"OK, Class scroll down to page 153."
Apr 23, 2010
Flying Penguins
I forgot to add this one to my April 1 posting. 90 second video hosted by Terry Jones, from Monty Python fame. LINK
Recycling Mattresses
With increasing concern over our throw-away culture, many have asked what happens to those old mattresses and if there is any way to keep them from being in a landfill or incinerated with toxic consequences.
A mattress is one of the most difficult products to recycle due to its complex multi-material structure. One company is Massachusetts developed a minute-and-a-half process, which involves feeding a mattress through a large-scale shredder to break it apart and allow it to be magnetically separated into its individual parts, (foam, cotton, wood, and steel) for resale as raw materials.
A typical mattress is a 23 cubic foot assembly of steel, wood, cotton and polyurethane foam. They have typically been difficult to recycle, and most municipal recycling facilities won't offer to do it for you.
St. Vincent de Paul Society has spearheaded one of the nation's most successful mattress recycling initiatives via its DR3 ("Divert, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle") program.
A mattress is one of the most difficult products to recycle due to its complex multi-material structure. One company is Massachusetts developed a minute-and-a-half process, which involves feeding a mattress through a large-scale shredder to break it apart and allow it to be magnetically separated into its individual parts, (foam, cotton, wood, and steel) for resale as raw materials.
A typical mattress is a 23 cubic foot assembly of steel, wood, cotton and polyurethane foam. They have typically been difficult to recycle, and most municipal recycling facilities won't offer to do it for you.
St. Vincent de Paul Society has spearheaded one of the nation's most successful mattress recycling initiatives via its DR3 ("Divert, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle") program.
Food From the Seventies
1970: Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn, Hamburger Helper, Morton's salt substitute
1971: Starbucks founded, McCormick's "Roast in a Bag Kit"
1972: Celestial Seasonings Herbal Teas, Snapple, Quaker Oates granola
1973: Egg McMuffins, Cup O'Noodles, Stove Top Stuffing, Promise (margarine), Brim (caffeine-free instant coffee)
1974: Yoplait yogurt, Miller Lite, Mrs. Field's Cookies, Mr. Coffee
1975: Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, Country Time lemonade
1976: Pop Rocks, Burger King launches its "Have it Your Way", Starburst Fruit Chews, Oodles of Noodles, Puritan Oil, Perrier Water introduced to U.S. markets
1977: Twix Cookie Bars, Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast, recyclable soda bottles, plastic grocery bags
1978: McCormick's Lite Gravy, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream, Reggie Bar (candy), Reese's Pieces, Arby's Beef'n'Cheddar Sandwich
1971: Starbucks founded, McCormick's "Roast in a Bag Kit"
1972: Celestial Seasonings Herbal Teas, Snapple, Quaker Oates granola
1973: Egg McMuffins, Cup O'Noodles, Stove Top Stuffing, Promise (margarine), Brim (caffeine-free instant coffee)
1974: Yoplait yogurt, Miller Lite, Mrs. Field's Cookies, Mr. Coffee
1975: Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, Country Time lemonade
1976: Pop Rocks, Burger King launches its "Have it Your Way", Starburst Fruit Chews, Oodles of Noodles, Puritan Oil, Perrier Water introduced to U.S. markets
1977: Twix Cookie Bars, Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast, recyclable soda bottles, plastic grocery bags
1978: McCormick's Lite Gravy, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream, Reggie Bar (candy), Reese's Pieces, Arby's Beef'n'Cheddar Sandwich
Apr 20, 2010
Wrap up the Leftovers
Saran wrap (polyvinylidene chloride) In 1933, Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical lab worker, accidentally discovered polyvinylidene chloride or Saran.
Bacon Suckers
Lolliphile packs plenty of pucker into their lollipops. They make absinthe, white Russian, and wasabi-ginger to name a few. In addition, they offer a bacon lollipop with a kick of caffeine.
According to Lolliphile, “We invented the Maple Bacon Lollipop, and now we’ve improved it: we’ve made it the bacon-y equivalent of an energy drink, adding two cups worth of caffeine to the already time-tested wonder of organic, sustainably farmed bacon and delicious Vermont maple syrup.” A pack of 5 costs less than $4. Yumm!
According to Lolliphile, “We invented the Maple Bacon Lollipop, and now we’ve improved it: we’ve made it the bacon-y equivalent of an energy drink, adding two cups worth of caffeine to the already time-tested wonder of organic, sustainably farmed bacon and delicious Vermont maple syrup.” A pack of 5 costs less than $4. Yumm!
Gigabytes, Terabytes, and Petabytes
One gigabyte of storage cost $228 in 1998 and costs about 88 cents today. A gigabyte holds about 7 minutes of a HD TV movie.
A terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes. The first terabyte hard drive came out in 2007. In May 2009, Yahoo! Groups had 40 terabytes of data to index.
There is an even larger scale these days, petabytes. One petabyte is 1,024 terabytes. A petabyte holds 13.3 years of HD TV movies. To provide more perspective, Google processes an average of about 20 petabytes of data per day. Finally, 50 petabytes is equal to the entire written history of mankind from the beginning of recorded history. What's next? An exabyte is 1024 petabytes.
A terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes. The first terabyte hard drive came out in 2007. In May 2009, Yahoo! Groups had 40 terabytes of data to index.
There is an even larger scale these days, petabytes. One petabyte is 1,024 terabytes. A petabyte holds 13.3 years of HD TV movies. To provide more perspective, Google processes an average of about 20 petabytes of data per day. Finally, 50 petabytes is equal to the entire written history of mankind from the beginning of recorded history. What's next? An exabyte is 1024 petabytes.
Apr 19, 2010
Life is a Joy
“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy, I woke and I saw that life is all service.
I served and I saw that service is joy.”
Mother Theresa
I served and I saw that service is joy.”
Mother Theresa
Apr 16, 2010
Diet Water
If you are thinking about slimming down for summer, you might want to try some of this.
If not, read the next item about chocolate.
If not, read the next item about chocolate.
Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure
Research that shows just one small square of chocolate a day can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. The study is published online in the European Heart Journal.
Researchers in Germany followed 19,357 people, aged between 35 and 65, for at least ten years and found that those who ate an average of 7.5 grams (about .25oz) a day, had lower blood pressure and a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who ate the least amount of chocolate, an average of 1.7 grams a day. The difference between the two groups amounts to six grams of chocolate: the equivalent of less than one small square of a 3.5 ounce bar.
The people in the study were participants in the Potsdam arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC). They received medical checks, including blood pressure, height and weight measurements at the start of the study between 1994-1998, and they also answered questions about their diet, lifestyle and health. The researchers asked a sub-set of 1,568 participants to recall their chocolate intake over a 24-hour period and to indicate which type of chocolate they ate. In this sub-set, 57% ate milk chocolate, 24% dark chocolate and 2% white chocolate.
In follow-up questionnaires, sent out every two or three years until December 2006, the study participants were asked whether they had had a heart attack or stroke, information which was subsequently verified by medical records from general physicians or hospitals. Death certificates from those who had died were also used to identify heart attacks and strokes.
People in the top quartile had a 27% reduced risk of heart attacks and nearly half the risk (48%) of strokes, compared with those in the lowest quartile.
The researchers believe that flavanols in cocoa may be the reason why chocolate seems to be good for people's blood pressure and heart health; and since there is more cocoa in dark chocolate, dark chocolate may have a greater effect. In fact, dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70%, reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular and platelet function. We may have a new cliche - a truffle a day keeps the blood pressure at bay.
Researchers in Germany followed 19,357 people, aged between 35 and 65, for at least ten years and found that those who ate an average of 7.5 grams (about .25oz) a day, had lower blood pressure and a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who ate the least amount of chocolate, an average of 1.7 grams a day. The difference between the two groups amounts to six grams of chocolate: the equivalent of less than one small square of a 3.5 ounce bar.
The people in the study were participants in the Potsdam arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC). They received medical checks, including blood pressure, height and weight measurements at the start of the study between 1994-1998, and they also answered questions about their diet, lifestyle and health. The researchers asked a sub-set of 1,568 participants to recall their chocolate intake over a 24-hour period and to indicate which type of chocolate they ate. In this sub-set, 57% ate milk chocolate, 24% dark chocolate and 2% white chocolate.
In follow-up questionnaires, sent out every two or three years until December 2006, the study participants were asked whether they had had a heart attack or stroke, information which was subsequently verified by medical records from general physicians or hospitals. Death certificates from those who had died were also used to identify heart attacks and strokes.
People in the top quartile had a 27% reduced risk of heart attacks and nearly half the risk (48%) of strokes, compared with those in the lowest quartile.
The researchers believe that flavanols in cocoa may be the reason why chocolate seems to be good for people's blood pressure and heart health; and since there is more cocoa in dark chocolate, dark chocolate may have a greater effect. In fact, dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70%, reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular and platelet function. We may have a new cliche - a truffle a day keeps the blood pressure at bay.
Internet TV
An Android operating system television will be shipping during the third quarter this year. The new TV, named Scandinavia will be 42-inch, with 1080p native resolution and internet connectivity. It includes Android widgets and provides access to YouTube, Google Maps, the weather, an internet browser, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
A USB socket will also be included. Cost will likely be between $2,500 and $3,500. Finally we get the best (or worst) of both TV and the Internet.
A USB socket will also be included. Cost will likely be between $2,500 and $3,500. Finally we get the best (or worst) of both TV and the Internet.
Google Ads
Google has a web site http://google.com/ads/preferences that allows you to opt in or opt out of having specific ads shown as you wander around the web. To see ads that are more related to your interests, you can edit the interest categories, which are based on sites you have recently visited.
Your interests are associated with an advertising cookie that's stored in your browser.
Your interests are associated with an advertising cookie that's stored in your browser.
Internet Cookies
Unlike the tasty morsels of real cookies, internet cookies are dropped in your computer from almost every site that you visit.
Sometimes there are good cookies, like those that let you log in to sites without always typing your password, but usually the cookies track where you have been so the web owner knows you have been there before. Anyone with a bit of coding knowledge can look at all your cookies and track where you have gone on the web.
I find cookies to be an invasion of my privacy, and luckily there is a way to get rid of those pesky space hogs on my disk. If you use Internet Explorer, go to the top line and click on 'Tools' then click on 'Internet Options', then click on 'Browsing History'. You are then shown options to delete temporary files, history, cookies, etc. Click on the boxes next to those items you wish to delete and click 'delete'. You may be surprised that it will take a few minutes if you have never deleted the files before. If you use Firefox, go to 'Tools', 'Options', 'Privacy' to do the same thing.
Both Internet Explorer and Firefox, also have a check box option to 'Delete browsing history on exit' and it will clean out your cookies and history each time you exit the program. This does not clean up all the temporary files, but it does help preserve your privacy. It's like cleaning your computer and protecting your privacy at the same time.
Sometimes there are good cookies, like those that let you log in to sites without always typing your password, but usually the cookies track where you have been so the web owner knows you have been there before. Anyone with a bit of coding knowledge can look at all your cookies and track where you have gone on the web.
I find cookies to be an invasion of my privacy, and luckily there is a way to get rid of those pesky space hogs on my disk. If you use Internet Explorer, go to the top line and click on 'Tools' then click on 'Internet Options', then click on 'Browsing History'. You are then shown options to delete temporary files, history, cookies, etc. Click on the boxes next to those items you wish to delete and click 'delete'. You may be surprised that it will take a few minutes if you have never deleted the files before. If you use Firefox, go to 'Tools', 'Options', 'Privacy' to do the same thing.
Both Internet Explorer and Firefox, also have a check box option to 'Delete browsing history on exit' and it will clean out your cookies and history each time you exit the program. This does not clean up all the temporary files, but it does help preserve your privacy. It's like cleaning your computer and protecting your privacy at the same time.
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