- Product highlights
- Brainpower tip
- Time tip
- Finance tip
|
- Security tips
- Health tip/Fitness tip
- Miscellany
- Thought for the day
|
1. Product Highlights
eBookman |
Mindconnection has had an
eBookman center for quite some time. You can see two eBookmans on the
right: the 911 (no relation to NYC) and the 900. We also sell the 901 and quite a few
accessories. We added these to our translator line, because you can get
translation software for the eBookman. We were surprised at just how high
the demand is for these, though--so I wanted to make our readers aware
that we carry them. |
Discontinued. Updates made in
2009. |
What is the eBookman? It's a small,
inexpensive tablet-style device that allows you to use eBooks and MP3s.
The first ones were just eBook readers, thus the "eBookman" name. But now
they have some pretty impressive additional capabilities.
Use the electronic eBookman device as
an e-book reader, as a linguistic assistant, or to upload MP3 music and
books to your desktop. As an e-book reader, it's got a cult
following--it's that good. Your eBookman features a large graphic screen.
High resolution makes for natural smooth font appearance, and it’s easy on
your eyes.
As a linguistic assistant, it will
help you communicate with foreign partners, read memos, and translate
business correspondence. Each of the seven bidirectional dictionaries (see
chart below) has a word base of 520,000, and is built using the latest
technology--that's a total of 3.64 million words! |
2. Brainpower tip
Problems are not like wine and cheese. They don't get better with age. Reduce
brainpower drain by solving them as early as possible. Problems do not go away
on their own. Instead they grow to the point of being almost impossible to
bear. For an example of this, look at the federal government. 'nuf said. |
3. Time Tip
As I was preparing this issue, I wasted time in a way that is probably
fairly common. I replied to an e-mail with incorrect information, looked
up the correct information, then sent an e-mail with the correction.
Notice, the steps are out of order. I don't know why I did it that way,
but I will claim that I am totally beat from an exhausting day of climbing
yesterday. Well, I am beat and I do need an excuse for doing something
bone-headed.... Had I looked up the information first, I would have
saved myself the additional time incurred by sending a second e-mail. But,
it's not just my time wasted by making three steps out of two.
The other person will likely:
- Read my wrong e-mail.
- Look up the correct information.
- Compose and send me a reply, which includes typing in the correct
information that I already had.
- Read my correction e-mail.
- Send me a second reply.
Had I done things in the correct order, this whole seven-step process
would have been reduced to three steps--none of which would take very
long. Instead, we have more than twice as many steps plus duplication of
labor.
I also had a thought that I could have called this person to say my
first e-mail contained the wrong date. But that would probably just be an
eighth step and one that would take at least 20 minutes--quick phone calls
just aren't human nature. |
4. Finance tip
While most Americans are in denial
about the cost of gasoline, the fact remains this fuel is becoming an
increasingly more noticeable budget item for the vast majority of US
citizens. As demand for it ramps up in China by millions of new automobile
drivers each month, the law of supply and demand is going to send gasoline
prices only in one direction. Hint: It's not down. It's interesting to
note that Europeans are way ahead of Americans in fuel conservation. One
reason why is they've had artificially high prices for many years, due to
high fuel taxes. This is why Europeans drive standard transmission cars
vs. automatic transmission cars in an 80:20 ratio, while Americans drive
wasteful and costly automatic transmission cars vs. standard transmission
cars in the exact opposite ratio.
How much do you spend on gasoline, right now? I read recently the
average driver spends $100 a month. How would you like to reduce that to
$15 a month? Or even less? Yes, this is entirely within your grasp. Here
are some steps you can take toward that end:
- Replace your vehicle. If you are in the market for a new car, get
one with a standard transmission and an EPA rating of no less than 36MPG
hwy. The Toyota Camry and several other standard gasoline engine cars
(by Toyota and other manufacturers) easily do this--and better. You do
not need a hybrid car to have great gas mileage.
- Reduce your required driving. There are many ways to do this. For
example, relocate to an urban area (or at least close to work). Millions
of residents of Chicago, NYC, and other large urban areas pay $0 per
month for gasoline, $0 per month for car payments, and $0 per year for
maintenance costs--because they don't own cars. Many of them carry
driver's insurance for those few times per year they drive a rental car
on vacation or company business. Another way to reduce driving is to
telecommute--if you can get your boss to agree to one day a week, you
will reduce your commuting costs by 20%. If the telecommuting is "no
go," how about working four 10 hour days?
- Reduce your optional driving. Combine trips--which means plan
your trips. How many trips do you make, per week--other than work? Don't
go to the grocery store in the AM, the bank in the afternoon, and the
hardware store in the evening. Hit all three on the same trip. If this
doesn't seem very exciting to you, then make a game out of seeing how
few trips you can take each week and reward yourself for improving your
score.
- Allow extra time. What happens when you are running late? You drive
faster. This consumes more fuel. So if you know your destination is 15
minutes away, allow 20 minutes for the trip and also some time for
finding a parking spot. You will arrive more relaxed, and on less fuel.
- Turn off the music. Listening to music, especially certain kinds of
music, will cause you to drive faster. Why do you need music to drive?
Driving is not a dance competition. Enjoy the silence in today's noisy
world, or listen to recorded books so your driving time gets put to
brainpower-building use.
- Think of new ideas. The list here is just the beginning. If you make
a habit of looking for ways to reduce your fuel consumption, guess what?
You will find them. And you'll find ways that make sense for you.
I personally do not want to live in an urban area--but I do enjoy living
in nearby suburbs (most of the urban "go to" places are within 12 miles
of my home, and the suburban "go to" places are quite a bit closer than
that). So, my tip about choosing an urban area--not appropriate for
me--may not be appropriate for you, either. Or maybe you don't want a
small fuel-efficient car because you need one vehicle that can double as
your work truck. What I wanted to do here is spur you on to thinking of
things on your own. Get the fuel reduction mindset, and the ideas will
come.
|
5. Security tip
We recently had a murder in my
small, "crime-free" suburb. This was only a few weeks after a B&E and
attempted knifing (which was thwarted by a baseball-bat wielding husband).
The police here used to joke about the lack of crime in our area. Those
days are gone. The place
where you live can suddenly experience a wave of violent
crime--maybe it already has. To keep your home secure for your loved ones,
guests, and yourself, you need to think "this can happen to me." Because
it can. Plan accordingly. Hey, let's do that now. Here's a practice
exercise that will help you choose the plan that's right for you:
Suppose there is a violent
crime near where you live. And suppose it's a grisly murder, and the
perpetrator is still at large--thus, you are at risk and in very real
danger. What should you do? Here are some possible options. Please
consider each one carefully.
- Get a restraining order.
Criminals who violate every other law might obey a restraining order.
Though the average compliance rate is near zero, maybe you will get
lucky.
- Practice dialing 911 until
you can't move your arm anymore. Become really good at it.
- Buy fresh doughnuts every
day and set them on your porch to attract cops. Consider doing this
twice a day.
- Practice "passive
resistance." Remember Little Johnny who got the snot beat out of him
repeatedly in grade school because he practiced "passive resistance?"
This option works only in conjunction with Option E, below.
- Hope the killer feels guilty
after killing you and decides to stop. This option works well with
Option D, and may protect your loved ones. Let me know how it turns out.
- Keep a loaded pistol and/or
shotgun ready, and stay qualified to use it. Save yourself, your family,
and any possible future victims.
Here are some notes on dialing 911:
- Phone lines are very easy to
cut. They are routed in thin plastic cable, not armored cable. An
ordinary pair of kitchen shears will do the trick. So will simply a
single hard tug of a bare hand.
- 911 isn't even available
where I am, so it's not an option for me.
- If 911 is an option for you,
how many minutes will it take for the police to drop their doughnuts,
get to where you are, and disarm the attacker? Will that exceed the
number of minutes the attacker needs in which to kill you? (Hint: Of
course not--you will be dead when the police arrive. But at least there
will be a nice recording of the call).
A note on Option F came from a
"pre-reader" of this eNL. He said to combine Option C with Option F, so
you have witnesses. Interesting approach.
Well, I don't want to influence
anyone's decision on which of the above options to choose from. :)
You'll have to reach that decision yourself, by applying common sense and
good judgment. You may decide Option C is too much of a health risk,
because it may lead you to accidentally eat a hydrogenated-oil-rich
doughnut. If so, I'm OK with that. |
6. Health tip/Fitness tips
Perhaps you read the editorial by Dr. Healy in the latest issue of US
News and World Report. She was the head of NIH, at one time. Given the
culture of the medical profession, this must have been frustrating for
her. In her editorial, she spoke of the intense bias against
"alternative" medicine. Yes, she says, there's quite a bit of quackery.
But the blind bias also eliminates forms of medicine that do what our
allopathic system cannot do and does not even try to do. One form of
"alternative" medicine is massage. We all know it improves circulation.
But did you know it also increases the levels of the
neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps you relax? And at the same time,
it reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol (which damages your
mucles and joints)? Yep, it sure does.
Not all massage is the same. For example, there's Swedish massage
(gentle pressure and broad strokes to relax muscles) and there's shiatsu
massage (finger pressure on key points). And there's also the kind of
"massage" you get when you file your taxes, but let's not go there....
Massage therapists are licensed in 33 states, in an effort to
guarantee a minimum competency level. What are some conditions that a
skilled massage therapist can successfully treat? Here's a partial list:
- Anxiety. This seems quite logical, doesn't it? Massage reduces the
effects stress hormones and the anxiety that goes with them.
- Back pain. Most back pain is due to improper spinal alignment,
which results in imbalanced muscle tightening. Massage loosens the
muscles, and allows the spine to go back into alignment. Of course,
attention to posture and a regular program of developing postural
muscles will prevent the problem in the first place. In this
application, massage is more allopathic in nature.
- Inflammation. Inflamed tendons can really hurt. Tendons, however,
have a poor blood supply--so they don't heal quickly and don't quickly
lose inflammation. Prolonged inflammation can result in long-term
damage. Gentle massage around the affected tendons can help overcome
the blood supply issues.
- Tension headaches. Many companies provide massages in their
offices, and we also see massages at airports. What's up with that?
Well, what's up is these massages tend to make tension headaches go
away--thereby reducing sick days, nasty tempers, and negativity while
increasing output and productivity. Of course, reducing needless
meetings, senseless performance appraisals, and pointless travel would
prevent most of these headaches to begin with.
How can you find a qualified massage therapist? Check your Yellow
Pages, of course. But also, ask your chiropractor or "regular doctor"
for a referral. Check out the American Massage Therapy Association
http://www.amtamassage.org. |
7. Miscellany
Please forward this eNL to a friend. Or an
enemy, I don't really care. Just forward it!
Special deal for eNL readers: Get$20 off
any purchase of 2 items or more, if the subtotal is $100 or more.
This applies to all items in the Mindconnection store at
https://www.mindconnection.com. This is one of
those very rare times that we are using the coupon field for an actual
price discount (we have it there for other types of adjustments). If
you've wanted to bolster your career with some very helpful courses that
you can study at your own pace, now's the time to get started. This
coupon is goodfor the next five days only. You'll find a coupon
field in checkout. There, just enter this code: SPECIAL20DOFF. If you
somehow miss that and complete the order, don't worry about it--just
forward your e-mail confirmation (which comes instantly to you) with a
note that you want your discount.
This issue's factoid: Alfred
Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.
|
8. Thought for the Day
It's not what you know, but how you use it that counts. |
Wishing you the best,
Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection
Authorship
The views expressed in this e-newsletter are generally not shared by criminals, zombies, or brainwashed individuals.
Except where noted, this e-newsletter is entirely the work of Mark Lamendola. Anything presented as fact can be independently verified. Often, sources are given; but where not given, they are readily available to anyone who makes the effort.
Mark provides information from either research or his own areas of established expertise. Sometimes, what appears to be a personal opinion is the only possibility when applying sound logic--reason it out before judging! (That said, some personal opinions do appear on occasion).
The purpose of this publication is to inform and empower its readers (and save you money!).
Personal note from Mark: I value each and every one of you, and I hope that shows in the diligent effort I put into writing this e-newsletter. Thank you for being a faithful reader.
To subscribe, change your e-mail address, offer your own tidbit, tell
us how much you love this eNL, ask how to put us in your will <grin> or to (gasp) unsubscribe, write to
comments @ mindconnection.com (paste that into your e-mail client, and remove
the spaces).
Let other potential
readers know what you think of this e-zine, by rating it at the Cumuli Ezine
Finder: http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/ra22225.rate
|