- Product highlight
- Brainpower tip
- Time tip
- Finance tip
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- Security tip
- Health tip/Fitness tip
- Miscellany
- Thought for the day
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1. Product Highlight
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2. Brainpower tip
How you evaluate information will greatly affect the
decisions you make. The number of books on this subject is staggering, and
here I am with a short article on the topic. So, I'm going to address a
single aspect rather than pretend to give you the definitive guide.
The aspect I'm addressing is information filtering. The
adage "garbage in, garbage out" applies here, and it explains a great deal
about what people believe.
Here are some common information misfiltering methods.
Try to eliminate them:
- Buttressing existing beliefs. The most common way
to misfilter information is to do so based on what you already believe.
For example, if I believe that criminals should be protected from their
victims rather than the other way around, then I will view every pro
"gun control" bit of information as accurate and anything contrary to it
as false.
This way of looking at information is how people reinforce the opinions
that allow them to belong to a group (my religion is the right one) or
to validate their own sense of self-worth (I must be OK because I am
right). But it's a delusional way to go through life and it essentially
bypasses the brain.
- Ignoring the author's ignorance. If you look at
"conspiracy theory" Websites, you'll find the author shows ignorance in
the areas of punctuation, grammar, composition, sentence construction,
and so forth. In other words, this is not a person who has much skill
when it comes to understanding details. If this person can't understand
the details of applying English, logic tells us this person is also
incapable of understanding the details of some complex event. The
ability to correctly see details is independent of the subject. You
either can, or you can't.
- Being drawn in. One trick of the propagandist is
to begin with facts you can agree to, and then spring the lies on you
once you are nodding yes. This is exactly how "confidence scams" are
run. We get the phrase "con man" from this--it is short for "confidence
man." Once this person gains your confidence, then you are prey to the
lies that follow.
In a sequence of unconnected statements, however, it does not follow
that X is true simply because A - W are true. Each statement must stand
on its own merits. However, it is human nature to evaluate the messenger
rather than the message. Once the messenger has our confidence, we tend
to assign truth to untrue statements.
- Single sourcing. It amazes me how many people
form an opinion based on the first set of "facts" they read and then
won't consider anything contradictory after that. Some people believe
they have "done research" if they read multiple poor sources that have
the same ultimate source.
This is exactly how false rumors get spread. Just because you hear the
same false account from six gullible people doesn't mean it's true. If
you were to trace the varied accounts back, you'd find they come from
the same person.
- Ignoring history. We see this repeated with each
federal "election" here in the USA. Two windbags run "against" each
other (each belonging to the Demopublican Party), and each makes the
same failed promises his or her predecessors lied about in the previous
nine "elections." But suddenly in this "election" it becomes "crucial"
to "vote" for this or that "candidate" or the world will end. The truth
is that neither "candidate" has any intention of doing anything that
matters.
- Extending credibility where there is none. People
actually believe what's printed in the New York Times and National
Enquirer, and actually watch television "news." This amazes me.
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3. Time Tip
4. Finance tip
It would be almost inexplicable for someone in today's world to think
that energy costs aren't headed higher. Many "experts" advocate all
kinds of "cures" for this, most of which involve some kind of government
intervention. Because government tends to take the path of least
competence, those "solutions" are more likely to exacerbate energy
problems rather than solve them. I'm going to suggest a radical idea.
It's called "personal responsibility." This means that if a problem
affects you, then do something about it.
Another radical idea is "the law of supply and demand." This means
that if the price is too high, that's because demand is too high.
These both lead to a third radical idea. If something is expensive,
use less of it. Wow. What a concept.
Here are some tips for reducing how much money you fork out to the
electric utilities.
- Stop using Christmas lights. I realize that, to some people,
this is heresy. But you have to remember that this particular form
of waste is a recent tradition. If you are worried about "the
Christmas spirit," then take the $75 you would have spent on
Christmas lights and feed a hungry person for a month. I also think
those outdoor "security" lights are another useless expenditure of
energy. Night-time is supposed to be dark. If security is your
concern, put those lights on motion sensors and make sure your
shotgun is loaded and ready when you go to bed. Providing light for
a burglar isn't going to make you more secure.
- Set the AC to 80 DegrF. It amazes me how many people set their
thermostats to 80 in the winter and then to 68 in the summer. It's
healthier and cheaper to do this the other way around.
- Line dry your clothes. Use the clothes dryer only when it's been
raining for days on end. Or, compromise. Have an indoor rack. Dry
your clothes partially, so that they remain soft. While they are
damp, hang them up to dry. You can use an over the door hanger (with
felt on the back, so you don't scratch the door). In addition to
conserving energy, this greatly reduces the standard heat damage
done to clothing and that will extend the life of your clothes. BTW,
if you are drying your bedding perfectly dry, you are throwing money
away. Contact any mfr of sheets, and they'll tell you that.
- Do not watch television. In addition to wasting electricity,
this wastes time and diminishes intelligence. If you like to be
misinformed, you will miss television. Otherwise, you are giving up
nothing.
- Ensure your refrigerator is an energy-efficient model and small.
In Europe, everyone has mini-fridges. In the USA, we consider 24
cubic feet tiny. In Europe, they consider 10 cubic feet wasteful.
Most Americans have four times the refrigerator they need. Add an
ice-maker, and you have even more waste.
- Use dimmers on room lights, use low-wattage bulbs in closets and
other places wherever practical. Contrary to "expert" advice,
fluorescents don't always save energy. They have an extra initial
draw, and they need to be on for a bit before they actually start
saving energy vs. an incandescent. So fluorescents in closets and
pantries generally waste energy rather than save it.
- Operate your garage door manually or keep the car outside, using
the electric opener very sparingly. This will also cause you to use
"muscles," which are those things that allow you to get up from the
sofa.
- Insulate the bejesus out of your home. Quality windows installed
by a quality contractor can work wonders. You can insulate hot water
pipes, electrical boxes, and other energy loss points also. V-strip
on your door(s) is a must.
- Use manual hedge shears, instead of electric (incl
rechargeable battery) ones. Why do people think they need so many
electric tools? Why blow leaves, when you can get the wonderful
exercise of raking them? This actually saves you time, because you
are doing two things at once.
- Any time you use more than 20KWH per day, look for what you did
wrong. Review your electric bill and keep working on ways to use
less. Ask your utility to help you with this. Many utilities offer
free energy waste surveys.
- Ask the utility to install a peak usage switch on your home, and
set it at 20KWH. When your daily usage reaches that point, off goes
the power. This way, you don't have to worry about conservation
steps--it's automated. Personally, I won't go this far. But someday,
we may all have to do this simply because so many people waste so
flagrantly.
- Ask the utility to install a peak rate switch on your home. This
will shut off the electricity during the peak hours (10AM to 6 PM),
so that the utility can more easily meet demand and thus not need
more plants. This can qualify you for a lower rate.
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5. Security tip
Many people think that having an alarm system makes
their home secure. That is not true. Some of the reasons why include:- Alarm systems are very common, now. Break-in
artists have learned how to deal with them.
- An alarm system doesn't stop an intruder. That's
what a firearm does.
- An alarm system merely notifies the alarm company
that an alarm has been triggered. There's a sequence of events before
police will respond.
- The courts have upheld the concept that police
are not required to prevent crime.
- There's a reason people hire security guards. The
police are not your personal security team. Simple math shows why this
is so.
An alarm makes a good component of your personal
security plan. But it does not make you secure. To make your home
secure, you need many other things. These include quality deadbolt
locks, strong exterior doors, proper locks on windows, and a proper
firearm plan.
It also helps to have a good neighborhood. This is
really key. Work with your local police on a crime prevention program.
While the police can't be responsible for your personal protection, they
make wonderful coaches. They'll point out areas that need correction.
Also, do your personal part. If a neighbor forgets
to cancel a newspaper subscription before taking a trip (I don't know
why people would subscribe, but many do), get out there and pick up
those papers. Mow the neighbor's lawn, if that keeps the place from
looking unoccupied. Pick up trash along the street--this level of care
lets thieves know this neighborhood is probably not a great choice.
Regardless of how busy our lives are, we improve
our home security by simply visiting with our neighbors. Make a point of
visiting your neighbors. It's one of the best time investments you can
make. In addition to the security advantages, you just might make some
very good friends.
To make your home secure, use technology but don't
rely on it. Your personal security requires your personal involvement. |
6. Health tip/Fitness tips
7. Miscellany
- The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in
1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor.
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8. Thought for the Day
We should start fining people who commit acts of gross stupidity. That
would pay off the $9 trillion national debt in about a week. Maybe
sooner. |
Wishing you the best,
Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection.com
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