CNN: Don't shower during a thunderstorm. Here's why
Trees begin to sway, the sky darkens and suddenly you hear it – the distant sound of thunder. That’s your cue that potential danger is on the way. In fact, it’slikely within 10 miles of you, according to the National Weather Service.
Don’t ignore that sound, because where there is thunder there is lightning, and lightning can kill or maim in ways you wouldleast expect it. That includes when you are in the shower, tub or even washing dishes.
Since lightning can travel through plumbing, “it is best to avoid all water during a thunderstorm. Do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or wash your hands,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.
“The risk of lightning traveling through plumbing might be less with plastic pipes than with metal pipes. However, it is best to avoid any contact with plumbing and running water during a lightning storm to reduce your risk of being struck,” the CDC added.
That’s not the only danger when you’re inside. Stay off porches and balconies, don’t go near windows and doors, and do “NOT lie down on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls,” the agency said.
Also, do “NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet, such as computers or other electronic equipment,” the CDC said.“Stay off corded phones. Cell phones and cordless phones are safe … if they are not connected to an outlet through a charger.”
A thunderclap happens when lightning strikes, heating the air around the bolt to as high “as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun,” the National Weather Service said. “Immediately after the flash, the air cools and contracts quickly. This rapid expansion and contraction (create) the sound wave that we hear as thunder.”
Lightning can kill in many ways. A direct strike is most often fatal, the CDCsaid, but injuries such as blunt trauma, skin lesions and burns as well as brain, muscle and eye injuries can occur from touching a car or metal object struck by lightning. The current can also travel through the ground, bounce off a person or object, or even stream up from objects near the ground.
You can calculate the distance between you and the lightning, but do it from a safe place so you won’t be struck, theweather service advised.
“Count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5,” with five seconds equaling 1 mile, 15 seconds equaling 3 miles, and zero seconds very close, the service said.
Most deaths and injuries occur when people are outside, especially during summer months in the afternoon and evening, according to the CDC. About 180 people per year are injured by lightning, and 10% of people struck by lightning die each year. Those who work outside, especially in the Southeast, are at highest risk. Florida and Texas have the largest number of lightning-related deaths, the CDC added.
If you are caught outside, do “NOT lie on the ground. Lightning causes electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly more than 100 feet away. Get inside a safe location; no place outside is safe,” the CDC said.
“Avoid anything that will increase your risk of being struck by lightning, such as being near or under tall trees. If there are no safe shelters in sight, crouch down in a ball-like position: put your feet together, squat low, tuck your head, and cover your ears. But remember, this is a last resort. Seek safe shelter first.”
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5 Digital signage layout templates and how to create them with Pickcel
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By : Namrata Chakraborty
Last Updated: October 07, 2022
5 min read
Table Of Contents
What are digital signage layouts?
How to make a digital signage layout?
5 Inspiring Digital Signage Layouts (Usable Templates)
Digital Signage Layout Template 1: Digital Information Board
Digital Signage Layout Template 2: Dynamic Infotainment
Digital Signage Layout: Template 3 - Digital Product Catalog
Digital Signage Layout Template 4: Multi-format World Clock
Digital Signage Layout Template 5: Digital Menu Board
How to create digital signage layouts with Pickcel?
What are digital signage layouts?
One of the biggestadvantages of digital displays over traditional signageis that the former can play multimedia content to grab more attention.
Most modern-day digital signage software support simultaneous playback of different media types like images, videos, dynamic texts, or live content. In order to arrange these media within the screen space, first, a screen layout needs to be created.
With digital signage platforms like Pickcel, creating screen layouts has become easy. Firstly, because you get a collection of pre-baked sample layouts that are in standard 16:9 (horizontal) or 9:16 (vertical) aspect ratio.
How to make a digital signage layout?
Before creating a digital signage layout, it is important to be aware of the following:
Screen orientation (landscape or portrait)
Screen resolution & aspect ratio (most commercial large format screens are either 16:9 or 9:16. Some screens also have 4:3 aspect ratios)
Display size (is it a small screen like a tablet or a big screen like a digital billboard)
To create a digital signage layout, first decide how many media will be played out on the screen at a given time. Accordingly, partition your screen space into one or more zones. Each of thesezonescan then be assigned to play one or more media files to build a visual composition.
Design & publish multimedia content on screen, with Pickcel.
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5 Inspiring Digital Signage Layouts (Usable Templates)
The Pickcel digital signage CMS allows users to upload creative media to the online dashboard, store these media, and create compositions. Designers can choose from our predefined templates or create their own layouts from scratch.
Digital Signage Layout Template 1: Digital Information Board
Customize Template
This two-zoned digital signage layout template uses two free content apps from the Pickcel app store. TheBulletin Board appallows you to show multiple bulletins with images in Zone 1, and theWeather appbrings in live weather updates of a given location in Zone 2.
Template suitable for: School & college classrooms, hospitals & clinics, office corridors
Digital Signage Layout Template 2: Dynamic Infotainment
Customize Template
This composition plays a YouTube video, real time weather updates, and live news from thePickcel BBC appsimultaneously. You can customize the template to add any YT video link, show the BBC news feeds in other languages. You can also add more free apps from thein-built Pickcel app store.
Template suitable for: Showing product demos, ads & promos in retail stores; playing pre-recorded fitness training routines in gyms.
Digital Signage Layout: Template 3 - Digital Product Catalog
Customize Template
This 3-zoned window-styled product catalog layout is ideal for showcasing your brand’s top collections and new arrivals. On a solid pastel backdrop (Zone 1), the two frames (Zone 2 & 3) present a range of product images.
You can customize this template to add as many frames and as many images in each frame.
Template suitable for: Retail stores, cafes, media & publishing houses, or any business that needs to highlight featured products & services.
Digital Signage Layout Template 4: Multi-format World Clock
Customize Template
This remarkable array of analog clocks shows the accurate time of six different time zones with a high-contrast background and clear messaging. The live clocks are configured using the PickcelWorld Clock app.
Template suitable for: Multinational corporate offices, hotel lobbies, business conference rooms, and international airports
Digital Signage Layout Template 5: Digital Menu Board
Customize Template
This 4-zoned layout template comprises a solid background (Zone 1), a digital menu playlist created with the PickcelMenu Board app(Zone 2), a sample brand logo (Zone 3), and an image playlist (Zone 4).
You can edit the template and change the media in all four zones to give it a whole new look!
Template suitable for: Restaurants, bars, QSRs, office & school canteens, bistros
How to create digital signage layouts with Pickcel?
Pickcel is an end-to-end tool to create content for digital signage and publish it on screen. With 60+ free content apps, you can arrange your media in any layout for any screen (portrait/landscape).
The Pickcel application houses a range of professional templates that you can use for your design inspiration.
Follow these simple steps to create advanced digital signage layouts and compositions:
Step 1: Start a free 14-day trial with Pickcel and login to access your dashboard
Step 2: Go to the Composition module on your dashboard & click on Create Composition to access the layout gallery or create a custom layout from scratch.To use the Pickcel ready-to-use composition templates (the ones above and more), click on the Templates button. Lean more.
Step 3: Creating zones to design layouts
Once you get to the layout gallery page, click on Create new layout
Click the Add zone button
Drag & adjust the zone within the screen
Keep adding as many zones as you need (you can also lay over one zone above the other)
Step 4: Name your layout & click on Create Template. Your custom digital signage layout will now appear in the layout gallery.
Step 5: Select your newly-created digital signage layout and start adding files from your saved media to each zone to design your composition.
Step 6: Name your composition, preview and save it.
Step 7: Publish your composition to the desired screen or group of screens.
Originally Published as on 5 Digital signage layout templates and how to create them with Pickcel Digital Signage Blog
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