Halitosis is a word used in mouthwash commercials to describe
a medical condition characterized by very bad breath. Contrary
to the popular belief that Listerine coined the term halitosis,
its origins date to before the product's existence.
Company owner Jordan
Wheat Lambert decided to market Listerine as a cure for bad
breath. To convince the public they needed Listerine, he needed
something ominous sounding and came across the word halitosis.
The company then ran a series of ads claiming that halitosis was
a chronic problem plaguing America for which only it had the
cure. In seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000
to more than $8 million.
This was about the
same time King Gillette convinced women to shave their
underarms and legs. Both men are still regarded as marketing
geniuses.
May 11, 2018
May 4, 2018
Happy Friday
The beauty of a smile
cannot be judged.
However, the verdict is in. Today is a Happy Friday!
However, the verdict is in. Today is a Happy Friday!
Next Generation TV and 5G
Next Gen TV is an internet based
system, which means it can carry internet content along with
traditional over-the-air broadcast signal. It provides new
services like video on demand, mobile viewing, 4K Ultra Hi-Def,
enhanced emergency alerts, a high frame rate, more colorful
picture, and immersive audio – all delivered free with an
over-the-air antenna. It is based on the ATSC 3.0 standard.
Although current over-the-air TV antennas are able to receive
the new signals, there are no TVs, no converter boxes, and no
DVRs on the market in North America today that support ATSC
3.0's Next Gen TV.
Next Gen TV is totally separate from 5G. Basically Next Gen TV is for free over-the-air TV and 5G is for communications. 5G will provide wireless to the house and is likely to offer the strongest competition to the world’s free, over-the-air broadcast model. Planned 5G services may offer multiple content streams, 4K, support for new video standards, mobile reception, and on multiple devices. Vendors, carriers, and broadcasters trying to be first to market are feverishly spending billions to set up new signal boxes, antennas, and repeaters for both technologies. (editorial - Cord cutters, millennial lifestyles, and people opting out due to poor service and high prices have forced vendors to find new ways to drill into our wallets.)
Next Gen TV was specifically designed to support mobile uses like rear-seat entertainment and navigation systems in vehicles, in addition to phones and other portable devices. We will be able to watch broadcast TV in a moving car with a better signal than we receive in our living room today.
Here are main points of the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen transition:
Bad news is that all of the Next Gen and 5G technology deployment will cost consumers a bundle for new phones, TVs, PCs, routers, and tuners. In addition, we should be prepared to see rates go up as early as this year,because the purveyors seek to recoup their investment as soon as possible. Next gen TV will not require an internet connection, but some features will not work without one.
Good news is that there is not a hard turn off deadline for ATSC 1.0 (for TVs) or 4G LTE (for phones and other devices). There is no specific date when all of a sudden there will no longer be 1.0 or 4G and everyone will be broadcasting in 3.0 or delivering 5G as there was with the conversion from analog to digital TV. No need to put off purchases now for either, as both will be a few years from full deployment. As with all new technology, prices will fall hard and fast as widespread adoption takes place.
Next Gen TV is totally separate from 5G. Basically Next Gen TV is for free over-the-air TV and 5G is for communications. 5G will provide wireless to the house and is likely to offer the strongest competition to the world’s free, over-the-air broadcast model. Planned 5G services may offer multiple content streams, 4K, support for new video standards, mobile reception, and on multiple devices. Vendors, carriers, and broadcasters trying to be first to market are feverishly spending billions to set up new signal boxes, antennas, and repeaters for both technologies. (editorial - Cord cutters, millennial lifestyles, and people opting out due to poor service and high prices have forced vendors to find new ways to drill into our wallets.)
Next Gen TV was specifically designed to support mobile uses like rear-seat entertainment and navigation systems in vehicles, in addition to phones and other portable devices. We will be able to watch broadcast TV in a moving car with a better signal than we receive in our living room today.
Here are main points of the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen transition:
- 4K Ultra HD Video
- High dynamic range
(HDR) color management
- 1+4 surround sound and immersive audio
- More multi-casting - over 100 sub-channels per main channel, which means potentially hundreds of over-the-air channels per market
- More reliable and
robust transmissions less prone to interference
- Indoor reception will be much easier with an antenna
- Will allow two way communications with the broadcaster to choose viewing angle on sports, etc.
- Will allow targeted advertising to particular demographics
- More detailed show
info, actor bios, etc.
- Immersive and Virtual Reality experience.
Bad news is that all of the Next Gen and 5G technology deployment will cost consumers a bundle for new phones, TVs, PCs, routers, and tuners. In addition, we should be prepared to see rates go up as early as this year,because the purveyors seek to recoup their investment as soon as possible. Next gen TV will not require an internet connection, but some features will not work without one.
Good news is that there is not a hard turn off deadline for ATSC 1.0 (for TVs) or 4G LTE (for phones and other devices). There is no specific date when all of a sudden there will no longer be 1.0 or 4G and everyone will be broadcasting in 3.0 or delivering 5G as there was with the conversion from analog to digital TV. No need to put off purchases now for either, as both will be a few years from full deployment. As with all new technology, prices will fall hard and fast as widespread adoption takes place.
William Tell Overture
Continuing with the entertainment theme, here
is Glen Campbell on YouTube playing the Lone Ranger Theme. Wow.
LINK
Wordology, Electrolytes
After
downing a generic Gatorade drink with my friend Jeff, he asked
if I ever thought about electrolytes. Of course we all know
electrolytes for batteries are a compound which produces ions
when dissolved in a solution such as water. They can be
divided into acids, bases, and salts.
However, I had not thought much about what an electrolyte means when it comes to our body, so it sent me on a search. Interesting that it has the same definition. It is basically a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water. We most often see the term in conjunction with sports drinks. The main reason is that bodily potassium and sodium electrolytes are lost in sweat during exercise. There are other causes for electrolyte imbalances, including vomiting, diarrhea, poor diet, dehydration, congestive heart failure, cancer treatment, and some drugs.
Electrolytes are essential for a number of bodily functions and are regulated in the body by our kidneys, along with hormones. Many automatic processes in the body rely on a small electric current to function, and electrolytes provide this charge. They regulate nerve and muscle function, hydrate the body, balance blood acidity and pressure, and help rebuild damaged tissue. In addition, heart, muscle, and nerve cells use electrolytes to carry electrical impulses to other cells.
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of electrolytes. Common electrolytes include bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium.
Incidentally, unless you are a professional athlete or running marathons, you are probably getting a sufficient amount of electrolytes from your regular diet. Consuming sports drinks adds calories and increases levels of electrolytes you do not need.
However, I had not thought much about what an electrolyte means when it comes to our body, so it sent me on a search. Interesting that it has the same definition. It is basically a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water. We most often see the term in conjunction with sports drinks. The main reason is that bodily potassium and sodium electrolytes are lost in sweat during exercise. There are other causes for electrolyte imbalances, including vomiting, diarrhea, poor diet, dehydration, congestive heart failure, cancer treatment, and some drugs.
Electrolytes are essential for a number of bodily functions and are regulated in the body by our kidneys, along with hormones. Many automatic processes in the body rely on a small electric current to function, and electrolytes provide this charge. They regulate nerve and muscle function, hydrate the body, balance blood acidity and pressure, and help rebuild damaged tissue. In addition, heart, muscle, and nerve cells use electrolytes to carry electrical impulses to other cells.
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of electrolytes. Common electrolytes include bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium.
Incidentally, unless you are a professional athlete or running marathons, you are probably getting a sufficient amount of electrolytes from your regular diet. Consuming sports drinks adds calories and increases levels of electrolytes you do not need.
National Nurses Day
National Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 6 to raise
awareness of the important role nurses play in society. It marks
the beginning of National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the
birthday of Florence Nightingale and also International Nurses
Day. I have a warm spot in my heart for nurses and the work they
do. If you know a nurse, give him or her a hug for me.
Alarm Clock Snooze
Smart phones have a built in snooze for about nine minutes.
There is an interesting reason for this. Clock experts say when
snooze alarms were invented during the 1950s; the gears in alarm
clocks were standardized.
When the snooze gear was introduced, its gears needed to mesh with the existing gears. The engineers needed to choose between a gear that made the snooze period nine-plus minutes or ten-plus minutes and opted for nine. There was no scientific reason for this time period. It was purely mechanical, just as it is with railroad tracks, but that is another story. There are no scientific papers published on benefits or detriments to using the snooze, but there are many opinions for and against. Fortunately modern technology allows us to use it or not and to change the snooze time as we choose.
Incidentally, snooze means sleeping for a short period of time.
When the snooze gear was introduced, its gears needed to mesh with the existing gears. The engineers needed to choose between a gear that made the snooze period nine-plus minutes or ten-plus minutes and opted for nine. There was no scientific reason for this time period. It was purely mechanical, just as it is with railroad tracks, but that is another story. There are no scientific papers published on benefits or detriments to using the snooze, but there are many opinions for and against. Fortunately modern technology allows us to use it or not and to change the snooze time as we choose.
Incidentally, snooze means sleeping for a short period of time.
Bill Nye, Not so Science Guy
Bill Nye has long been known for his
children's show Bill Nye The Science Guy and recently for his
views about climate change. He has a BS degree in mechanical
engineering. He is an entertainer, and although known as the
'science guy' he does not claim to be a scientist. In order to
earn the privilege of calling yourself a 'scientist' one
normally has to have an earned PhD in the natural sciences.
Nye started doing standup comedy during 1978 while working at Boeing as an engineer. He eventually left Boeing and began writing and performing jokes and bits for a local sketch television show Almost Live!, where he would regularly conduct wacky science experiments, such as what happens when you eat a marshmallow that has been dunked in liquid nitrogen. He moved from that show to do eight segments for the Disney Channel's All-New Mickey Mouse Club.
Throughout it all, he had his eyes on bigger things and went on to star in Bill Nye Science Guy for public broadcasting station KCTS-TV in Seattle. It became part of a package of syndicated series that local stations could schedule to fulfill Children's Television Act requirements. It ended in 1998. He was also host of an eight-part Discovery Channel series called Greatest Inventions with Bill Nye and appeared in a number of other TV shows. In addition, he holds several United States patents, including one for ballet pointe shoes and an educational magnifying glass created by filling a clear plastic bag with water.
During 2012, Nye supported President Barack Obama's reelection bid and frequently consulted with Obama on science matters during his presidency. He has also received a number of honorary degrees, including one in pedagogy, although he has never contributed any research to the scientific community.
Incidentally, there are many other entertainers who have honorary degrees, including Ben Affleck, P, Diddy, Alec Baldwin, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, Kanye West, Jon Bon Jovi, Conan O'Brien, LL Cool J, and Jimmie Fallon, among others.
Nye started doing standup comedy during 1978 while working at Boeing as an engineer. He eventually left Boeing and began writing and performing jokes and bits for a local sketch television show Almost Live!, where he would regularly conduct wacky science experiments, such as what happens when you eat a marshmallow that has been dunked in liquid nitrogen. He moved from that show to do eight segments for the Disney Channel's All-New Mickey Mouse Club.
Throughout it all, he had his eyes on bigger things and went on to star in Bill Nye Science Guy for public broadcasting station KCTS-TV in Seattle. It became part of a package of syndicated series that local stations could schedule to fulfill Children's Television Act requirements. It ended in 1998. He was also host of an eight-part Discovery Channel series called Greatest Inventions with Bill Nye and appeared in a number of other TV shows. In addition, he holds several United States patents, including one for ballet pointe shoes and an educational magnifying glass created by filling a clear plastic bag with water.
During 2012, Nye supported President Barack Obama's reelection bid and frequently consulted with Obama on science matters during his presidency. He has also received a number of honorary degrees, including one in pedagogy, although he has never contributed any research to the scientific community.
Incidentally, there are many other entertainers who have honorary degrees, including Ben Affleck, P, Diddy, Alec Baldwin, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, Kanye West, Jon Bon Jovi, Conan O'Brien, LL Cool J, and Jimmie Fallon, among others.
Apr 27, 2018
Happy Friday
If
you are not more happy today than yesterday, you are not smiling
enough.
Start your day with a smile, especially on a Happy Friday!
Start your day with a smile, especially on a Happy Friday!
Funny Diet Thoughts
I bought a talking refrigerator that said “Oink” every time I
opened the door. It made me hungry for pork chops.
Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
I feel about airplanes the way I feel about diets, they are wonderful things for other people to go on.
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. . . unless there are three other people.
Food is like sex: when you abstain, even the worst stuff begins to look good.
The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
Soup is just a way of screwing you out of a meal.
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks.
Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
I feel about airplanes the way I feel about diets, they are wonderful things for other people to go on.
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. . . unless there are three other people.
Food is like sex: when you abstain, even the worst stuff begins to look good.
The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
Soup is just a way of screwing you out of a meal.
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks.
Human Affect on Earth
There are many statistics about the earth, oceans,
and weather. Although satellites give us a good picture of land
and sea, many parts of both have not been visited or set foot on
by humans. Almost all of the earth's subsurface is still
unexplored. The following are closest to consensus data that I
could find.
About 80% of the earth is covered in water. The other roughly 20% is surface land. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies says urban areas currently take up less than 1 percent of earth's surface.
According to the FAO Global Land Cover SHARE database, produced in 2014, 0.6% of Earth’s land surface is defined as 'Artificial surfaces'. Artificial surfaces include any areas that have an artificial cover as a result of human activities such as construction (cities, towns, transportation), extraction (open mines and quarries) or waste disposal.
Of the 108 billion people that have ever been alive, it is estimated that 6.4 percent of them, roughly seven billion are alive now. So seven billion humans inhabit or use just .6% of 20% of the earth. Since we have yet to discover major parts of land and sea, it is difficult to project future impact, because we still do not know what we do not know.
Incidentally, to date we have explored five to ten percent of the ocean. There are around 8.7 million species on earth of which 80 percent are undiscovered. No one has been able to determine how many ocean species there might be or the percent we may have already discovered. It is estimated that approximately seven percent or more of territorial earth is yet to be discovered. Finally, we have yet been able to fully explore the human body.
About 80% of the earth is covered in water. The other roughly 20% is surface land. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies says urban areas currently take up less than 1 percent of earth's surface.
According to the FAO Global Land Cover SHARE database, produced in 2014, 0.6% of Earth’s land surface is defined as 'Artificial surfaces'. Artificial surfaces include any areas that have an artificial cover as a result of human activities such as construction (cities, towns, transportation), extraction (open mines and quarries) or waste disposal.
Of the 108 billion people that have ever been alive, it is estimated that 6.4 percent of them, roughly seven billion are alive now. So seven billion humans inhabit or use just .6% of 20% of the earth. Since we have yet to discover major parts of land and sea, it is difficult to project future impact, because we still do not know what we do not know.
Incidentally, to date we have explored five to ten percent of the ocean. There are around 8.7 million species on earth of which 80 percent are undiscovered. No one has been able to determine how many ocean species there might be or the percent we may have already discovered. It is estimated that approximately seven percent or more of territorial earth is yet to be discovered. Finally, we have yet been able to fully explore the human body.
Wordology, Unexplored vs. Uncharted
These two words are often used
interchangeably, but do not mean the same thing. Uncharted means
unmapped. For example, Canada, as recently as 1916 was about 25
percent still uncharted.
Unexplored means a geographic area where no one has explored or investigated and published their findings. There are considerable areas of the jungles in Brazil, Indonesia, and desert areas such as the Sahara, the Namib desert, central Australia, and desolate cold areas such as Siberia, northern Canada, Greenland, Antarctica, remote areas in central Asia, and central Africa that are still essentially unexplored. As recently as 2011, British researchers were using Google Earth to look around Africa when they noticed a patch of forest on and around Mozambique's Mount Mabu that they never knew existed. It was uncharted and unexplored.
Unexplored means a geographic area where no one has explored or investigated and published their findings. There are considerable areas of the jungles in Brazil, Indonesia, and desert areas such as the Sahara, the Namib desert, central Australia, and desolate cold areas such as Siberia, northern Canada, Greenland, Antarctica, remote areas in central Asia, and central Africa that are still essentially unexplored. As recently as 2011, British researchers were using Google Earth to look around Africa when they noticed a patch of forest on and around Mozambique's Mount Mabu that they never knew existed. It was uncharted and unexplored.
Spleen vs. No Spleen
The spleen is an organ in the upper far left part of the
abdomen, to the left of the stomach. It varies in size and shape
between people, but is commonly fist-shaped, purple, and about
four inches long. Because the spleen is protected by the rib
cage, you cannot easily feel it unless it is abnormally
enlarged. About 10% of people have a
small extra accessory spleen, which causes no problems and is
considered normal.
The spleen plays multiple supporting roles in the body. It acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. Old red blood cells are recycled in the spleen, and platelets and white blood cells are stored there. It also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.
Bottom line, the spleen filters blood and helps the body fight infections, but it is not essential for survival. The spleen can be removed if it is damaged. However, people without a spleen are more prone to infections.
The spleen plays multiple supporting roles in the body. It acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. Old red blood cells are recycled in the spleen, and platelets and white blood cells are stored there. It also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.
Bottom line, the spleen filters blood and helps the body fight infections, but it is not essential for survival. The spleen can be removed if it is damaged. However, people without a spleen are more prone to infections.
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