It's surprising what you can read

Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the

 ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the

word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Adn I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

NYTimes: Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green?

"America's drafty building methods account for as much as 40 percent of its primary energy use, 70 percent of its electricity consumption and nearly 40 percent of its carbon-dioxide emissions.
A so-called passive home... Its orientation toward the sun and superthick insulation to its algorithmic design and virtually unbroken air envelope — that it requires minimal heating...The additional cost for a passive house, versus a more conventional home, is... a minimum of 10 percent. "
Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green?
Advocates of the passive-house standard for home design say it could greatly improve on America's drafty houses. But it has caught on only in Europe.
http://nyti.ms/9amLkL

Quotation

"What more is there to life than to eat well, love well, and wear good shoes." - Kevin Gandhi.

NYTimes: Too Many Hamburgers?

Telling it like it is. As you can see from this excerpt, he's not mincing any words. This op-ed columnist berates America for allowing our "can-do" esprit de corps to decay over the past few decades.TE
"There is absolutely no reason our democracy should not be able to generate the kind of focus, legitimacy, unity and stick-to-it-iveness to do big things — democratically — that China does autocratically. We've done it before. But we're not doing it now because too many of our poll-driven, toxically partisan, cable-TV-addicted, money-corrupted political class are more interested in what keeps them in power than what would again make America powerful, more interested in defeating each other than saving the country."
OP-ED COLUMNIST: Too Many Hamburgers?
On a visit to China, getting a good look at how the Chinese view us Americans.
http://nyti.ms/di5Em7

NYTimes: Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep

Massage decreases stress-related hormones.

VITAL SIGNS: Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep

Researchers found that a single session of massage caused biological changes, like increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment.

http://nyti.ms/ctP4gA

Tips for a family photo shoot

1. wear something comfortable, colorful but not complex
2. bring a favorite item or two - even a chair or pillow
3. prepare bribes for kids - it works
4. get a good night's sleep
http://smontgomeryphoto.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-02-24T21:46:00-08:00&max-results=7

NYTimes: Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes

Environmentally-friendly cleaners may not clean as well as harsher chemicals, but here's a documented less obvious benefit of them - housekeeping staff reporting less days off or symptoms.
"some users attest to quantifiable benefits. Reports of burns, rashes, dizziness and scratchy throats among housekeeping employees have plummeted at North Central Bronx Hospital and Jacobi Medical Center since the staff switched to new cleaning products in 2004, said Peter Lucey, an associate executive director for support services at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. The number of lost days linked to injuries from the products declined from 54 in 2004 to zero last year, he said. "It's the switch and the training," Mr. Lucey said"

Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes

Many find low-phosphate detergents as appealing as low-flow showers, underscoring the tradeoffs people often face in a more environmentally conscious marketplace.

http://nyti.ms/b1IOhd

Nautical charts on iphone GPS for free

I have used this amazing little program for a while (and their subscription-based driving directions program also) but I was surprised recently to see they've added US nautical charts for free. I have previously paid hundreds of dollars for these charts, that become outdated within a year or so. This is a pretty amazing deal if you ask me.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motionx-gps-lite/id293935935?mt=8

Path of a storm

An interesting set of graphics that look at the concentrated path of destruction this storm. As you can see from these photos, and this video, it was a pretty severe tornado.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/09/17/nyregion/brooklyn-storm-map.html

View your own street view as backdrop for a video - clever.

A colleague heard about this on NPR. It's a music video that's illustrated using the view looking down your own street, whatever street you enter, using google's "street view" data. It's totally cool. Make sure you watch through to the end - half-way through there's an interactive animation (that might seem like it's the end of the video) where you draw something, but then it becomes part of the video.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

More of the story at

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129631778

NYTimes: The 3,000-Mile Oil Change Is Pretty Much History

Send your oil in for diagnostic analysis.

SHORTCUTS: The 3,000-Mile Oil Change Is Pretty Much History

Knowing how often to change your car oil takes more information than in the past. The good news is that it's probably less often.

http://nyti.ms/dn3SNz

3D 'printing' to manufacture objects

This is the best description I;ve seen yet of the capability of desktop 'printing' (or manufacturing by depositing thin layers) of 3D objects in plastic. It's incredible what complex parts they can print in a single printing (see at 1:05 in the video.) TE

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/09/13/technology/1248068999175/desktop-manufacturing.html

In the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/technology/14print.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

I'm not much of a ballet fan, but take a look at these impressive feats of balance and strength.

http://www.nzwide.com/swanlake.htm

NYTimes: F.C.C. Likely to Open New Airwaves to Wireless

Why is the availability of new airwaves such a big deal? Repurposing the old TV broadcast signals uses a wavelength that penetrates buildings and valleys better than current cell phone frequencies.

F.C.C. Likely to Open New Airwaves to Wireless

Allowing anyone to use "white spaces" in the spectrum would open the door to supercharged Wi-Fi networks.

http://nyti.ms/9Az0wH

NYTimes: For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Should you pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? -
"remove baked on food and large chunks, but for the most part, everyone I spoke to said prerinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher was not only unnecessary, it wasted thousands of gallons of water and could actually result in dirtier dishes"

SHORTCUTS: For the Dishwasher's Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Go easy on the detergent in dishwashers and washing machines, and never clean your oven the day before Thanksgiving.

http://nyti.ms/8YSQ8V

Optical illusion used as high-tech speed bump

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/hologram-of-girl-used-as-high-tech-speed-bump/6vxdhhw?rs=car&from=en-us_msnhp&gt1=42007

Google image swirl

Fun to play around with... Google labs idea called 'image swirl' collects like images together, so you can more quickly find the image you want. Type in something that has two meanings, like 'pool' (i.e. swimming pool, pool below a waterfall, or a game of pool) and it collects the images into groups representing those meanings.

http://image-swirl.googlelabs.com/

Read more here.

OP-ED COLUMNIST The Gospel of Wealth By DAVID BROOKS

"...The material world is too soul-destroying. “The American dream radically differs from the call of Jesus and the essence of the Gospel,” he argues... “God actually delights in exalting our inability.” The American dream emphasizes upward mobility, but “success in the kingdom of God involves moving down, not up.”

"Platt’s arguments are old, but they emerge at a postexcess moment, when attitudes toward material life are up for grabs...But the country is clearly redefining what sort of lifestyle is socially and morally acceptable and what is not."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/opinion/07brooks.html?src=me&ref=general

Interrupt my day...

"Lord, interrupt my day with divine appointments to connect with people who You know need it."

"Be careful how you react to interruptions.

That person who interrupts your busy schedule might be exactly the person God wants you to see." -

http://www.doorofhope.org.au/content.php?page_id=259

"Sometimes we are so busy that we don't allow for interruptions, much less see them as divine appointments. We might be "making such good time" that it is hard to stop. Or maybe we are really getting a lot done and checking things off of our to do list and we don't want to break the rhythm of what we're doing. We may be doing a lot of business and having a profitable day and don't want to blow a carefully developed opportunity to do our job well. If we aren't careful, we'll see these interruptions as irritations rather than divine appointments." - http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200407/20040701_interruptions.html

"God’s will comes to us in strange ways, often in the form of interruptions. Just when we think our duties are done for the day and we’ve settled in for a quiet evening at home, someone calls on the telephone or shows up on our doorstep asking for our time. “Are you busy?” they ask.

The best thing to do is to stop looking at these intrusions as interruptions. Instead, we should take them as opportunities that God is sending us to serve those in need—to listen well, to show love, to help them on their journey toward intimacy with God." - http://www.churchofgodcarmichael.org/seniors/walking-in-grace-blog/687-divine-interruptions.html

"I seem to need more reminding of how God works in ways that don’t make sense to me. God has purpose, my duty is to be open and ready for what He allows.

An interruption may be a divine appointment." -

http://www.churchofgodcarmichael.org/seniors/walking-in-grace-blog/687-divine-interruptions.html

NYTimes: Packaging Is All the Rage, and Not in a Good Way

Finally - some common sense about packaging things more cheaply and efficiently for online sales: look how much less packaging can be used ---->.

Packaging Is All the Rage, and Not in a Good Way

Amazon is trying to get manufacturers to make packages easier to open, hoping to reduce consumer "wrap rage."

http://nyti.ms/bdwrWo

25 simple, common-sense tips to lose weight

1. Drink a second cup of coffee. It might lower your risk of adult-onset diabetes…

2. Keep serving dishes off the table.

3. Think before you drink. around 10 teaspoons of added sugar every single day from soft drinks.

4. Practice total recall. British scientists found that people who thought about their last meal before snacking ate 30 percent fewer calories that those who didn't stop to think.

5. Eat protein at every meal.

6. Choose whole-grain bread.

7. Think fish.

9. Cut portions by a quarter.

10. Turn off the TV.

11. Put your fork down when you chew.

12. Choose rye (not wheat) bread for breakfast toast. …were more full 8 hours after breakfast than wheat-bread eater

13. Eat a handful of fruit and vegetables a day.

14. Sip green tea.

15. Work out before lunch or dinner.

16. Hung over? Choose asparagus.

17. Sleep 8 hours a night.

18 Discover miso soup. …can help lower your blood pressure

19. Drink two glasses of milk daily.

20. Take a zinc supplement.

21. Go ahead, eat your favorite foods.

22. Choose foods with the fewest ingredients.

23. Snack on popcorn.

24. Or snack on walnuts. …may boost your HDL (good) cholesterol

25. Scramble your breakfast. …People who ate eggs in the morning instead of a bagel consumed 264 fewer calories the rest of the day [same as rule 5 really]

[See the more detailed explanations for these tips at...]

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/25-best-nutrition-secrets

NYTimes: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

"Psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed advice on study habits is flat wrong.

"...instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention.
"...in a classic 1978 experiment... students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms...did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room...Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding.
"So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing...Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting — alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a new language — seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill at a time. Musicians have known this for years, and their practice sessions often include a mix of scales, musical pieces and rhythmic work. 

"...adults of retirement age were better able to distinguish the painting styles of 12 unfamiliar artists after viewing mixed collections (assortments, including works from all 12) than after viewing a dozen works from one artist, all together, then moving on to the next painter. The finding undermines the common assumption that intensive immersion is the best way...
“The idea is that forgetting is the friend of learning,” said Dr. Kornell. “When you forget something, it allows you to relearn, and do so effectively, the next time you see it.”...The process of retrieving an idea is not like pulling a book from a shelf; it seems to fundamentally alter the way the information is subsequently stored, making it far more accessible in the future...When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its contents for far, far longer. 

“Testing has such bad connotation; people think of standardized testing or teaching to the test,” Dr. Roediger said. “Maybe we need to call it something else, but this is one of the most powerful learning tools we have.”...tests are so often hard. Paradoxically, it is just this difficulty that makes them such effective study tools, research suggests.

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

Psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed advice on study habits is flat wrong.

http://nyti.ms/cPHCsv

Statesman vs. politician

"What is the difference between a politician and a statesman? Here are some answers: (1) A politician thinks of the next election, a statesman thinks of the next generation. (2) A politician thinks of himself first, a statesman thinks of the country first. (3) Anyone elected to office is a politician; a statesman promotes the public good with integrity. Statesmanship conveys a quality of leadership that organically brings people together; and of eldership, a spirit of caring for others and for the whole. (4) A statesman is ever governed by the following principle: I must do what is best for the people as a whole. His job is political probity, even though he may face horrible conditions for carrying it out. (5) A politician makes the possible necessary, while a statesman makes the necessary possible. (6) And my favorite of all: A politician talks the talk; a statesman walks the walk."

From

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090905-223616/The-statesman-and-the-retreatant

Nurse Anesthetists want to "fly solo."

Flawed data - nurse anesthetists are given the least risky cases, and even more so when they are practicing solo. Less sick patients will always do better.TE See the editorial in the NYT. No Harm to Patients From Unsupervised Nurse Anesthetists, Study Finds Medscape Medical News , 2010-08-06

August 6, 2010 — Allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to provide anesthesia without physician supervision resulted in no evidence of increased inpatient deaths or complications, a new study published in the August issue of Health Affairs found.

The analysis of Medicare data for 1999 to 2005, encompassing more than 481,000 hospitalizations, found that allowing CRNAs to work independently without oversight by an anesthesiologist or surgeon had little or no effect on mortality and morbidity rates.

Authors Brian Dulisse and Jerry Cromwell, health economists at the Research Triangle Institute in Waltham, Massachusetts, recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) permit the nation's 37,000 nurse anesthetists to work independently without first requiring state governments to formally petition for an exemption, as 14 states have already done. "This would free surgeons from the legal responsibility for anesthesia services provided by other professionals. It would also lead to more cost-effective care as the solo practice of CRNAs increases," the authors said.

The research was funded by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), which applauded the study. "Since the late 1990s, we've been on record calling for the elimination of supervision for nurse anesthetist services," AANA President-Elect Paul Santoro, CRNA, MS, told Medscape Medical News. "This antiquated regulation places undue costs on the healthcare system. Local institutions should be free to decide for themselves. This study confirms our position and is supported by several previous studies."

In a blistering response posted on its Web site yesterday, the American Society of Anesthesiologists said theHealth Affairs study "is an advocacy manifesto masquerading as science and does a disservice to the public. It makes dangerous public policy recommendations on the basis of inadequate data, flawed analysis and distorted facts."

CMS reimbursement rules prohibited payments to CRNAs unless they are supervised by either an anesthesiologist or the surgeon. In 2001, CMS issued a rule that states could seek an exemption from the oversight rule.

By 2005, 14 governors in mostly rural states were granted permission to opt out of the supervision requirement. "Solo practice by CRNAs is especially important in rural areas, where anesthesiologists are in short supply," Dulisse and Cromwell write.

The authors used Medicare inpatient (part A) and carrier (part B) data to study inpatient mortality and complications. It included 481,440 hospitalizations, of which 68,744 were in states that opted out of the supervision requirement.

They found that the proportion of surgeries performed in which anesthesia was administered by CRNAs without supervision increased by 5 percentage points in both opt-out and non-opt-out states.

"Despite the shift to more anesthetics performed by nurse anesthetists, no increase in adverse outcomes was found.... In fact, declining mortality was the norm," they said. "The mortality rate for the nurse anesthetist solo group was lower than for the anesthesiologist solo group.

"These results do not support the hypothesis that allowing states to opt out of the supervision requirement resulted in increased surgical risks to patients. Nor do the results support the claim that patients will be exposed to increased risk as a consequence of more nurse anesthetists' practicing without physician supervision," they concluded.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists said the study "reflects the weaknesses of billing data when used to make an assessment of safety and quality." The data do not distinguish between complications resulting from surgery or anesthesia, nor do they discriminate between conditions existing before surgery and those resulting from surgical or anesthetic care.

"The existing Medicare policy requiring physician supervision of nurse anesthesia is rooted in the overwhelming preference of patients, particularly Medicare beneficiaries, for a physician to be responsible for their anesthesia care. Suggesting that this patient preference be pushed aside on the basis of flimsy analytics is irresponsible," said the statement from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

NYTimes: Your Own Hot Spot, and Cheap

Mifi - the wave of the future. "If Virgin can make money from this, it boggles the mind how overpriced the competition is". A credit-card-sized, $40-a-month portable wifi. Pretty cool. Read how incredulous David Pogue is as he describes it. TE

STATE OF THE ART: Your Own Hot Spot, and Cheap

Virgin Mobile's MiFi is nearly like the ones offered by Sprint and Verizon but with three exceptions: an unlimited data plan, no contract and a $40-a-month service fee.

http://nyti.ms/cx3wIj