual Real Estate, Virtual Realty, Web Host, Web Server, Web Space

I purchased my first domain name and web space in August of 2007. Since that time I’ve probably purchased about a dozen more domain names. There are some fairly obvious benefits to owning your own domain name and web space. ((Its more like leasing, but whatever.))

Virtual Real Estate – Part I – Obvious Benefits

Your own website! Admittedly, there are a lot of ways to get a website for free, but there are always tradeoffs (pop-up ads, no creative control, ads inside your pages).
Accountability. When you own your own webspace, your web host is responsible for taking care of problems when things go wrong.
More features. When you’re paying for your own webspace, you can set up your own MySQL databases, install programs like WordPress, set up an FTP account, etc.
Custom e-mail addresses. Always wanted “I-Hate-Clowns@SuperCoolAwesome.com”? Good news!
Hopeless customizer. I’ve already confessed my need to customize just about everything. Being able to tinker with every little setting on a web server is a customizer’s dream.

Next in this series: Part II – Less Obvious Benefits

Why Web Apps Rule

By Jay Shergill Posted on September 17, 2008 Posted in AJAX, PDRater, Technobabble No Comments Tagged with Adobe, Backups, Banner Ads, Browser Crash, Compatibility, Computer User, Cousins, Hybrid Web, Independence Web, Interfer, Internet Connection, Internet Web Browser, Neutral Party, new year, Program Updates, Programming Applications, Server Program, Web Application

I’m not exactly a neutral party when it comes to “web apps” (short for “web application”) versus their downloadable-installable cousins. This website, its articles, and blog posts are basically just packaging for my own suite of free web apps, workers’ compensation calculators.

For the purposes of this post, I’m restricting the definition of “web app” to those programming applications which run from inside an internet web browser and require an internet connection to operate. I’m excluding those hybrid web apps that require plugins to be installed (think flash or adobe multimedia banner ads). While web apps have inherent…

Weaknesses

Web browser. Some require a particular type or version of a web browser.
Internet Connection. They won’t work without one. If you lose your internet connection, you’ve just become isolated from your information and the program.
Form. Sometimes the program will look different depending upon the type or version of web browser.
Function. Sometimes the program will act slightly differently depending upon the type or version of web browser.

… there are also undeniable…

Consumer Benefits

Portability. Web apps allow you to access your information from the internet.
Independence. Web apps allow you to access your information from any computer.
User Friendly. Nothing to download, install, or maintain.
Seamless. These days web apps use AJAX so that your computer doesn’t need to reload the page to show you new information. The result are web based programs that look and act as if the program was installed on your computer.
Braindead Backups. Since all information is stored on the web app server, a browser crash doesn’t have to mean the end of the world. No need to do anything.
Updates. You immediately benefit from web app server program updates without needing to do anything.
Compatibility. Most web apps can’t interfere with other programs on your computer.
IT Security. With nothing to install, your IT professionals don’t need to worry about what you’ve got installed on your computer.

Road Warrior Checklist – The Backpack

By Jay Shergill Posted on September 16, 2008 Posted in Author, Business, Conference, PDRater, Workers Compensation Resources No Comments Tagged with Allergy Pills, Backpack, Black Pen, Breath Mints, Briefcase, Business Card Case, Business Cards, Flap, Gel Pen, Highlighter, Laptop Case, Lifeline, Napkins, new year, Notepad, Permanent Ink, Portable Phone Charger, Purse, road warrior, Sticky Notes, Suitcase

In earlier posts I gave my “road warrior checklist for the car” and my “road warrior checklist for the techie.”

My backpack is my lifeline when I’m out and about. Some prefer a laptop case, rolling briefcase/suitcase, suitcase, or purse. I find that a backpack with a laptop section works best for me. I can carry a medium file, laptop, and the essentials.

Here’s my road warrior checklist for my backpack:

Front flap
- Notepad
- Pens
  - 2 blue gel, 1 black pen, 1 red gel pen, 1 permanent ink marker, 1 highlighter
- Business cards, business card case
- Eyeglass cloth
Front pocket
- Medication – allergy pills, etc.
- Granola bar
- Sticky notes
- Portable phone charger
- Breath mints
- Batteries
Side pocket
- Napkins
Main pocket
- Laptop

What do you take with you?