Nov 27, 2009

Good Advice


Amazon PayPhrase

Amazon's latest payment technology, PayPhrase, lets customers buy from Amazon and affiliated merchants by using two or more words and a four-digit password. The technology, which was announced last Thursday, accesses information stored in the customer's Amazon account to pay for purchases and to identify the shipping address. Like PayPal, PayPhrase is designed to work on Amazon's own site and on third-party sites that use the payment technology.

Amazon wants PayPhrase to compete directly with eBay's PayPal and Google Checkout.

Analysts worry that the combination of a memorable phrase and a simple four-digit PIN may not be secure enough for financial transactions, even if Amazon promises to freeze an account when the wrong information is entered too many times. More ways to spend money in the airways

Quotable

Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals.

Look Close



Everything is not always as it appears.

Nanotechnology

The term 'nano-technology' was first coined in a paper by Norio Taniguchi at the University of Tokyo, in 1974 and the term 'nanotechnology' by K. Eric Drexler in 1986.

Albert V. Crewe, the University of Chicago physicist who developed the high-resolution electron microscope that captured the first image of an individual atom picture in 1970, passed away last week. The significance of his finding is that the diameter of an atom ranges from about 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers

The term nanometer, abbreviated nm, is derived from the Greek word for midget and  nano is a metric prefix and indicates a billionth part. A nanometer is about the width of six bonded carbon atoms, and approximately 40,000 are needed to equal the width of an average human hair. Looking at it another way, 1 inch = 25,400,000 nanometers.

DNA width is 2 nm and common bacteria range from 1,000 to 10,000 nm. A nanometer is the length a man's beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face.

Quotable

It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.

Egg Fun Facts

The word egg tracks it name back to a prehistoric Indo-European source related to words for bird. The Old English term was oeg, which survived in Middle English as ey, but in the fourteenth century the related egg was borrowed from Old Norse. For a time the two forms competed with each other until the late sixteenth century, when egg won.

Eggs are a good source of protein, vitamin D, vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.


Current studies show most of the cholesterol formed in the human body results from saturated and trans-fats, and not the cholesterol in the egg. Eggs have no trans-fat and only 8% of the daily value for saturated fat.

The color of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients, flavor, or cooking characteristics. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Brown egg layers usually are slightly larger and require more food, so brown eggs usually cost more than white eggs.

China produces the most eggs, at about 160 billion per year. In the US, about 65 billion eggs per year.

A hen can lay about 250 eggs per year.

There are 150 species of chicken. A rooster is a male, a hen is a female, and they are both chickens.


When a hen lays an egg it will only hatch into a chick if a rooster has fertilized the egg by mating with the hen. The hen and the rooster must mate before the egg is laid in order for the egg to be fertilized. Hens will lay eggs even if a rooster is not present. If you crack a raw egg and there is a red dot inside the egg, that means the egg was fertilized.

A fried egg is golf slang for a ball half-buried in a sand bunker.

Adam and Eve on a raft, and wreck ‘em is diner speak for
scrambled eggs on toast.

Eggs Benedict origins can be traced to many sources, but two are most popular.
The most popular legend of the dish's origin says that it originated at Manhattan's famous Delmonico's Restaurant when regular patrons, Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, complained that there was nothing new on the lunch menu. Delmonico's maitre d' and Mrs. Benedict began discussing possibilities and eggs Benedict was the result. The second
The dish was inspired by Harry Benedict, a customer at the Waldorf Astoria in New York who wanted a meal to help him overcome a hangover.

Eggs Pope Benedict substitutes German pumpernickel bread for the muffin and German bratwurst sausage for the ham. It was created when Benedict the XVI became Pope in 2005.

Omelet come from the French, and Deviled comes from the Ancient Romans.

Souffles do not fall if there is a loud noise. The folklore is not supported by science. The rise and and fall of every souffle is a direct result of temperature. Heat expands the air in the egg whites and coolness deflates it.

Eggs usually can last six to 8 weeks if refrigerated. To find out if eggs are bad, you can always use the "float" test. If they float in salt water, they are bad, or crack one open and the smell will tell.

Nov 19, 2009

Quotable

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

Bacon Salt

You probably know that I enjoy a good piece of bacon every now and then, and this new product grabbed my attention.


The ad says it is zero calorie, zero fat, vegetarian and kosher seasoning that makes everything taste like bacon. There are even more flavors than shown, including Applewood, Jalapeno, Mesquite, Cheddar and Maple. Alas, I read the ingredient list and there is nothing close to bacon in the list. They also have bacon flavored sunflower seeds and bacon flavored lip balm for those dry winter days. Nice try guys, but I want real bacon.
The web site is http://www.baconsalt.com

Quotable

Familiarity breeds attempt.

USB Drive

A new USB 3.0 drive was announced last week by Super Talent Technology and it should be available next month. It can support data transfer rates up to 5Gbit/sec or 10 times faster than current USB 2.0 products. It fits into the current 2.0 ports, but would be limited to those slower speeds. The price wasn't announced yet, but I would think the largest size would be many hundreds of dollars and the smallest about two hundred bucks.


It comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities and is 3.7 inches by 1.4 inches by half inch thick. The drive can deliver data transfer speeds up to 200MB/sec in USB 3.0 ports. To compare size, it can likely hold about 35,000 songs or about 500 half hour TV shows.  I love new technology.

Quotable

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Eight Teeth Facts - some might surprise you

     1. All Teeth Whiteners Are The Same: No, they are not. The choices between teeth whitening systems include toothpastes, gels, rinses, strips, trays, prescribed whitening agents, and even laser treatments. Each has its own pro’s and con’s other than price and speed of results.

   2. Not Brushing Causes Bad Breath: Partially true, there are also many other factors for bad breath. Eating unpleasant smelling foods like garlic or onions, the odor remains until the body passes the food. Drinkers, smokers, and dieters can also have chronic bad breath.

   3. Breath Into Your Hand To See If You Have Bad Breath: Not true. This practice will only tell you if your hand smells or not. Because different muscles are used to breath and talk, the hand test isn’t exactly accurate.

   4. ADA Approved Gum Can Be Substituted for Brushing: Not true, but it can help. Chewing it in between brushing may help for conditions such as reducing plaque, promoting tooth enamel, reducing cavities, or combating gingivitis.

   5. Put Aspirin On An Aching Tooth: Not true. Placing it next to the tooth and gums can actually burn the gum tissue. Swallowing aspirin for pain is OK. Rinsing your mouth with warm water or an over the counter antiseptic containing benzocaine is also effective.

  6. Pregnant Women Should not Go To The Dentist: Not true. New studies show that gum disease can affect the unborn baby. Women who are pregnant or considering it should definitely see a dentist. Pregnant women can safely see the dentist and even have local anesthetics at 13 to 21 weeks gestation. Caution is advised for X-rays and some drugs.

   7. It is OK To Swallow Mouthwash: Not really. About 90 percent of mouthwashes contain high levels of an alcohol, which is not meant to be swallowed. It is also more dangerous for children and should not be given to those under twelve. The long terms affects of swallowing mouthwash can be dangerous.

   8. Mostly The Elderly Get Gum Disease: Not true. About 80 percent of Americans can have some form of gum disease. It can range from inflammation, to periodontitis that can result in damage to the bone. Most cases of gum disease can be reversed with brushing and flossing.

Nov 17, 2009

Mini Printer

It is the size of a computer mouse. PrintBrush is the smallest printer in the world. It is Powered by rechargeable batteries and wirelessly connected via Bluetooth. It can be used on any surface and prints full 8 1/2 by 11 pages at 600 dpi. It also features an optical sensor that helps to ensure a high image quality. Cool stuff should be available the beginning of next year for $199.