Problem: Article: A good way to prevent future infestations is to make sure that you do not have an accumulation of water near your home's foundations as this a prime habitat for subterranean termites. You can divert water with effective guttering, and by using devices such as downspouts and splash blocks. This also applies for any mulch or wet garden materials which could be attractive to termites. Certain structural deficiencies can play a major part in heightening the chances of you suffering an infestation. Remedying these can be an effective long-term action which limits the probabilities of subterranean termites appearing. As the termites tend to enter where wood touches soil, you should have a clearance of at least twelve inches between wood at the base of your house and the soil. This also applies for porches or decking areas, where you should not have the wood directly on the soil. A warm and humid environment in the dark areas of your house, such as crawl spaces, attics, and basements can be very inviting for termites. For subterranean termites, your basement or cellar will be a particularly popular area. You can make these areas less hospitable for termites by ensuring they are well ventilated to avoid those warm and humid conditions.
Summary: Avoid water accumulation near foundations. Identify and fix structural problems in your home. Ventilate the hidden spaces in your home.

Problem: Article: Key to earning as much money as possible during your Uber shift is limiting the times during which you aren't in your car. Rather than looking for parking and spending valuable time (and money) finding somewhere to buy food during lunchtime, consider packing a lunch or other meal that you can eat comfortably from your car while pulled over. Your bodily needs are unavoidable during a long day of work, but you can limit the time and gas you spend looking for places to use the restroom by searching your map for public restrooms in the area where you're working. If a passenger requests a destination that is in a suburb or less densely populated area, it's important not to stay there after the trip is complete. You'll find much higher demand for Uber in busy urban areas, so always make an effort to search for new passengers here rather than in less socially active places (especially ones where people are more likely to drive their own cars). Uber will often text drivers with advice on where to head to find lots of passengers. However, this causes lots of drivers to head to "high-demand" areas, reducing the likelihood of surge pricing and of all drivers even managing to find passengers. By merely avoiding the areas that Uber texts about, you increase your likelihood of finding passengers. Uber turns on surge pricing according to the number of Uber drivers operating in an area, which is determined by the number of drivers logged into the app at a given time. You can increase the likelihood (and rate) of surge pricing by logging out of the driver app just before typical surge price hours - for example, just before 1am on a Friday night or just before rush hour on a weekday - and then logging back in a few minutes later, after passengers have started requesting rides en masse. This increases both the likelihood that a surge will occur and the surge rate that passengers experience when requesting rides. While the driver app does not allow you to see other Uber cars in the area, the Uber passenger app does. If you find yourself without any passenger requests for an extended time, download and open the passenger app. You may find that the map shows you many other Uber cars in your immediate vicinity. When this happens, drive away from the other cars on the map (it may take less than even a mile) and you will increase the demand for your car's service. This trick involves a tradeoff between supply and demand of Uber cars. Ideally, you should drive as far away from other Ubers as possible without leaving a well-populated area, where the demand for Uber is likely to be high. The average Uber trip in the United States is 6.4 miles. By driving much longer than this to pick up a passenger, you greatly undermine the trip's value to you as a driver.
Summary: Stock up on food and water. Make a note of public restrooms. Head to central areas during downtime. Ignore Uber's texts. Increase surge fares. Use the passenger app. Don't drive over 10 miles to pick up a passenger.

Problem: Article: Whoever you're engaged in discussion with, getting your point across will involve different tactics and techniques, depending on the situation. Evaluate who your audience is and what their expectations of you are before deciding what tactic will work the best. If you're trying to prove a point to an authority figure, like a parent, your boss, or some other figure who has power over you, you'll want to be sure to highlight how your point will make the situation better for everyone. How will the family, company, or group benefit from your proposed point? If you're trying to prove a point to a child or a subordinate employee, it's important to explain the details and reasoning of your point without being condescending. Even if you're "teaching a lesson," don't talk down to the other person and your point will get across much better. No "because I said so" reasons. If you're trying to prove a point to a partner, spouse, or even a very close friend, someone on equal footing, it's important to maintain an even keel and speak clearly. Don't mince words. If you're talking to someone who knows you intimately, avoid the more public rhetoric you might use to talk to your boss. It's important to focus your points on solving a problem, not "winning an argument." If your goal is to get a point across, make sure that it's something that needs to be heard for the benefit of the person hearing it, or the benefit of the group, not just because you want to make it. It's a lot easier to make points that are necessary and productive. Your point should help the other person, not bring them down. To figure out whether or not your points are productive points, imagine that someone else were going to give you the same piece of feedback or advice, or bring up the same idea. How would it feel? Would it give you something concrete to do or change? It would be one thing for a boss to say, "Our overhead's too high, so you're all going to have your hours cut. Sorry." Point made, but unproductive. Instead, try out something like this: "We're really struggling with overhead costs. To be able to keep you all on board and working as a team doing the great work you do, we're going to need to cut some of your hours slightly." The most important part of getting a point across is in figuring out what exactly your point is and why it's a valid point to bring up. Provable points are points that have good reasoning behind them. Even if it's an unpleasant truth, something the listener may not want to hear, you can be sure that it's a truth that needs to be heard. Obviously it's important for your child to work hard in school. But why? It's easier to get your child to study harder if it's focused on how your child will be happier with better grades and enjoy school better, as opposed to "because I say so" or "because your friend Jimmy studies hard." Tell the truth, as straight and as simple as possible. Tell your child that studying is an important part of growing up and learning to take care of yourself. You won't always be there to help them, and it's important for kids to learn as much as they can to grow up right. If you want a rock-solid point, anticipate all the possible holes in your argument and your point that the other person might make. Before you make your point, beat the other person to the punch by bringing up their rebuttal and debunking it before they get the chance. If you tell your child to study harder to grow up into a well-rounded adult, you might be likely to hear, "But I don't want to be a well-rounded adult, I want to play video games." It's understandable that lots of parents resort to the "because I said so" at this point, but use it as a teaching opportunity. State the anticipated argument out loud: "I know right now you just want to play video games all day. I did too when I was 7. But that'll change as you get older, and you'll need more skills."
Summary:
Evaluate the situation. Make your points productive. Come up with some valid reasoning. Anticipate counter-arguments.