Mindconnection eNL, 2017-11-19

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Item 1. Vanadium flow batteries solve several problems for large-scale energy storage. Read the full story here:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/fuel-cells/its-big-and-longlived-and-it-wont-catch-fire-the-vanadium-redoxflow-battery

Item 2. The Evil Empire has been hammered in courts around the world for its despicable behavior. Now a state Attorney General in the USA has Google in its rifle sights. Read the full story, here:
https://searchengineland.com/missouri-attorney-general-initiates-google-antitrust-investigation-286610?

The case, if successfully prosecuted, will lead to federal action despite the money Google has thrown at various federal judges, investigators, and legislators.

Item 3. This very company (Mindconnection, LLC) recently collected on a class action fraud suit against the Evil Empire. That was satisfying, but not nearly as satisfying as seeing Eric Schmidt behind bars would be. The preceding item could lead to that outcome, proving that even very wealthy psychopaths can be held accountable in the USA (an isolated case, but still proof it "can" happen).

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Main features:

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You've no doubt heard the phrase "information overload." This phrase misuses the English language and obfuscates the real problem. It's not information per se that is being overloaded and it's not an overload per se that's occurring.

Let me give you an example. Years ago, people would sit down and read a meaty article in a magazine or trade journal. Did they read for three minutes at a time before shifting their focus to something else? No, they immersed themselves into the article. Today, many people actually object to well-crafted, informative articles and claim the reason is "information overload." Certainly, a 1500 word article is not a major project to read. But you do need to set aside a block of time for you to be able to read and understand it. So what is going on?

The person who is suffering from "information overload" is not making front-end decisions about what to pay attention to. There's little or no prioritization or filtering. They try to take it all in, often from multiple sources at once. The result is a massive intake of noise, but not a useful absorption of information.

In the process control world, "information" has a special meaning. A system is designed to collect, collate, filter, and query data (such as 10,000 process inputs) to produce usable information. You can get usable information that one machine is starting to overheat, but with this system you don't need to troll through 10,000 variables every minute yourself to determine that. Only what you need to know (based on predetermined rules designed to facilitate decision-making) is presented.

Imagine if you were driving your car and were constantly bombarded with performance data such as tire pressures, manifold vacuum, oil pressure, RPM, coolant temperature, alternator output, etc. You'd be so numbed by this "information overload" (which is really data spewing and noise) that you'd tune it out. Any information you need to know would go unnoticed. But instead, we have things like an oil pressure light that lights up only when there's a problem.

Fractured time is the result of paying attention to too many things, and slicing up your time in a vain attempt to take in the flow of data and noise you allow to be spewed at you. Instead of adding value, this flood of unfiltered clutter is diluting real information. You actually know less by trying to take in more. Worse, you lack the time to focus on what you do know and truly understand it.

The solution is to decide what's important for you to know, and give everything else a very low priority or exclude it entirely. What "information" is merely garbage with transitory or no value?

The mudstream media "news" ranks very high on the list of things to eliminate, because it's always wrong, always biased, always misleading, always negative, and never relevant (it's about things you can't control, so why bother wasting time with it?). Yes, I did use those absolute terms "always" and "never" even though there's an infinitesimal chance someone could find an anecdotal exception.

Many people get caught up in texting, e-mails, social media, etc., letting these things interrupt whatever they are doing. And if the phone rings, they forget the phone is the object and they are (presumably) the intelligent life form. Slavishly, they stop whatever they are doing to let the phone direct their next action.

Every interruption fractures your time. And time-fracturing reduces your ability to take in useful information and effectively process what you've taken in. Major IQ drop, in effect.

What you want to do is devote blocks of time to such things as:

• Financial planning.
• Career or business planning.
• Other planning that is important to you.
• Reading non-fiction books.
• Reading usefully informative non-fiction magazines (this eliminates all "news" magazines and fluff like People).
• Reading informative e-newsletters (like this one!).
• Having meaningful conversations (which are interesting, because you took the time to do all that reading).
• Noticing the world around you. Visiting a museum, park, zoo, or other attraction should be done in a reserved block of time so that you are fully present in the experience.

Don't let those blocks of time be interrupted. If, for example, you are talking with a friend that text or incoming call can simply wait (unless you suspect it might be an emergency or you are expecting it and told your friend at the outset). If you put serious thought into this issue and plan your life accordingly, you'll avoid a (now) common that in many cases drops a person's IQ to essentially zero. You can't think or learn if you're not taking the time to do so; in a fractured time environment, you are not taking that time.

• Defer maintenance. This translates into "set yourself up for an expensive breakdown." I saw millions of dollars wasted at company after company all because someone decided to save a few bucks rather than invest them in breakdown prevention. In one example, the company "saved" $11 whole dollars by skipping a chemical treatment for a chilled water system and it cost over $15,000 to repair the damage. Downtime was over $85,000. And nobody got fired!
  
  At home: Your car, furnace, washing machine, refrigerator lawn mower, etc., all need maintenance. Do you know what is needed?
   
• Use outdated equipment rather than upgrade. In many companies, only the top executives get computers that are suitable for the tasks done by mid-level people (mid-level people get underpowered machines). In one company that saddled the rank and file with inadequate computers (most over 5 years old), the CEO got a new one every six months. But he never used it. Ever. Now, figure a 20% productivity drag on a $1.5 million monthly payroll. That's $3.6 million lost each year. But hey, they saved $110K/yr on computer upgrades so maybe by some sort of "new math" this can be justified.
  
  At home: Get rid of your chipped-up screwdrivers, worn-out broom, and anything else that really isn't up to the job anymore. You will save time by not messing up your work using worn out equipment (safer, too). Consider upgrading aged appliances to newer, more energy-efficient models.
   
• Skip training. I never could figure out how this was supposed to save money. If people lack the training to do their jobs right, how is that situation cost-efficient?
  
  At home: Don't "wing it". Read the user guides that come with the products you buy. Read books and/or watch videos on how to do something you have little or no experience doing. The difference in outcome can be huge.
   
• Abuse people. Some of the bosses I have encountered (my own or others in the company) were operating about six levels above their maximum level of competence and tried to make up for their well-deserved insecurity and their incompetence by abusing those below them. The result was low morale, reduced productivity, and high turnover.
  
  At home (and elsewhere): Remember that you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. If, for example, you receive an incorrect billing don't contact the provider and unload on whomever answers the phone. Be pleasant and ask for help, and you will get help. Note that this does not work with the IRS; be pleasant and refer them to your attorney.
   
• Treat cleanliness as optional. I once worked in an office that, due to budget cuts, had janitorial service only once a week. The grunge was disgusting. This company had clientele that sometimes visited. When one of them complained about the filth to the CEO, daily janitorial service was resumed. Unfortunately, the carpet had been ruined and had to be replaced.
  
  At home: Remember that a clean home not only helps prevent illness but it is also enervating and more enjoyable. Sure, you're going to take shortcuts when under time pressure and not quite do a good job. But don't let that be a habit.
   
• Skimp on the basics. This same company that cut back on janitorial also put limits on consumables. We ran out of toilet paper in the bathrooms and printer paper in the office. These are not expensive items. This same company allotted $60K per year as travel budgets for some mid-level people. Where do you think cost-savings could have come from?
  
  At home: Don't go nuts stocking up on things, but don't go the other direction either. Make sure you have enough dishwasher and clothes washer "soap" (it's not really soap) on hand that you don't leave dirty dishes or dirty clothes piling up or you don't substitute something that can damage the machine. What else do you need to do to prevent wasted trips to the store? (And remember, don't overdo it).
   
• Pay bills late. I worked for a manufacturer that routinely paid invoices weeks after they were due. Most of these were to small service providers. There were times when nobody in town would perform some needed service for this company due to this arrogant form of stealing, and that meant resorting to an out of town provider and paying their travel and lodging expenses.
  
  At home: Don't play grace period games or see what you can get by with. Paying bills on time has many advantages, though they can take years to accumulate.

In each of the examples above, there was blatant waste the company could have eliminated rather than cut the particular cost mentioned. But it was just easier to cut some expenditure that didn't need to be cut. The result was always much more cost than what was "saved."

Think of ways you might be wasting money. Think really hard. Make a list.

Do the same for ways you save money, and ask if you're really saving money.

I know a guy who has a second car that is more fuel-efficient than the one he normally drives. He saves five or six bucks a month on gasoline. But how much is he spending on insurance for that extra car? Repairs, property tax, maintenance, and other costs also come into play. Not to mention the space taken up in his garage.

This kind of false economics is more common than you might think. Try to eliminate it from your life, entirely.

When it comes to what goes into your body, do you economize intelligently? Most people do not. You are what you eat, why would you want to be junk? People often balk at the cost of fruit and vegetables. Thus one of the ways most people "save money" at the grocery store is to buy the subsidized Monsanto poison products (e.g., meat, wheat, corn, and soy) rather than spending a little more on nutritious, non-toxic food.

The cost differential between 70 years of buying broccoli instead of processed grain is nothing compared to losing every penny you've got every month for medical bills while dying in misery from a food-inflicted disease.

Always evaluate spending choices based on the whole picture. Always ask what you gain or lose with a given spending or saving decision. Examine the economics of the decision, including its long-term cost and its risk.

Don't confuse this with aggressiveness. Take care not to exude an aggressive or annoyed manner when being assertive. Else, that self-absorbed person with delusions of privilege who is being rude will be "offended" and then it's all about you instead of that person's inappropriate behavior. And it can get really ugly.

Your first line of defense is to think of the offender as a friend who inadvertently made a mistake. Then address that mistake in a friendly way.

If you seem hostile, what is the other person's response going to be? Hostility. If you greet the other person with a friendly tone and neutral language, what is that person's response going to be? Probably to please you, since most people are approval-seeking beings.

It's important to not make a big deal about the offense. State the issue concisely. For example, a litterbug tosses a wrapper on the ground on the way into the store. "Whoops, you missed the trash can. I've got this, don't worry about it." The person gets the message (don't litter) while believing he got away with it because stupid old you thought he meant to throw the wrapper in the proper container.

What if you'd said nothing? Well, that is a problem with our society. Rudeness increases because people put up with it. Remember, "Evil multiplies when good men do nothing."

If you handle these situations with a pleasant tone and unthreatening, non-judgmental language, you avoid triggering a potentially dangerous situation.

Also, don't feel you need to comment on every possible infraction of proper behavior you encounter. You want to stay out of the mode of being judgmental and looking for fault in what others say or do. As noted at the outset, occasions arise. Don't go looking to create one.

There are stacks of junk everywhere, dirty clothes strewn about, unwashed dishes piled in a sink, food scraps on the kitchen floor, pet waste on the living room rug, and a dining room that has been converted into a junk storage room. The garage, empty when this person moved in, is jammed with boxes of unnecessary purchases and unboxed items stacked from floor to ceiling.

Suppose the resident of this home wants to pay you $500 for your advice on what to do after he finally realized something is terribly wrong. First, he wants to know how this happened.

What would you say to that first question? That the house got messy? It was an inevitability, not at all his fault? Or would you say the condition is the accumulation of many poor choices he made over time?

The mess is not the problem, it is merely a symptom of the problem. The problem is a chronic case of poor decision-making.

What should this person do? Work off the mess? Go on a crazy, unsustainable diet? Whoops, sorry, wrong area of poor decision making there. Or is it?

How is this really different from the situation where a person wakes up to "I am way too fat!" and gets  advice that totally ignores the real problem and how to fix it?

Whether you have just gotten a little out of shape or exhibit full-blown obesity, the solution is not to "lose weight."

And rather than say people are "overweight" we need to say they have a chronic case of poor decision-making. A person isn't "fat," a person is "smart choice disabled."

How does someone become "overweight?" One spoonful at a time. How do you fix that? One spoonful at a time.

Not necessarily a spoon, of course. It's what you put in your mouth that takes you toward having too much body fat or toward being healthy.

Now, consider something. When a person has excess body fat, the poor food decisions have had other effects. These include a build-up of plaque in the colon, poor bone health, reduced brain health, reduced heart health, and hormone imbalance.

This last one is a key area to focus on. An obese body has a diseased or dysfunctional endocrine system; that's why it's obese. With ultra-rare exception, that endocrine system becomes diseased or dysfunctional because of poor food choices over time.

Top photo taken 16SEP2016, just days before 56th birthday; bottom photo taken 3 days after 56th birthday

We're coming into the annual "pack on the body fat" season here in the USA. Six weeks of dietary abuse, typically followed by ten and a half months of getting rid of 80% of that newly gained fat. That means a diseased body all year long. Most people feel obligated to join in the health abuse. They are afraid of "offending" other people, but for some reason are not afraid of offending their own bodies.

Do you think anyone who might be "offended" that you respect your body enjoys being sick? Probably, they envy you for doing what they know they should do. And if you are respectful in how you go about this, you will probably motivate those people to follow your lead.

I first got serious about food choices at a very young age. My mom asked me what I wanted for a birthday cake, and I said cake was not healthy so don't make me one. I was only eight at the time. As you can see, I have quite a bit of experience (relative to how long I've lived) in making my healthy choices rather than the expected ones. Here are some tips on how to protect your health in this fat-gain season without causing social problems:

• Be consistent. If the people who know you understand that you make smart food choices, they won't be surprised when you make smart food choices at a gathering that includes people who might not necessarily do so.
   
• Don't play food cop. You are free to make your own choices. Let others have that freedom, too. Don't watch what they eat and tell them what's wrong with it; that discussion needs to happen at a different time and place if at all.
   
• Set the record straight. Suppose you're at a family gathering and someone asks you if you want some stuffing (which is hard on your endocrine system). You smile and decline, but do ask Joe to pass you the pecans. Jill scoffs that you are a "health nut." You don't want to be baited into food arguments, but this name-calling is both bassackwards and belittling. Jill is saying your food choices are irrational, and others might buy that lie and then find you annoying. Counter with something like, "I am health-positive and I am not a nut."
   
• Plan ahead. If you're invited to an occasion that's out of town, express your delight and ask when "we might talk a bit about how to vary things somewhat from the traditional." Then offer a suggestion. For example, "We can bake those pumpkin pies using oat flour." Or if sugared cranberry is always served, mention an alternative that is really good (e.g., sliced apples powdered with cinnamon and lightly baked or perhaps fresh figs if you can find them). Make it a positive conversation, and frame it as one where the goal is to bring something new and exciting to the table.
   
• Stand tall. People who are physically fit look great around other fit people but for some reason that aura often fades around the unfit. What's going on? It's a subconscious "fit in" response where (among other things) you slouch. Stay mindful of your posture, instead. Chin up, shoulders back, chest out, tummy in. Doing this instead of the slouch is a powerful way to assert your right to make healthy choices.

This last tip is perhaps the most important. If you look like you are doing something right, people will tend to assume you are doing something right and they will probably want to know what your "secret" is. Rather than being scolded for your choices, you'll be seen as a role model for health. If your choices are questioned, the questions are likely to be honest efforts to learn from you. Be gracious, and be sure to thank the person who asked.

Chubby Aunt Lois with her obsessive calorie counting and limited diet might be seen as a health nut. You can choose to be seen as a health model.

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

Contrary to popular misconception, humans actually have a keen sense of smell. We can, in fact, outdo dogs in detecting some smells. One problem is we tend to ignore what we smell, and another problem is many of us cover it up by wearing perfumes and fragrances (most of which are toxic).