Mindconnection eNL, 2015-11-01

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Good News | Product Highlight | Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Thought 4 the Day

Item 1. Graphene, again. Yep. This time, coating a fabric with it makes a wearable gas sensor. Read the full story here: http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/materials/graphenecoated-fabric-makes-for-a-wearable-gas-sensor

Item 2. New foam batteries could revolutionize energy storage. Read the full story here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542796/new-foam-batteries-promise-fast-charging-higher-capacity

Item 3. The Obamanator has only 14 more months in which to pillage the country. Yippee!

Item 4. Well, there's good news for many Americans. The IRS plan to penalize the parents of children who fail to report Halloween candy as income will be limited to waitresses, waiters, teachers, and small business owners. Just kidding;  they don't have such a plan. Yet.

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• Li-Ion Extended Life Battery - A new, high-powered battery combined with more efficient circuitry allows users up to 34 hours of continuous use and 600 hours of standby.
• FlexBand - A flexible headband wrapped in protein leather with an alloy core allows the perfect fit for any size.
• Ear pillows are also wrapped in super-soft leather and designed for ultimate comfort over extended periods of time.
• FlexMic Adjustable Boom - With 270º rotation and a coiled wire armature, the FlexMic adjustable boom allows you to place the microphone exactly where you want it. And we have redesigned our answer/end button for better durability over the long haul.

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• Pillow-soft Protein Leather - An extra soft material designed for better breathability and comfort over extended periods of use.
• Redesigned answer/end button and the multi-function thumb switch allow simple operation.
• Low-Profile LED - All the information you need without the distracting glare created by other leading brands.
• Multi-media capable. Multi-point pairing pairs two phones simultaneously. Listen to iPod or Radio and GPS directions.
• VoxPro Chip - The most advanced Bluetooth® 4.0 processing chip that comes fully featured with industry leading noise cancelation technology, multi-media playback control, and the ability to pair with multiple devices simultaneously.
• Includes an AC adaptor, DC adaptor, USB cable, user manual and an accessory storage box.
• Multi-Function Thumb Switch - Volume and playback control with a simple flick of your thumb.

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Don't over-analyze things, looking at all possible choices. An acquaintance of mine does this, making a federal project out of everything and consequently he spends a lot of time getting nothing actually done.

His method involves mindlessly cranking through "information", most of which is pretty meaningless. During this phase, many people believe they are "analyzing information" when in reality they are going through a mindless chewing of mostly useless data.

You do not need to explore every option. Instead, look at the options you have and if there's a good one then go with that. You'll have to think about why it's good (apply brainpower) and if it will let you meet your intended purpose or goals at a cost that you're comfortable with.

This does not mean to shoot from the hip. It means to use your "brain available" time efficiently and effectively.

You need to develop a feel and understanding for what is good enough. By that, I don't mean the commonly used excuse "good enough" but I mean not chasing the last 0.1% of perfection when 99.9% gets the job nicely done.

As an example of this principle, consider machine tooling tolerances. Suppose the drawing calls for a hole to be 0.5 inches in diameter, +/- 0.005 inches. If you drill the hole at 0.497 inches, it's good enough. It won't matter if you go up to 0.005 inches either direction from 0.5 inches. But if you drill the hole at 0.6 inches, that's not good enough and you just ruined the part. On the other hand, if you spent several hours trying to get the hole exactly 0.5 inches you'd have a very expensive hole that is really no better than the one Fred drilled in 15 seconds at .0497 inches.

You have to know what's important. In the example, this was clearly defined. In many situations, it's not. So define what really matters, and forget about everything else. Focus on what's important.

This is basically taking the big picture approach. If you get mired down in endless minutiae, the net effect is one of taking your brain offline for however long the miring period is. By focusing on what's important and understanding when something is "good enough" you can efficiently do a yeoman's job of it and move on to something else. If you get five times as much done in a day, isn't that something like having four more brains? That's a lot of extra brainpower!

Another problem is if you systematically cut and catalog paper coupons, you're putting in an awful lot of time to save a few cents here and there.

Still yet another problem is how coupons influence choices. If you truly care about your health, most of what goes into your shopping car comes from the produce department. When is the last time you saw a coupon for bok choy or kale? No, the coupons are nearly always for alternatives to food that's fit for human consumption.

Despite these problems, coupons can be worthwhile. The key is to already have your shopping list and then look for coupons to match it instead of the other way around.

You may be immunizing yourself against the stupidity epidemic, and therefore not purchasing a traditional source of paper coupons: the propaganda paper (commonly called a "newspaper"). You can still get coupons. Your first stop is the Website of the store or the manufacturer you're interested in. They often have printable coupons right there. Many times, they have a link that lets you sign up for specials. These get e-mailed to you, and you can often cut the clutter by clicking on selection boxes for what you're interested in. If a particular site bombards you, just unsubscribe.

For better personal security, use an e-mail address other than your main one (to sign up). They may ask for a phone number, but I have yet to see a site that validates the number. So use the number of a telemarketer who's already called you, instead of your own number.

Some of my own favorite store sites, which have announced sales on items I plan to buy anyhow, include Ace Hardware, Home Depot (Lowe's, their competitor, is also good), Bed Bath and Beyond, PetSmart, and Walgreens.

As for manufacturer sites, I don't see how this can possibly be bad and I always sign up. Any time I buy something that has consumables associated with it (e.g., HEPA filter system), I sign up for specials. They'll send me an e-mail when they are overstocked, and I reap some savings on items I would buy anyhow.

One caution I do have is to avoid signing up for contests or sweepstakes. These are almost always a pathway to unsolicited mail, phone calls, and e-mail from third parties. Most contests and sweepstakes make money for their promoters via the sale of the registration information.

If we had a legitimate Congress, they would remove Soetoro ("Obama" is not his legal name). They have plenty of reasons to do so, such as the fact he's using an illegal alias and is not an American citizen. Since Biden is clearly too "mentally disabled" to serve in office, the Speaker of the House would be our next President if Congress acts responsibly. The insurance policy of choosing an obviously ungifted person as your VP can easily be cancelled.

But Soetoro isn't going to resign, maybe not even at the end of his second term. And CONgress (the opposite of progress) isn't going to do its job any time soon.

This leaves us in our current situation in which our dictator is going to great lengths to make us less secure. We can't stop him from doing that, as we lack the tools to peaceably remove him from office and put him in prison where he belongs.

But we can adapt to the circumstances. Since Soetoro has put a heavy focus on making law-abiding citizens defenseless against those who aren't law-abiding, I think focusing in this area is a good use of your resources. Some ways to do that:

• Back civil rights organizations such as the National Rifle Association in working toward protecting our civil liberties from further encroachment.
• Become involved in your own community. Neighborhood watch programs, for example, need people to lead them so they are actually watching.
• Make friends with your city council rep. Stay alert for developments of public safety hazards such as the establishment of "gun free zones" (criminals love these places, when's the last time you heard of someone going on a rampage at a shooting range--never!).
• Coordinate outings to a local shooting range. This is a really good way for neighbors to bond and it's a good way to meet your local cops.
• Check your doors at night before going to bed, but also look at the homes of your nearby neighbors. Geez, did Joe leave his garage door up again?
• Observe what's going on around your home, and on your block, and in your neighborhood. Trouble often telegraphs its arrival, so look for the signs. The same old car rolling slowly down the street, for example.
• Make sure at least two neighbors have your phone number and vice-versa. And it's handy, in case it's needed quickly.
• Remember that you are most vulnerable when entering a "gun free" zone. There are plenty of such dangerous places in nearly any city. Public libraries are an example. Court houses are another example, but they are a special case because they don't just put up a sign that criminals will ignore. They usually have metal detectors and they usually have armed guards. So you're not totally unprotected and totally vulnerable in those places. Still, be vigilant when in a "gun free" zone of any type, because those are very attractive places to violent criminals.

Several people who've seen this photo has asked my how many sit-ups I do each day. I don't do any sit-ups. But I do an ab-specific workout once a week (and it does not involve sit-ups).

I've also been asked how much cardio I do to get so ripped. I don't do any cardio. No running, jogging, treadmill, or any of that kind of stuff.

Long-term readers also know I don't do long workouts. I do short, intense workouts.

Many of the misperceptions about training abs seem to include the idea you can neglect the rest of your body. You can't. When Shawn Phillips, the author of AbSolution, was asked what exercise he does for his amazing abs, he said, "All of them."

What he meant was he does his squats (essential for great abs, by the way) and works his other muscle groups. The abs are just another muscle group. I work mine on Fridays with hanging leg extensions and reverse extensions on the Roman Chair.

I also work them every time I work back and biceps, every time I work chest and triceps, and every time I work shoulders; they stabilize my core as I work with free weights. If you "work out" on machines, this is one reason you need to switch to free weights.

I also work my abs especially hard when I do squats. I've recently added deadlifts, against the advice of my chiropractor, but at this stage they are low-intensity, light weight "finishing work" using just the Olympic bar.

What you eat and how often you eat will determine how much fat covers your abs. You can't do enough sit-ups to make up for poor food choices. Make your meals small, and eat at least six of them a day (the high frequency revs your metabolism). Focus on nutrient-dense, calorie-sparse foods.

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

You can be of service to other people in small ways that can have a big effect. Something simple like just listening can make the other person feel validated and respected. Small kindnesses set a pattern.