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**Books I'm Reading**
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer
by Tracy Kidder
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason - by Sam Harris
Contents Copyright © 2003-2009 by Brent Zupp — All Rights Reserved.
Problem Solving Flow Chart
Problem Solving Flow Chart - I love the potentially infinite loop...Can you find it?
Warning: Use of profanity makes this content not suitable for children.
Condom Ads for Durex
Durex Condom Ads - Condom ads that are safe for work. Very clever.
David Duchovny - House of 'D'
House of D
House of D by David Duchovny - Just watched a marvelous film written and directed by David Duchovny titled The House of D. It tells two stories: one of a 13 year-old boy coming of age in New York in the early 70's; the second of a 40-something man trying to remember his painful past and share it for the first time with his wife and his own 13 year-old son.
It's a wonderful, touching film, though I was left wanting in one respect. I wanted to know more about the struggle of Tommy, the man. How had his past affected him as an adult? We only see the result after 30 years.
But if telling that story meant taking anything away from the story of 13 year-old Tommy...then I accept the gap. That storyline hooked me to the core.
New Think - by Edward de Bono
New Think by Edward de Bono
New Think - In this classic, Edward de Bono presents an accessible, practical handbook on how to generate new ideas or lateral thinking. His original book Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step is excellent, but a bit difficult to get through. New Think is quite the opposite. It's an easy, informative read. Below are my notes. New Think by Edward de Bono
Below are notes from Edward de Bono's book New Think.
Notes
Hallucinogenic drugs alter our perceptions, the direction of our gaze, our focus. Many drugs alter perceptions. Funny. Altering perceptions is the goal of lateral thinking, too. Techniques of lateral thinking are like hallucinogenic drugs. And this, the 100th birthday of LSD's creator, Albert Hofmann.
Is the way we try to solve a problem, part of what makes the problem difficult to solve?
How to Train a Killer Whale
Training Whales - I found information on training a killer whales some time ago. It's a popular topic for parenting sites--and with good reason. Some of the 'lessons' we learn from training killer whales are very helpful to consider when teaching our kids.
Madonna Magdalene by Kim Garcia
Madonna Magdalene
Madonna Magdelene Poetry - Kim Garcia, a dear college friend, has recently published a book of poetry titled Madonna Magdalene. I just ordered my copy and will report later on my impressions. In the meantime, my anticipation is teased by these reader comments...
The Worthless Peons - Ted's Band, The Blanks from Scrubs
Ted's Band, The Worthless Peons, The Blanks
The Worthless Peons (also known as Ted's Band or the Blanks) are an a cappella group made up of hospital employees from different departments in the TV series Scrubs. The Worthless Peons are played by The Blanks, a real-life a cappella band made up of Sam Lloyd (who plays Ted), George Miserlis, Paul F. Perry, and Philip McNiven. The Blanks album, Riding the Wave, features guest performances from Bill Lawrence and members of the Scrubs cast.
I wonder if this the Riding the Wave album made any money...
Funny Billboards
Funny Billboards - Some of these billboards are hilarious. God! I hope they're photoshopped and not real...though I could see Ikea actually doing this one...
Ikea's Idea of Stool Sample
Cheap, Safe Drug Kills Most Cancers
The drug dichloroacetate (DCA) appears to target cancer cells, causing them to die. It's potency as a cancer killing agent has been tested in tissue cultures and, just recently, in mice -- all with very promising results.
Problem is, this drug has been used for many years to treat rare metabolic disorders and is not patentable as a cancer treatment. Without patent protection, the pharmaceutical industry has no interest in investing millions in clinical trials, even though the drug's impact on cancer could be profound.
U.S. Experiment in Private Healthcare
Healthcare Private or Public - Yes! Magazine published something of an expose regarding the debate on private versus publicly funded healthcare titled: Has Canada Got the Cure? Written by Holly Dressel, the story expands upon the following disturbing statistic:
The U.S. and Canada had similar life expectancy and mortality rates up until about 1970. After 1970, the numbers began to diverge. Currently, Canada has a longer life expectancy and lower mortality rate as compared to the U.S.
~ Yes! Magazine
What changed in Canada? In 1970, Canada began its publicly funded healthcare program. As the article concludes:
This graphic from the article displays data from the World Health Organization, CIA, and Centers for Disease Control.
Suze Orman Will and Trust Kit
Suze Orman Will and Trust Kit - Here's a good intro to will, estate and trust law. Still should have a lawyer review your documents to be safe. I found it very easy to go through and understand. She has a lawyer narrate much of the text and provides excellent summaries of the main points to consider when putting together a will and living trust.
Includes all necessary forms, and seems to perform online updates. For a relatively simple estate, I think the Suze Orman Will and Trust Kit is a winner.
 | Suze Orman Will & Trust Kit (CD-ROM) |
 | *NEW Suze Orman Will & Trust Kit Online Version (CD-ROM) |
Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Dangerous
Drinking Too Much Water - Jennifer Strange died from drinking too much water. The fact she drank it during a contest to win a Nintendo Wii video game system -- "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" -- made her death especially tragic...and newsworthy.
How could you die from drinking water?
Basic physiology and osmosis. The kidneys can only process so much water over a given time. If you drink more water than the kidneys can process, your blood dilutes. The diluted blood creates an imbalance (more salt in the surrounding cells than in the blood). To relieve that imbalance, water from the blood starts entering the salty cells. This causes the cells to swell.
Funny Newspaper Headlines
Newspaper Headlines - Found these at Funny Pages. They are all hopefully inadvertent. Some very funny. Some take a while to get what's wrong. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Death causes loneliness, feeling of isolation
- Never withhold herpes from loved one
- Farmer bill dies in house
- Organ festival ends in smashing climax
Superb Celebrity Face Transplants
Photoshopped Celebrity Faces - What is wrong with this picture?
A Peaceful Marriage is Not Always 50/50
Absolutely brilliant!!! This woman nails the situation on the head:
DO READ her original post: A Peaceful Marriage is Not Always 50/50
In fact, subscribe to her blog Violent Acres - it's hilarious and insightful.
Soccer Kid Video
Soccer Kid - Totally cute video I found on YouTube titled Soccer Kid. Works in any language. No translation required...
Portrait of a Father - by Karyn Sigurdsson
Love this image by Karyn Sigurdsson. She titled it Portrait of a Father...which I think is perfect.
When Our Diet Goes Ape - The Evo Diet
Nine volunteers, with a reality TV camera crew taping, decided to go ape with their diet (sometimes called the EVO diet). For 12 days the volunteers avoided all processed foods and ate only from a generous ration of fruits and vegetables -- a diet of the apes.
The results: Blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels dropped significantly for all.
What they ate: 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey
Typical 3-day Rotation included:
- Broccoli, carrots, radishes
- Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress
- Strawberries, apricots, bananas
- Mangoes, melons, figs, plums
- Satsumas, hazelnuts
Interesting stories of the volunteers' experiences.
Credit Card Scam Targets Men
Serious warning from post off CraigsList.org. Is there more truth to this than we care to admit?
WARNING - This post contains some mild sexual content.
Russell Crowe's Eulogy for Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter
Russell Crowe's Eulogy for Steve Irwin
Russell Crowe Eulogy Steve Irwin - When I heard that Steve Irwin, the Crododile Hunter, had been killed by a sting-ray, I was shocked and saddened. As news coverage of his death swelled, I was somehow comforted to learn that so many others felt the same....Who knew this wacky, passionate Aussie had such an impact on so many people?
Russell Crowe, a good mate of Irwin's, gave such a touching eulogy at the memorial service for Steve Irwin, a service that was televised around the world. I've transcribed Russell's words below. Truly moving. Here is the video...
World Wildlife Foundation Video Ad
This video from World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) looks so real...and the Mister Roger's Neighborhood music playing in the background is a great touch.
How to Get 59 MPG Out of a Honda Accord
As a driver, Wayne Gerdes is schizophrenic - one moment he's driving like an old lady, the next like Michael Schumacher. He's a maniac on a mission, getting 59-plus miles per gallon with an unmodified Honda Accord. However, it's not the car that generates the great mileage; it's the driver. Wayne's driving philosophy can be summed up with two of his favorite driving techniques...
Ben Stein Remembers President Gerald Ford
Ben Stein wrote a beautiful obituary/eulogy for President Gerald Ford. His closing is just priceless, and I have to quote it here. Stein said that President Gerald Ford was...
Perfectly Stein, the quote balances humor with an honest sentiment of respect. Well done Ben!
Cactus Pacifier
I call this a Cactus Pacifier. God help the sick S.O.B. who came up with this idea...
Cactus Pacifier
Bush, Iraq and the Emperor's New Clothes
War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.
~ Thomas Mann
When it comes to the public perception of Bush's Iraq policy, I think much of the U.S. population has been guilty of playing the crowd in the Emperor's New Clothes. Bush said Iraq was an imminent threat, building a nuclear bomb, connected to al Qaeda and the 911 attacks. And many agreed with Bush's declaration, saying, "Yes, Emperor, attacking Iraq is a great solution to terrorism." But since the election, many realized that their friends and neighbors no longer saw what Bush saw, they no longer believed Bush's statements about the war and Iraq; public opinion shifted...we finally woke up. I only wish that Iraq was a fairy tale and that there could be a happy ending.
52 Stress Reducers
Reduce Stress - Long lists usually give me a headache, but not this one. Here's an excellent list of 52 stress reducing tips from the National Headache Foundation.
- Turn needs into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don't get attached to preferences.
- Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
- Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.
- Take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if it's just for 15 or 20 minutes.
Drug-eluting Stents Reduce Collateral Blood Vessel Growth
Drug-eluting Stents Reduce Collateral Vessel Growth - New study indicates that drug-eluting stents may obstruct the heart's natural ability to form small collateral blood vessels - nature's bypass mechanism. For patients with coronary artery blockages, these vessels normally help supply blood to areas starved by artery blockages. The drug-eluting stents appear to hinder this natural, healing process.
34 Fun Facts for the New Year
Rec'd by email from Ami....Could all these "facts" be true?
- 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
- On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
- Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww).
- If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar (good to know.)
- Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
Friendship - The Laws of Attraction
Best Friends - This article by Karen Karbo is fascinating, especially to a shy guy like myself. It describes how and why some friends become "best" friends, and how those close relationships are maintained...or not.
"The conventional wisdom is that we choose friends because of who they are. But it turns out that we actually love them because of the way they support who we are."
Friends that support our dominant social identity (parent, student, superhero) tend to be the strongest. So if I think of myself as a superhero first, my best friends will likely be those that support that identity, usually superheros themselves but not necessarily. Non-superhero friends can support my superhero identity, too.
How to Import Large MySQL Data Files
How to Import Large MySQL Data Files
One Step: Use BigDump
I've been so frustrated at the file size limits for uploading large MySQL data files, and BigDump is the answer. Works like a charm.
More details below...
Caffeine Curve
Caffeine Curve Graph by Tom Edwards - Same curve applies to a sugar induced high -- or any other high for that matter -- though the time frame may need adjusting...
How to Get Attention of Police
Police Attention - One way to get the attention of the police....
Woman Airborne On Sleigh
Woman Airborne on Sleigh - Too, TOO funny. Swapped from SI.com. Do have a look at their other interesting photos. I couldn't resist sharing this one.
Practice Does NOT Make Perfect
Practice does NOT make perfect - Scientists believe that striving to consistently repeat a physical action (like shooting a basketball free-throw or serving a tennis ball) is unnatural. Our bodies and brains are simply not designed to repeat the same motion in the same way over and over again. Variation invariably sneaks in, and the culprit for the inconsistency is the brain. It simply won't let you perform the same action in an identical way over and over again.
So the lesson is not to focus on the same physical action but the same outcome. Slight variations in form are a good thing and more natural to the body. Keep you eyes on the prize, not on perfect, repeatable form.
15 Penis Facts
No comment...Except to say this knitted penis doll in the picture might be a better Christmas gift than Amazon's Dora The Exlorer Sex Toy.
15 things you don't know about your penis
By Mike Zimmerman
- There are two types of penises. One kind expands and lengthens when becoming erect (a grower). The other appears big most of the time, but doesn't get much bigger after achieving erection (a shower).
- Smoking can shorten your penis by as much as a centimeter. Erections are all about good bloodflow, and lighting up calcifies blood vessels, stifling erectile circulation. So even if you don't care all that much about your lungs or dying young, spare the li'l guy.
- No brain is necessary for ejaculation. That order comes from the spinal cord. Finding a living vessel for said ejaculation, however, takes hours of careful thought and, often, considerable amounts of alcohol.
Men's Rules
Rec'd this from my wife...Go figure.
Men's Rules - We always hear the rules from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.
Please note…these are all numbered "1" on purpose!
- Breasts are for looking at and that is why we do it. Don’t try to change that.
- If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.
- Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
Dave Barry Learned All This in 50 Years
Dave Barry
What Dave Barry Learned in 50 Years - Got this by email. Totally hilarious....After the first three, I lost bladder control--Thanks Dave Barry!
- Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
- If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
- There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Diabetes Cure in the Nerves
Diabetes cure may be in the nerves - During an experiment, researchers injected capsaicin (the substance that makes chili peppers taste hot) into the pancreas of type I diabetic mice. The capsiacin killed the sensory nerves in the pancreas. Oddly, by killing the nerves with capsaicin, the mice appeared to be cured of type I diabetes.
Researchers wondered if they could get the same effect without killing the nerve cells. After some looking, they identified a neuropeptide that was in low quantities or missing from the pancreas of type I diabetic mice. Oddly, when they injected the neuropeptide ("substance P") into the pancreas of diabetic mice, the mice again appeared cured of type I diabetes...for about four weeks, and then another injection was needed. So it appears that the pancreas of type I diabetic mice were not producing enough "substance P" and the sensory nerve cells were somehow involved.
5 Ways to Beat a Hangover
Five ways to beat a hangover - Most hangover symptoms stem from alcohol's diuretic effect, which can to dehydration. Dehydration can lead to common hangover symptoms like dry mouth, headache, and dizziness. In addition, alcohol can also irritate the stomach lining and cause nausea and stomach cramps in some people. To reduce or prevent these symptoms, have a look at these hangover prevention/reduction tips:
Scrubs Cast Performs Charlie Brown Christmas
Scrubs Charlie Brown Christmas - For a Scrubs obsessed nut like myself, this was a blessed find...
Scrubs Cast Performs Charlie Brown Christmas - Brilliant!
Rumor has it this was done for a Scrubs Christmas party. Voices clearly come from the real Scrubs cast. Totally hilarious!
10 Reasons Why You Should Never Buy Diamonds
I wish my wife would read this list. I saw a documentary on PBS about De Beers that totally turned me off to supporting this industry in any way. Liz Stanton has summarized much of the ugly side of this beautiful gem.
Also see Apollo: Real diamonds "grown" in a machine.
