Entries from January 2007
January 25, 2007 · 1 Comment
Let’s pay attention, here. There will be a test immediately after this post. For multiple choice responses, only more one (1) of the letters A, B. C, or D with a number two pencil. Essays should be legible, if you need additional paper, raise your hand and your test proctor will issue extra paper to you. As this is a midterm exam, it will only count for 35% of your final grade.
Shall we begin?
Has someone stolen your social security or credit card number? StolenIDSearch is a new site aims to answer this question that has tickled the back of most American’s minds at some point, especially in light of the recent spree of retailer breaches and stolen laptops containing reams of personal information.
StolenIDSearch provides a free online search engine. All you have to do is enter your Social Security Number or credit card number into the box and they’ll look it up to see if it’s on the stolen list.
Now for the bad part. If you’re paying attention, you can see this coming.
Is Stolen ID Search attempting to insinuate that in order to check and see if my social security number or credit card numbers have been stolen, I actually should enter my social security number or credit card number online? Again? Really?
Clark: Gee, Bob, does that seem prudent?
Bob: Hm. Somehow, I don’t think you’ve thought your cunning plan all the way through.
Categories: Finance · Human Interest · Internet
You should always remember - in many cases, your realtor is not necessarily your friend.
Productivity blogger Jay at Dumb Little Man has compiled a list of questions that he recently used to interview four different real estate agents.
Not all real estate agents work the same way, so it’s best to get your expectations right out on the table from the beginning.
Found in Dumb Little Man. Hat tip: Lifehacker. Of course.
Anyone that’s ever dealt with real estate buying or selling real estate should be completely aware that it truly IS about the money. The original link deals more with selling, but the same idea goes for buying. Due diligence. Live it. Learn it.
Categories: Finance · Human Interest · Lifehacks
January 22, 2007 · 1 Comment
Oddly, I came across a couple of fairly interesting food related items today.
7. Snack Attack
Unless you're suicidal, why on earth would you want to wolf down a Burger King Quad Stacker – 4 hamburger patties, 4 slices of cheese, 8 strips of bacon, plus sauce and a bun? That's half-a-day's calories (1,000), one-and-a-half-days' worth of saturated fat (30 grams), 3 grams of trans fat, and more than a day's sodium (1,800 mg). Urp!
and…
9. Tortilla Terror
Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa)? Think of its 1,180 calories and 19 grams of saturated fat as three 6-inch Subway Steak and Cheese Subs. Getting the burrito with no cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat by two-thirds, but you still end up with 950 calories. Yikes!
I'd like to note these items for the record.
a. I like cheese.
b. I like bacon.
c. I'm very impressed, but not surprised, by the fact that one Chipotle Chicken Burrito can have as many calories and saturated fat as THREE 6 inch steak and cheese subs. I once watched a guy attempt to eat five Chipotle burritos in an hour on a bet.
He didn't make it.
Those things are huge.
The Bad Foods For Dogs List
Here is a list of common foods that are bad or poisonous for your dog. If you suspect that your dog might have eaten any food that might be toxic, contact his/her vet immediately.
You can thank
Moore's Haven for this. Me, I thank the
Internet. It's not a bad idea to go check this out either.
Did I learn anything? Yes. Don't feed the dog booze, apricots, baby food, grapes, baby food or onions, among other items on the list. It would seem, though, that steak, which is what every dog really wants anyway, is the ticket.
Just don't add salt.
Categories: Health · Human Interest · Nature
Can political discourse in the media possibly get worse?
On the January 17 edition of Fox News’ The Big Story, host John Gibson, during a discussion with Manhattan Institute senior fellow John H. McWhorter and Young Democrats of America’s Malia Lazu about Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) — who on January 16 announced his decision to form a presidential exploratory committee — said: “And [Obama's] team works overtime trying to hide Obama’s dirty little secret. He is — get this — a cigarette smoker. The point is: What else do we not know about Barack Obama?”
I got this from Media Matters..via Digg.
I hate smoking, even though I’ve been known to do it.
Yet, somehow, I don’t see how Senator Obama smoking has anything to do with anything. Why should I, or anyone else, care? Do political opinion pieces really have to grasp at straws so badly?
Oh, and check out this graphic:
Dear LORD. You have GOT to be kidding. Obviously, that must be a joke.
Josh Gibson:
Obviously, your team does not work overtime to conceal your dirty little secret - that you are a political hack of the worst possible kind.
Categories: Health · POW - The blog · Politics
Here's are the topics:
Berkeley Courses With Video Lectures
Sites Offering Free Courses
Free Online Documentaries
Learn Languages on iTunes
Educational Videos
Education With Podcasting
Useful Free Software For Students
Web 2.0 For Students
Reference Sites
Ask Questions
Tiny Flash Freeware
Free Ebooks
Learn Languages
Free Ear Training Software
Not kidding. This is a valuable resource. Use it.
Categories: Free · Free Stuff · Human Interest · Web 2.0
January 14, 2007 · 1 Comment
Eat turmeric. Clue: It's in curry, people.
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Recently a number of natural compounds–such as resveratrol from red wine and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil–have begun to receive close scrutiny because preliminary research suggests they might treat and prevent disease inexpensively with few side effects. Turmeric, an orange-yellow powder from an Asian plant, Curcuma longa, has joined this list. No longer is it just an ingredient in vindaloos and tandooris that, since ancient times, has flavored food and prevented spoilage.
A chapter in a forthcoming book, for instance, describes the biologically active components of turmeric–curcumin and related compounds called curcuminoids–as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, with potential activity against cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic maladies. And in 2005 nearly 300 scientific and technical papers referenced curcumin in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database, compared with about 100 just five years earlier.
Scientists who sometimes jokingly label themselves curcuminologists are drawn to the compound both because of its many possible valuable effects in the body and its apparent low toxicity. They ponder how the spice or its derivatives might be used, not just as a treatment but as a low-cost preventive medication for some of the most feared ailments. As a treatment, it also has some enticing attributes. Because curcumin targets so many biological pathways, it could have benefits for cancer therapy: malignant cells may be slow to acquire resistance to it and so might have to go through multiple mutations to avoid the substance's multipronged attack.
That's from Scientific American. Not kidding, this is for real. Can curry help prevent cancer? Diabetes? Alzheimer's? Zing!
I have a sudden urge for Indian food.
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Categories: Health · Human Interest · Web 2.0
Someone once said that if you were to make a list of your 10 closest friends and acquaintances and order your earnings and theirs from smallest to greatest, you'd probably find yourself somewhere near the middle. All that this means is that we are subtly influenced by our friends, even when we're not aware of it, especially in matters of money. Being somewhere in the middle is probably more comfortable for the average person.
If you are that rare person at the high end of the list, then you probably don't need to read this article. If you are not, then find out what's holding you back. There are hundreds of personal finance myths which are either misunderstood, taken out of context, or just plain incorrect. Here are our top 25.
Take a look at the article. Read it, process, and your mileage may vary. Check on the section on Investing. I found it more than mildly interesting.
Categories: Finance · Human Interest
