Lifehack Zine

Eyeglasses Upgrade Helps Elderly Battle Depression - Yahoo! News

2007-11-12T20:57:00.001-05:00

Eyeglasses Upgrade Helps Elderly Battle Depression - Yahoo! News

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Free Stuff

2007-04-05T21:27:00.001-04:00

Free Events, Free Things to do in New York City, New York, NY, NYC: free Culture & free Entertainment in New York City

You Get What You Think You Bought

2007-01-07T08:36:00.001-05:00

Recent research has found, you get what you think you paid for. All of us judge products based on our beliefs and expectations, which have been shaped over time by experience. For instance, many consumers have developed an expectation (conscious or unconscious) that cheap products and services will be less effective.

You Get What You Think You Bought: Money & Happiness - Yahoo! Finance

How to go to M.I.T. for free

2007-01-06T07:16:00.001-05:00

By Gregory M. Lamb, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Thu Jan 4, 3:00 AM ETBy the end of this year, the contents of all 1,800 courses taught at one of the world's most prestigious universities will be available online to anyone in the world, anywhere in the world. Learners won't have to register for the classes, and everyone is accepted.ADVERTISEMENTThe cost? It's all free of charge.The OpenCourseWare movement, begun at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002 and now spread to some 120 other universities worldwide, aims to disperse knowledge far beyond the ivy-clad walls of elite campuses to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn.

How to go to M.I.T. for free - Yahoo! News

Internet search veterans go to colleges to stay hip

2006-12-29T08:03:00.001-05:00

BERKELEY, United States (AFP) - Aging Internet pioneers are searching for fountains of youth on college campuses in a bid to stay hip and innovative in the fierce technology marketplace.ADVERTISEMENTIn a competitive tactic that marries marketplace rules of engagement with boundless student creativity, technology titans are setting up research centers at universities.When Yahoo opened a lab at the University of California, Berkeley campus in July 2005 it was the second of its kind there.The San Jose, California-based computer chip maker Intel had already set up shop.Yahoo went on to establish similar ties with Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, and at University of Chile in Santiago.

Internet search veterans go to colleges to stay hip - Yahoo! News

LaLa Sings My Song!

2006-12-28T19:00:00.001-05:00

In a bizarre amalgamation of virtual and physical business, the dying independent terrestrial turned internet radio station WOXY is being revived by online CD swapping service Lala. Lala is tangible evidence that online music doesn’t have to kill the CD industry. At first I was skeptical, but after spending more time on the site I think this radio strategy is very smart. See also our previous coverage of the company here.Lala users identify CDs they want mailed to them for $1 plus 75 cents shipping. Other users who have those CDs available for swapping are notified and put them in the mail. Lala keeps the dollar and donates a portion of it (as much as $50k in a month so far) to a Foundation that supports artists. Users can also chose to purchase CDs for immediate delivery.

Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Lala Leverages Internet Radio for CD Swapping, Sales

Brain training can have lasting benefits

2006-12-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

CHICAGO - Brief sessions of brain exercise can have long-lasting benefits for elderly people, helping them stay mentally fit for at least five years, one of the most rigorous tests of the "use-it-or-lose-it" theory suggests.
ADVERTISEMENT

For people age 73 on average, just 10 sessions — less time than it takes to stay physically fit — helped keep their brains sharp.

The brain training involved hour-long classes and included exercises done on a computer. While it is uncertain if similar results would occur with mental exercise done at home, other research has shown that intellectual tasks such as crossword puzzles and reading can help keep the brain sharp as people grow old.

The study is "the toughest test of these hypotheses to date," said Jeff Elias, chief of cognitive aging at the behavioral science research branch of the National Institute on Aging, which helped pay for the $15 million study.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061219/ap_on_he_me/brain_training

Online shrine visits stir debate in Japan

2006-12-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

TOKYO (Reuters) - Does god exist in cyberspace?

Japanese are split on the issue as an increasing number of Shinto shrines offer virtual visits on Web sites and sell amulets online.

Alarmed by the services, the Tokyo-based Association of Shinto Shrines plans to issue either a report or guidelines next year on shrines' use of the Internet, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said in its English edition on Sunday.

The group, which supervises around 80,000 shrines across the country, sent out notices in July saying: "No Shinto god exists on the Internet."

"Shinto gods are enshrined in a place and space of a shrine, and therefore it's fundamental for worshippers to actually visit the shrine," Yoshiya Senoo, chief of the association's research division, was quoted as saying.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061217/wr_nm/japan_religion_internet_dc

Exploring the joys of expatriate life

2006-12-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago this week — back at a time when I was a couple years out of college and at a professional dead-end in life — I packed my essentials into two suitcases and moved to Busan,South Korea. The weeks that immediately followed in my new Asian hometown proved to be among the strangest of my life up to that point. Suddenly thrown into a new environment, unable to speak the language or grasp the nuances of the culture, I was like a child again. All sense of self-sufficiency vanished as the simplest activities — shopping, taking the bus, ordering food — turned into complicated challenges. Away from home, away from the rehearsed responses and instinctive comforts of a familiar place, day-to-day life became entirely unpredictable and intensely real

http://travel.news.yahoo.com/b/rolf_potts/20061120/rolf_potts/rolf_potts13577

Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians

2006-12-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

FRIDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) -- As a child's IQ rises, his taste for meat in adulthood declines, a new study suggests.

British researchers have found that children's IQ predicts their likelihood of becoming vegetarians as young adults -- lowering their risk for cardiovascular disease in the process. The finding could explain the link between smarts and better health, the investigators say.

"Brighter people tend to have healthier dietary habits," concluded lead author Catharine Gale, a senior research fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre of the University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061215/hl_hsn/kidswithhighiqsgrowuptobevegetarians

Mozart's entire musical score now free on Internet

2006-12-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Mozart's year-long 250th birthday party is ending on a high note with the musical scores of his complete works available from Monday for the first time free on the Internet.

The International Mozart Foundation in Salzburg, Austria has put a scholarly edition of the bound volumes of Mozart's more than 600 works on a Web site.

The site allows visitors to find specific symphonies, arias or even single lines of text from some 24,000 pages of music.

"We had 45,000 hits in the first two hours...we would not have expected that," program director Ulrich Leisinger told Reuters in a telephone interview.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061211/wr_nm/arts_music_mozart_dc

New York Times Surrenders To Social News

2006-12-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has decided to let users post stories directly from their site to Digg, Facebook, and Newsvine. As of Monday, the paper will embed links to all three sites to most of their online stories.

The new link will not be embedded into stories used on the paper’s premium content site, TimesSelect, staff blogs or wire stories.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/10/new-york-times-surrenders-to-social-news/

Wikia Announces Free Wiki Hosting

2006-12-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Wikia founder Jimmy Wales believes in “free content for all.” That is why the company launched OpenServing today, a service that is giving away complete Web hosting support to any wiki developer - for free!

OpenServing allows anyone to setup and maintain their own collaborative site. Wales told TechCrunch in a phone call today that OpenServing is also intended to go beyond wiki hosting to include free software, free applications, etc. “Basically, anything goes into the model of free culture,” he said.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/11/wikia-announces-free-wiki-hosting/

2006-12-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

Smashing the Clock

No schedules. No mandatory meetings. Inside Best Buy's radical reshaping of the workplace

By Michelle Conlin
BusinessWeek Online

One afternoon last year, Chap Achen, who oversees online orders at Best Buy Co., shut down his computer, stood up from his desk, and announced that he was leaving for the day. It was around 2 p.m., and most of Achen's staff were slumped over their keyboards, deep in a post-lunch, LCD-lit trance. "See you tomorrow," said Achen. "I'm going to a matinee."

Under normal circumstances, an early-afternoon departure would have been totally un-Achen. After all, this was a 37-year-old corporate comer whose wife laughs in his face when he utters the words "work-life balance." But at Best Buy's Minneapolis headquarters, similar incidents of strangeness were breaking out all over the ultramodern campus. In employee relations, Steve Hance had suddenly started going hunting on workdays, a Remington 12-gauge in one hand, a Verizon LG in the other. In the retail training department, e-learning specialist Mark Wells was spending his days bombing around the country following rocker Dave Matthews. Single mother Kelly McDevitt, an online promotions manager, started leaving at 2:30 p.m. to pick up her 11-year-old son Calvin from school. Scott Jauman, a Six Sigma black belt, began spending a third of his time at his Northwoods cabin.

http://biz.yahoo.com/special/allbiz120606_article1.html

2006-12-03T08:59:00.000-05:00

Money and Me, Me, Me

By Greg Miller
ScienceNOW Daily News
16 November 2006

It's often said that money changes people. Now a team of experimental psychologists has found that just thinking of money changes people. With money on their minds, experimental subjects became more focused on themselves--in both good ways and bad.

Psychologist Kathleen Vohs says she started thinking about the psychology of money when she moved from a postdoctoral position to her first faculty job. The big salary increase meant she could hire a mover instead of relying on help from friends. It certainly made the move easier, Vohs says, but she missed the camaraderie of sharing pizza and beer after a big group effort. The experience led her to hypothesize that while money makes people more independent, it can also act as an isolating social barrier.

Money and Me, Me, Me -- Miller 2006 (1116): 3 -- ScienceNOW

Classical lovers high on more than music

2006-12-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

Do you prefer La Traviata while on magic mushrooms, or Berlioz after a spliff? You may not be alone.

A study by University of Leicester psychologist Adrian North has found the music you love may suggest how you live — including your likelihood of taking drugs.

His research suggests that more than one quarter of classical music fans use cannabis and 12.3 per cent of opera buffs have tried magic mushrooms.

North surveyed 2,500 British music lovers for a study that will appear in the journal Psychology of Music.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/09/14/musical-tastes.html

Learning Increases Passion: When You Know More You Appreciate More

2006-12-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

Learning music changes music. Learning about wine changes wine. Learning about Buddhism changes Buddhism. And learning Excel changes Excel.If we want passionate users, we might not have to change our products - we have to change how our users experience them.

And that change does not necessarily come from product design, development, and especially marketing.

It comes from helping users learn.

Learning adds resolution to what you offer. And the change happens not within the product, but between the user's ears. The more you help your users learn and improve, the greater the chance that they'll become passionate.

http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/01/14/learning_increases_passion_when_you.htm

2006-12-01T10:07:00.001-05:00

Amazing flame fractals take your breath away

http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2346-10878_11-33277-20.html

China's Green Tech Boom

2006-12-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

China's voracious appetite for energy, its growing contribution to global warming and gargantuan pollution problems present huge opportunities for green tech entrepreneurs and investors, according to a panel of venture capitalists and seasoned China hands who spoke this morning on...
http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2006/11/chinas_green_te.html

2006-11-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

Lessons from an Economic Maestro

by Ben Stein

Monday, November 27, 2006

Publish

My old boss and colleague, Norman Lear, had a saying he often used: "A man's life is his greatest work of art." Of course, he meant women, too.

I've been thinking about that a great deal since Thursday, when I learned, to my shock, that the genius economist-political scientist-polemicist Milton Friedman had died at 94.

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/yourlife/14495

2006-11-29T19:57:00.001-05:00

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/yourlife/14495

You Too! on YouTube

2006-11-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

YouTube makes the move on TV's "old rich people"

11/27/2006 8:23:51 AM, by Jeremy Reimer

When most of us think of YouTube, we think of crazy videos of skateboarders crashing, or pudgy teenagers pretending to be Star Wars action heroes. Such "user-created content" does make up a hefty part of YouTube's repository, but according to several demographic surveys, the types of people who are watching it are not what people might assume at first. In fact, ther're mostly the people that the TV networks hate to see leave.

According to an eMarketer audience report, the group of people who watch YouTube videos the most are the 35-64 group, at 54.5 percent. In contrast, people aged from 2-34 comprise 41.3 percent of YouTube viewers, with the 25-34 subgroup comprising 19.1 percent of the total. Kids aged 12-17 made up only 12.6 percent of the total.

Falls Have Become the Leading Cause of Injury Deaths for Seniors

2006-11-16T19:19:00.000-05:00

Falls Have Become the Leading Cause of Injury Deaths for SeniorsThursday November 16, 2:49 pm ETCDC Report Reveals That Men More Likely to Experience Fatality Than WomenATLANTA, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Fall-related death rates for men and women 65 years and older increased significantly from 1993 to 2003, according to a report released today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).In 2003, more than 13,700 older adults died from falls, making them the leading cause of injury deaths among people 65 and older. From 1993 to 2003 fatal falls increased by more than 55 percent -- with more men (46.2 percent) dying from falls than women (31.1 percent). The report also indicates that in 2003 almost 1.8 million seniors were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries from falls and more than 460,000 were hospitalized. In 2000, the direct medical costs for falls among older adults were approximately $19 billion.

Falls Have Become the Leading Cause of Injury Deaths for Seniors: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Wal-Mart adds 11 more states to $4 generics plan

2006-11-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT - news) said on Thursday it would begin selling certain generic prescription drugs for $4 in 11 new states, including Massachusetts, bringing the total to 38 states.ADVERTISEMENTThe world's biggest retailer, which launched the $4 generic drug program in Florida in September, said the program would be available in Washington, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia as of Thursday

Wal-Mart adds 11 more states to $4 generics plan - Yahoo! News

Polar bear survival rate falls as climate warms: study

2006-11-16T19:11:00.000-05:00

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Polar bear cubs in Alaska's Beaufort Sea are much less likely to survive compared to about 20 years ago, probably due to melting sea ice caused by global warming, a study released on Wednesday said.ADVERTISEMENTThe study, published by theU.S. Geological Survey, estimated that only 43 percent of polar bear cubs in the southern Beaufort Sea survived their first year during the past five years, compared to a 65 percent survival rate in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Polar bear survival rate falls as climate warms: study - Yahoo! News

Personalized mini scrapbooks perfect for the holidays

2006-11-14T18:57:00.002-05:00

Fall brings cooler weather and longer nights and makes me want to curl up with a good book. While I love the printed page, the addition of photos only makes a good thing better.And if the old saying is true - that a picture is worth a thousand words - just imagine the value if the picture is a photo and the words tell the story behind the photo. A scrapbook is the perfect combination of pictures and words, souvenirs and embellishments. And there's no better time to create a scrapbook than fall, when the natural lighting is perfect and visits with friends and family are likely. When most people are wondering how to hand make a pumpkin pie from scratch, you might turn your attention to a 5-by-7 inch mini book that you can personalize with your own two hands.

kitsapsun.com: Home & Garden

WARREN BUFFETT: THE BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR

2006-11-14T18:57:00.001-05:00

CNBC′s Liz Claman Sits Down For A Rare Interview With Warren Buffett For A CNBC Special WARREN BUFFETT: THE BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR On Monday, November 20 At 8:00 pm And 11:00 pm ESTIn a rare interview with the world′s second richest person, Warren Buffet, CNBC anchor Liz Claman takes an inside look into his surprisingly simple life in WARREN BUFFETT: THE BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR, a CNBC one-hour special that will air on CNBC on Monday, November 20th at 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM ET.The result is an hour-long fascinating look at the man and an opportunity for CNBC viewers to learn firsthand from the world′s most famous investor.Buffet takes Claman on a personal tour of his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska from his grandfather′s store where he turned his first profit selling chewing gum and soda, to the $31,500 house he′s owned for almost a half-century. The unassuming billionaire says, "I like the way I was living when I was in my 20′s. I still like that way...I like to go home and put on a sweat suit."

Reality TV Website.com - Reality TV News

Testing boosts recall, study says

2006-11-14T18:57:00.000-05:00

The simple act of taking a test helps you remember everything you've learned, even if it's not on the test, new U.S. research suggests.In a study of 84 undergraduate students, psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis found that untested students recalled significantly less of what they had studied — even after having extra time to go over the material.Researchers argue in the November issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology that tests are more than efficient scoring tools. They are a "powerful memory enhancer."

Thanks for the memories: Testing boosts recall, study says

Big boost to US renewable energy could cost nothing

2006-11-14T18:56:00.000-05:00

Switching a large fraction of US energy to renewable sources by 2025 could involve no increase in cost, says an independent US think thank, as long as current price trends hold firm.Renewable sources currently provide about 6% of the energy used in the US. The new RAND report concludes this could be boosted to a total of 18% by 2025, equivalent to 25% of electricity and motoring fuel, at no extra cost. The provisos are that the price of renewable energy continues its downward trend and that predictions of future oil prices are roughly accurate.

Big boost to US renewable energy could cost nothing - earth - 14 November 2006 - New Scientist

Natural-born painkiller found in human saliva

2006-11-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

Saliva from humans has yielded a natural painkiller up to six times more powerful than morphine, researchers say.The substance, dubbed opiorphin, may spawn a new generation of natural painkillers that relieve pain as well as morphine but without the addictive and psychological side effects of the traditional drug.

Natural-born painkiller found in human saliva - health - 13 November 2006 - New Scientist

More college students taking Web courses

2006-11-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Roughly one in six students enrolled in higher education — about 3.2 million people — took at least one online course last fall, a sharp increase defying predictions that online learning growth is leveling off.

A new report scheduled for released Thursday by The Sloan Consortium, a group of colleges pursuing online programs, estimates that 850,000 more students took online courses in the fall of 2005 than the year before, an increase of nearly 40 percent. Last year, the group had reported slowing growth, prompting speculation the trend had hit a ceiling.

"The growth was phenomenal," said Jeff Seaman, Sloan's CIO and survey director, who also serves as co-director of the Babson College survey research group. "It's higher in absolute numbers and higher in percentages than anything we've measured before. And it's across the board," at schools ranging from doctoral institutions to those offering associate's degrees to for-profit colleges.

IBM accelerates push into 3D virtual worlds

2006-11-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

ONDON (Reuters) - IBM is ramping up its push into virtual worlds with an investment of roughly $10 million over the next 12 months, including an expanded presence within the popular 3D online universe Second Life.ADVERTISEMENTChairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano is set to visit Second Life on Tuesday, following a "town hall" meeting with some 7,000 employees in China, and speak with the more than 250 IBM employees on one of the company's virtual islands.Second Life, where Reuters opened a bureau last month, is one of the best-known virtual worlds, with more than 1 million registered users and a well-established economy and currency. The equivalent of more than half a million U.S. dollars change hands there every day.IBM has already established the biggest Second Life presence of any Fortune 500 company. It uses the world primarilyfor training and meetings but has also built a simulation of theWimbledon tennis tournament.

IBM accelerates push into 3D virtual worlds - Yahoo! News

Andy Grove's Wish List for Congress

2006-11-05T10:24:00.002-05:00

For years, former Intel CEO Andrew Grove had the ear of politicians and chief executives worldwide. Dubbed by some the godfather of the personal computer, Grove played no small role in fomenting a revolution in how people live and play. Under his leadership, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - News) turned out ever more powerful chips that now are making their way into everything from PCs to cell phones and TVs.ADVERTISEMENTToday, he's set a no less ambitious goal: to revolutionize the antiquated U.S. health-care system. For Grove, a survivor of prostate cancer who is now battling Parkinson's disease, it's an issue that hits close to home.

Andy Grove's Wish List for Congress - Yahoo! News

UK report: knowledge should be public good first, private right second

2006-11-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

The UK is awaiting the release of a report by the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, a task force charged with suggesting changes to the country's intellectual property laws. The formation of the commission has inspired a flurry of private books and reports on IP designed to influence debate on the subject. While many of these are exactly as interesting as you'd expect, a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research offers a fascinating look at the reasons behind intellectual property rights and suggests a new way forward for Britain: thinking about knowledge as a public resource first, and a private asset second. Is this idealistic, anti-business pinko blue-skying? The group says no.

UK report: knowledge should be public good first, private right second

Australia To Tax Money From Second Life, But Can Money Spent On Your Avatar Be A Write-Off?

2006-11-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

There continues to be a lot of discussion about the real world implications of activity inside virtual worlds. One of the issues is how to deal with taxation, and it appears that Australia has taken the lead, announcing that they plan to tax money made in virtual worlds, specifically citing Second Life Linden Dollars. A spokesperson for the country's tax office said that if you're getting monetary benefit from the site, then it should be taxed like any other income.

Techdirt: Australia To Tax Money From Second Life, But Can Money Spent On Your Avatar Be A Write-Off?

Finding Peace with Jainism

2006-11-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

By Resham S KhianiLooking around in Western society, undoubtedly you can sense an abundance of spirituality been generated. Sipping herbal teas, meditating, consuming vegetarian food and countless benevolent acts of charities all ties in with improving ones spiritual wealth. Although such methods are ‘new’ for the West, the spiritual sect of Jainism has built their lives on attaining spiritual nirvana for over thousands of years. With similar spiritual beliefs it is not surprising that Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism are tossed into the melting pot. Yet there is a difference. A simple life, emphasis on non-violence coupled with constant meditation to improve one's self, produces a neat picture of Jainism.

Finding Peace with Jainism

Gannett, USA Today Wants Everyone To Write The News For Them

2006-11-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

Gannett, USA Today Wants Everyone To Write The News For Themfrom the cheaper-this-way deptWe've been waiting for the newspaper industry to realize it needs to do more than just put their articles online and sell advertising, but figure out ways to better enhance their offering via adding features that were simply impossible without the internet. For example, recognize that rather than readers, many people are willing to be distributors of the news as well. Gannett, most well known as the publisher of USA Today and a bunch of other newspapers is now trying to do much more by better involving readers in writing the news as well. Obviously, the idea of citizen journalism has been discussed at length for a while, but perhaps not when it comes to a major newspaper chain. Gannett is reorganizing their news rooms to be more collaborative (something that should have happened long ago), but are also encouraging newsrooms to get the community involved in the reporting process as well.

Techdirt: Gannett, USA Today Wants Everyone To Write The News For Them

Lancaster Conservatories

2006-10-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

At Lancaster Conservatories our mission is to supply North Americans with some of the finest room additions in the world. We make it easy to bring the outdoors, indoors, with our conservatories. Our conservatories will be your favorite room in the house - whether it's your breakfast nook, hot tub room, recreational room or just a room to relax in.Why choose a solid mahogany conservatory from Lancaster Conservatories

conservatories and Conservatories By Lancaster Conservatories

Free Wheelchair Mission". . to provide the transforming gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries."

2006-10-22T08:40:00.000-04:00

TWENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO, the sight of a crippled Moroccan woman crawling across a dirt road planted a seed that germinated in 1999 when Don Schoendorfer, founder of Free Wheelchair Mission, invested his education and professional expertise as a PhD Mechanical Engineer to create a simple, rugged, and inexpensive wheelchair. The mental picture of the crawling woman's anguish and loss of dignity had haunted him for years until God opened a path for Dr. Schoendorfer.

Mission Statement Page

The Top 10 Reasons for Soaring Health-Care Costs

2006-10-22T08:24:00.000-04:00

by Charles WheelanUtility Links * Printable View * Email this PageWednesday, March 1, 2006[Charles Wheelan, Ph.D.]What's the most intractable public policy problem the U.S. faces? Health care. I don't think any other issue even comes close. Health care has all the ideological fireworks of social issues like abortion or gay marriage (e.g. is health care a right or a privilege?). Yet the system itself -- the process of providing care and allocating those costs -- is also stunningly complex.Health care is increasingly expensive because of powerful, perhaps inexorable economic forces that make medical care different than all other goods and services in a modern economy. Here are my top 10 reasons for why health care is so expensive -- and likely to get even more expensive in the future, regardless of what patches we put on the system.

The Top 10 Reasons for Soaring Health-Care Costs: The Naked Economist - Yahoo! Finance

Cheese aficionados hit Vermont trailCheese aficionados hit Vermont trail

2006-10-22T08:23:00.000-04:00

GRANVILLE, Vt. - The biggest investment Daniel Hewitt made on his sheep farm was a cheese plant that features a tasting room with a view — visitors can watch the art of cheesemaking while sampling his European-style tommes and blue cheeses.ADVERTISEMENTHewitt's Three Owls Farm is located in the heart of the Vermont cheese trail, where artisan cheesemakers welcome visitors to their dairy farms in hopes of educating customers about their craft and drumming up business.

Cheese aficionados hit Vermont trail - Yahoo! News

Who will care for seniors? As guardians help, exploitation is feared.

2006-10-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

Who will care for seniors?As guardians help, exploitation is fearedBy MEG HECKMANMonitor staffOctober 15. 2006 10:00AMIt's increasingly difficult for New Hampshire's judges to find guardians for seniors who are too ill to make decisions about their health care and finances.As a result, courts are relying for the first time on private businesses that profit from supervising frail elders. These guardians can pay bills, make medical decisions and decide where the senior lives. Sometimes they referee family disputes or untangle decades of messy bookkeeping. Often, they serve as guides through the medical, financial and emotional complexities of aging."When you have an outside guardian, you can go about the business of being a family, and let me take care of all the junk," said Jeannette Marino, a guardian from Concord. "I'm not there to tell you what to do. I'm you're customer representative. What do you want me to do?"

Concord Monitor Online Article - Who will care for seniors? - Your News Source - 03301

Online White Board

2006-10-15T11:49:00.002-04:00

Web site Vyew (think view) lets you collaborate in real-time with other users in a web based meeting room.You can either start an anonymous meeting (requires no registration) and invite up to 2 users, or, if you go through the free registration, you can invite up to 20 participants and get a few other members-only benefits. Vyew offers photo sharing, whiteboarding, file sharing, screen captures, and can run from your browser without the need to download anything (sort of). Vyew requires Flash and Java. Check out the video demonstration if you want a better idea of how it works.Vyew

Collaborate online with Vyew - Lifehacker

Real Estate: The Shifting Calculus of Buying a House

2006-10-15T11:49:00.001-04:00

The Wall Street Journal OnlineBy James R. Hagerty and Anjali AthavaleyReport Predicts Price Declines In 100 U.S. Cities Over Next Few Years; Sitting Tight in BrooklynHome buyers have another reason to sit on their hands.In the latest news from the slumping U.S. housing market, a report released this week says that median house prices are likely to decline more than 10% over the next few years in 20 metro areas, including Las Vegas, Tucson, Ariz., and Washington, D.C.

The Shifting Calculus of Buying a House: Weekend - Yahoo! Finance

Bangladesh's banker to the poor wins Nobel Peace Prize

2006-10-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus, dubbed the "Banker to the Poor," and his Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping millions escape the poverty trap through a system of small-scale loans.ADVERTISEMENTBorrowers use the micro-credit scheme to buy their own tools and equipment, or even mobile phones, thus cutting out the middlemen and transforming their lives through self-employment.Ole Danbolt Mjoes, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said: "Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means."Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also in many other countries."Yunus began fighting poverty during a 1974 famine in Bangladesh with a loan of 27 dollars to save a group of villagers from the clutches of moneylenders

Bangladesh's banker to the poor wins Nobel Peace Prize - Yahoo! News

The Top 10 Reasons for Soaring Health-Care Costs

2006-10-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

by Charles WheelanUtility Links * Printable View * Email this PageWednesday, March 1, 2006[Charles Wheelan, Ph.D.]What's the most intractable public policy problem the U.S. faces? Health care. I don't think any other issue even comes close. Health care has all the ideological fireworks of social issues like abortion or gay marriage (e.g. is health care a right or a privilege?). Yet the system itself -- the process of providing care and allocating those costs -- is also stunningly complex.Health care is increasingly expensive because of powerful, perhaps inexorable economic forces that make medical care different than all other goods and services in a modern economy. Here are my top 10 reasons for why health care is so expensive -- and likely to get even more expensive in the future, regardless of what patches we put on the system.

The Top 10 Reasons for Soaring Health-Care Costs: The Naked Economist - Yahoo! Finance

People power: U.S. to top 300 million

2006-10-13T19:40:00.000-04:00

(CNN) -- At 7:46 ET Tuesday morning, the United States will become a nation of 300 million people, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.Fueled by an estimated net gain of one person every 11 seconds, America -- already the world's third most populous country -- will join China and India with populations greater than 300 million.The main reason is simple: Births outnumber deaths. According to the Census Bureau, a child is born every seven seconds, but a death occurs every 13 seconds.

People power: U.S. to top 300 million - CNN.com

Listen to Classical Music Here.

2006-10-08T16:27:00.000-04:00

Other ways to listen to Discovering MusicA-Z online audio archiveListen online to our extensive archive listed on this page.In the Radio PlayerListen to each prgramme in the BBC Radio Player for 7 days after broadcast.

BBC - Radio 3 - Discovering Music Archive

20 Questions with NATASHA VITA-MORE

2006-10-07T14:28:00.000-04:00

For those who already know of Natasha Vita-More, no introduction is needed. For those unfamiliar with her, suffice it to say she is a HUGE thinker not just in the world of technology, but in the world of ideas. Her scope goes far beyond one or two focus groups and covers art, technology, fashion, science, politics, sex, religion...from primitive past to brilliant & kaleidoscopic future.

tinfoil.music - Unofficial and Unproffesional since 1997 - 20 Questions with NATASHA VITA-MORE

Lights out in Iceland for view of night sky

2006-10-01T19:01:00.000-04:00

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The lights are going out in Iceland this week so people can gaze at the night sky.ADVERTISEMENTAuthorities in the capital Reykjavik will turn off street lights on Thursday evening and people are also being encouraged to sit in their houses in the dark, writer Andri Snaer Magnason said on Wednesday.While the lights are out, an astronomer will describe the night sky over national radio... (more)

Lights out in Iceland for view of night sky - Yahoo! News

Hooked on a Horse: My Barbaro!

2006-10-01T10:16:00.000-04:00

Injury aside, Barbaro's feeling good - for nowBy Andrew CarterThe Orlando Sentinel(MCT)ORLANDO, Fla. - There are times when the surgeon wants to believe, like everyone else, that Barbaro will survive, no question. The Kentucky Derby winner has been close to death twice in the past four months, but he looks so good these days.He goes outside the intensive care unit at New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., and grazes daily. He's happy. Everyone is hopeful.

KRT Wire | 09/23/2006 | Injury aside, Barbaro's feeling good - for now

A new wrinkle on aging

2006-10-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

By PEGGY TOWNSENDSENTINEL STAFF WRITER

John Robbins flips his 51/2-year-old grandson upside down, giving him a gravity-defying walk on the ceiling and making the straw-haired little boy grin.You might expect the man who wrote a book about living healthfully into old age to say that the key to a long life is in the bowls filled with fresh fruit that sit on his kitchen counter.Or on the hard-packed dirt trails he runs behind his Soquel home.Or even in the deep, outdoor tub of frigid water in which Robbins dunks himself three or four times a day.But it is this simple act with his grandchild that he would count as the most important predictor of a long and healthy life."If I were to ask only one question of a person to predict their health outcome," Robbins says later, "I wouldn't be asking about smoking or cholesterol or high blood pressure."The question would be: What is the level of love in your life?"

A new wrinkle on aging - By PEGGY TOWNSEND - SENTINEL STAFF WRITER - October 1, 2006

The Secret Garden - 20 mins

2006-10-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Want to try this free online mediatation. I give it gold stars for putting me in a relaxed state at the right price: Free!!
FREE Guided Meditation - Meditainment™

Craigslist founder says he won't cash in

2006-09-29T02:01:00.000-04:00

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The founder of craigslist, the free social networking and classifieds Web site, said on Thursday he is not interested in selling out, a few hours after social networking site MySpace was valued at $15 billion."Who needs the money? We don't really care," Craig Newmark said in an interview at the Picnic '06 Cross Media Week conference here."If you're living comfortably, what's the point of having more?" Newmark said.

Craigslist founder says he won't cash in | Tech&Sci | Internet | Reuters.com

Go big or go home? How about go small at home?

2006-09-24T09:34:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON -- One of the big trends in today's furniture is small.Sofas are shorter and chairs are armless. Console tables that fit snugly in hallways or behind couches open up to seat eight for dinner. Beds are being shown with headboards but no footboards, or resting atop storage units. Major furniture chains are promoting lines with names such as Small Spaces and Loft 21 to catch the latest home-decor wave."We absolutely, positively have scale-sensitive furniture," says Dixon Bartlett, senior vice president of Atlanta-based Storehouse, which last week launched a collection designed specifically "with smaller spaces in mind. Even in the suburbs, there is always that extra small room."... (more)

Go big or go home? How about go small at home? - Orlando Sentinel : Home & Garden Go big or go home? How about go small at home? - Orlando Sentinel : Home & Garden

How to Work Less and Get More Done

2006-09-24T09:13:00.000-04:00

We live in an interesting time. Television and advertising dominate our lives. They lead us to believe things happen quickly. Watch an hour of television tonight. During that time you may see a crime committed and solved, or someone become a millionaire. In between these shows, you’ll see commercials... (more)

Bryan C. Fleming: How to Work Less and Get More Done

Cheaper in Canada: Prescription Drugs

2006-09-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

Why Do Drugs Cost Less Outside the United States
By John McKenzie

Canada's national health plan pays for doctor visits and hospital stays. But outside the hospital — unless a patient is 65 or older, or on welfare — the government plan does not cover prescription drugs.Canadians, like Americans, must get insurance from an employer or independently, or else pay the full cost of medications themselves... (more)

ABCNEWS | Ordering Prescription Drugs Online From Canada is Cheaper

Finally, a Definition for Web 2.0 We Can Agree On?

2006-09-23T10:06:00.000-04:00

Finally, a Definition for Web 2.0 We Can Agree On?What's the definition of Web 2.0? That debate has been raging for awhile. This is understandable given that Web 2.0 is all about participation.InformationWeek, I believe, has honed in on a definition that's difficult to argue with. It pretty much addresses marketing types, media, entrepreneurs and more. They say: "Web 2.0 is all the Web sites out there that get their value from the actions of users." The magazine cites Wikipedia, digg, Technorati, Flickr and Frappr as examples of Web 2.0 properties. That they certainly are. However, I would argue that many traditional media outlets today are Web 2.0 sites. They generate similar value through comments and trackbacks to their blogs. Take a look at Dwight Silverman and Frank Baranko's blogs for a sampling... (more)

Micro Persuasion

Online paperdolls of your fave celebs

2006-09-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

You can go and literally play paperdoll with your favorite celebs, women and men, models, and even royals like Camilla Parker-Bowles. I was just nightmaring out loud, and lo and behold, it actually exists.I fathom that this is more for the kids to play with, but if you are looking for something to help you kill time, and have fun playing stylist to the stars, then here's a sure thing. Here are the fug-tastic outfits I created for Jake Gyllenhaal and Lindsay Lohan... (more)

Back in skinny jeans: Online paperdolls of your fave celebs

Create a work of art you can walk on

2006-09-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

It's been done on books, boxes and furniture . . . even the walls. But why isn't it being done on the floor?What on earth am I writing about, you ask. Decoupaging your way to a new and exciting floor covering. That's right. For your next floor treatment, why not try to create a masterpiece you can walk on. Your work of art is only a few pages and a bucket of paste away.I did this to my studio space and my kitchen floor, and it's absolutely amazing! It's nostalgic, it's inspiring, it's informational and it's a simple process.

Create a work of art you can walk on | www.azstarnet.com ®

Flickr your business card!

2006-09-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

# Choose your favourite Flickr pics# Make 100 different cards for $19.99# Add your personal details on the back# Share with friends!

MOO | Share your contact info and your flickr photos

Good Stuff? - A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Things We Buy

2006-09-23T09:11:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondered where chocolate comes from, if antibacterial soap is good for your family, or how to recycle an old computer? If you've had these or other questions about the environmental and social impacts of the products you buy and use, Good Stuff is for you. It contains many of the tips, facts, and links you'll need to start making more informed purchases that benefit your health and the environment

Good Stuff? - A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Things We Buy | Worldwatch Institute

Create a Timeline in Microsoft Excel

2006-09-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

Tip: Use a spreadsheet to create a timeline (more)

Create a Timeline in Microsoft Excel

The meaning of life (and business)

2006-09-17T06:55:00.000-04:00

(CNN) -- Srikumar S. Rao isn't really like most business school professors. For starters, the syllabus for the course he teaches at two leading schools begins with a lengthy argument as to why many students should not consider signing up.The reading list below -- all 33 pages of it -- is similarly unorthodox.For example, the six books Rao cites as compulsory pre-course reading cover not only business creativity but also a spiritual travelogue through India and a 1923 novel by noted English humorous author P. G. Wodehouse... (more)

CNN.com - The meaning of life (and business) - Sep 13, 2006

Puppets need helping hands

2006-09-17T06:44:00.000-04:00

Matthew wears a black shirt with blue jeans and has braces to help him walk.His friend Penny uses a wheelchair.Both are hand puppets at the Living Independently Now Center site in Red Bud and they need helping hands to bring them to life.

Belleville News-Democrat | 09/17/2006 | Puppets need helping hands

Small details can heal a humdrum home

2006-09-17T06:40:00.001-04:00

Most of us have had the experience of visiting a home that exudes so much warmth and coziness that we curl up on the sofa and find ourselves falling asleep.But what is it that makes guests feel comfortable and want to linger? Is it the inviting colors, the clutter-free surfaces or the lively conversations around the kitchen table? And how can you get that feeling in your home?... (more)

Small details can heal a humdrum home - Orlando Sentinel : Books

Don't be embarassed. Go Ask Alice.

2006-09-17T06:40:00.000-04:00

Go Ask Alice!
www.goaskalice.comBy Natali Del ConteA health question-and-answer site run by Columbia University's Health Promotion Program, Go Ask Alice! is a great place to ask embarrassing medical questions anonymously. Check out the especially insightful hangover tips!... (more)

PC Magazine Top 99 Undiscovered Websites: Health

Create a work of art you can walk on

2006-09-17T06:38:00.000-04:00

It's been done on books, boxes and furniture . . . even the walls. But why isn't it being done on the floor?What on earth am I writing about, you ask. Decoupaging your way to a new and exciting floor covering. That's right. For your next floor treatment, why not try to create a masterpiece you can walk on. Your work of art is only a few pages and a bucket of paste away.I did this to my studio space and my kitchen floor, and it's absolutely amazing! It's nostalgic, it's inspiring, it's informational and it's a simple process.

Create a work of art you can walk on | www.azstarnet.com ®

Lending goes the way of Ebay and others.

2006-09-16T06:52:00.000-04:00

Prosperwww.prosper.com
By Kyle MonsonWhether

You're looking for money to pay off high-interest credit cards or you have some spare change that you'd like to collect interest on, the P2P lending model of Prosper is an intriguing one. Act as banker or borrower, depending on your needs, and the site lets you join up with other lenders to diversify your loans and diversify your risk... (more)

PC Magazine Top 99 Undiscovered Websites: Business

Target Flipbook Coupons

2006-09-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

Received a little red book in the mail from Target today. It was a flipbook full of coupons. Once I showed my two young children (3 and 5) they had lot's of fun with it. Will we use the coupons? Hard to say, but they are certainly getting more attention and will have a longer lifespan in our house than a typical stack of coupons. You can watch the show here:

Seeds of Growth | ideas to help small business grow

Altered States

2006-09-15T07:15:00.000-04:00

Hypnosis can help with problems from anxiety to pain. How it works, and what it does in the brain
Despite widely held misconceptions about hypnosis (in part because of its long history as a type of entertainment), a growing body of research supports the ancient practice as an effective tool in the treatment of a variety of problems, from anxiety to chronic pain. Today, as practitioners work to assess and refine the clinical applications of hypnosis, they are also exploring its underlying mechanisms, using state-of-the-art imaging technology to document changes in the brain that occur when someone is in a hypnotic state. This increased understanding of how hypnosis works and what it does makes it a legitimate option for patients whose needs have not been met by more traditional methods... (more)

Altered States - Health For Life - MSNBC.com

365 days. one brown dress. a one-woman show against fashion.

2006-09-12T17:38:00.000-04:00

Devised, built, and performed by Alex Martinlaunch – July 7, 2005 completion – July 7, 2006 So, here's the deal - I made this dress and I wore it every day for a year. I made one small, personal attempt to confront consumerism by refusing to change my dress for 365 days. In this performance, I challenged myself to reject the economic system that pushes over-consumption, and the bill of goods that has been sold, especially to women, about what makes a person good, attractive and interesting. Clothes are a big part of this image, and the expectation in time, effort, and financial investment is immense... (more)

http://littlebrowndress.com/brown%20dress%20archive%20home.htm

More Web Freebies: Live Office

2006-09-10T20:09:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought I’d already given you news of enough Web-based freebies…This one, you’ll REALLY like.Get this: a company called LiveOffice (not to be confused with Microsoft’s Office Live) is now offering free conference-call hosting. You sign up at their site by providing your name and e-mail address.They provide you with your own private phone number (not toll-free, alas) and passcode, which you can share with up to 249 other people. You don’t have to pre-schedule anything; the service is available 24/7. At the time you choose, everybody calls in, punches in the code, and presto–massive conference call!

Pogue’s Posts - More Web Freebies - Technology - New York Times Blog

Paper Cut Art: Check it Out

2006-09-10T18:34:00.000-04:00

Untitled Document

In-A-Pinch and Need-A-Fix Business Cards

2006-09-10T17:43:00.000-04:00

For all the times you need to pass on the vital information, fill-in-the-blank business cards to keep handy in your bag.

The Small Object Steno Pad » Downloads

Veni, Vidi, Wiki

2006-09-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

Wikipedia has edited its way into the big time.The massive user-driven site is now the biggest encyclopedia in the world. The mainstream media covers it extensively. It was recently lampooned by The Onion and Comedy Central. Soon, Wikipedia may also become familiar to thousands of people without internet access -- selected articles from its extensive database will come pre-packaged with MIT's $100 laptop project... (more)

Wired News: Veni, Vidi, Wiki

Silicon Valley to become one ginormous WiFi hotspot

2006-09-10T17:31:00.002-04:00

Silicon Valley can't be shown up by, say, Singapore, now can it? That's why the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force has selected the Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a tech consortium that includes IBM and Cisco to build a giant WiFi network for the region. When built, this massive WiFi hotspot will span 1500 square miles (nearly 3900 sq. km), from the city of South San Francisco to Santa Cruz, a distance of over 60 linear miles (96 km)... (more)

Engadget

The True Cost of a Pet Dog

2006-09-10T17:31:00.001-04:00

've written a lot on the cost of pets. In fact, I have a whole category devoted to pets here at Free Money Finance. It's an on-going debate on what the true cost of a pet is -- me pointing out how expensive it can be, others sharing their costly pet horror stories (mostly centered around expensive health care for the pet), and other's saying the true cost of a pet is much lower than the sources I quote.... (more)

Free Money Finance

Google to offer news archive going back 300 years

2006-09-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

Washington, Sept 07: Internet giant Google Inc., was expected to announce today that it will offer a free archive service enabling internet users to search for printed articles back to the 1700s, US newspapers reported.Called Google news archive search, the service will direct users to both paid and free content on publishers` web sites, but will not generate revenues for Google itself, the New York Times said... (more)

Zee News - Google to offer news archive going back 300 years

Try packing your million??

2006-09-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

How much is inside a million dollars? It is a nice, round number that gets thrown around all the time in movies, commercials, annual reports and blackmail notes, but hardly anyone knows what that kind of money really looks like. Would it all fit in a paper bag? A backpack? A shipping container?...(more)

How Much is Inside a Million Dollars?

The True Cost of a Pet Dog

2006-09-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

've written a lot on the cost of pets. In fact, I have a whole category devoted to pets here at Free Money Finance. It's an on-going debate on what the true cost of a pet is -- me pointing out how expensive it can be, others sharing their costly pet horror stories (mostly centered around expensive health care for the pet), and other's saying the true cost of a pet is much lower than the sources I quote.... (more)

Free Money Finance

Cascades' reddened forests signal threat to humans

2006-09-03T20:01:00.000-04:00

PAT RASMUSSEN GUEST COLUMNIST

Signs that our local forests are stressed by global warming recently struck me while traveling over North Cascades passes in Washington state.The forest is dying near the top on both east and west sides; trees are still partially green but turning red -- old trees, young trees, the forest itself. Tents, and campers, in the Lone Fir Campground were surrounded by these dying trees.The same reddening trees can be seen hiking through the Glacier Peak Wilderness on the trail to Spider Meadow in the Chiwawa River watershed of the Wenatchee National Forest. People are reporting that forests are dying near Mt. Rainier, on Chinook and White passes and down to central Oregon... (more)

Cascades' reddened forests signal threat to humans

Has Canada Got the Cure?

2006-09-03T16:09:00.000-04:00

By Holly Dressel, YES! Magazine. Posted August 29, 2006.

Since 1970, Canada has had a publicly funded, single-payer health system. Today, all Canadians are equally healthy, regardless of income.
Should the United States implement a more inclusive, publicly funded health care system? That's a big debate throughout the country. But even as it rages, most Americans are unaware that the United States is the only country in the developed world that doesn't already have a fundamentally public--that is, tax-supported--health care system.

AlterNet: Has Canada Got the Cure?

If you spend more than 40 hours a week at work, then…

2006-09-03T08:11:00.000-04:00

High Blood pressure is enemy #1 of the brain. It ravages the small blood vessels that feed brain tissue, and over time leads to many little holes in the brain (technically known as infarcts or strokes).In our quest to be ever more productive at work, we put in longer and longer hours. In doing so, however, we may be setting our brains up for long-term failure:According to a new study out of the University of California in Irvine, the more hours you put in at work, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure. Those working more than 51 hours a week were 29 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than those working 11 to 39 hours a week... (more)

If you spend more than 40 hours a week at work, then… · smartkit Brain Enhancement News

Ask Here!! Dropping Knowledge

2006-09-03T08:03:00.002-04:00

On September 9, 2006, 112 of the world's most compelling thinkers, artists, writers, scientists, social entrepreneurs, philosophers and humanitarians from around the world will come together in Berlin, Germany, as guests of dropping knowledge.Seated around the worlds largest table in historic Bebelplatz square, these inspiring individuals, renowned for their lasting creative or social contribution, will engage with 100 questions out of the thousands donated to dropping knowledge by the international public.Using dropping knowledge's question-rating system, the public identified 500 questions as those most likely to initate open dialog on a social topic of most relevance to them. This group of questions will yield the final 100 Questions — representing a truly global sampling of cultures, themes and ideas — to be asked at the Table of Free Voices and beyond... (more)

dropping knowledge :: projects

Medical tourism agencies take operations overseas

2006-09-03T08:03:00.001-04:00

Complex surgery is the latest service to move offshore - and cleverbusinesses are helping cost-conscious patients go under the knifeoverseas
Think globalization means little more than call centers in New Delhi? Then you haven't seen what happens when seriously large numbers of Americans, who spend more than $570 billion at U.S. hospitals annually, start taking health-care holidays in far cheaper climes. Nor have you seen how much money there is to be made by helping them get there... (more)

Rx for Clever Startups: Take Operations Overseas - Aug. 3, 2006

Google Labeler: Got 5 minutes from me!!

2006-09-03T08:03:00.000-04:00

Friday, 1 September 2006

Google Image Labeler: 90 Riveting Seconds of FunNow

Google Image Labeler is a new game that Google launched today. It's not as fun as it sounds (ahem) but it's still pretty cool.You're shown an image, and you're asked to tag it with keywords. Somewhere out there on the internet, another randomly-chosen user is looking at the same image and applying their own keyword labels. If you agree on any labels, your team will be awarded points. You get 90 seconds to tag as many photos -- and rack up as many points -- as you can. For some reason, I keep getting matched up with nitwits who don't know what a bicycle looks like. Either that or they can't spell correctly

Monkey Bites

Music created by, for and marketed by the Consumer.

2006-09-03T08:02:00.001-04:00

All told, music consumers are increasingly turning away from the traditional gatekeepers and looking instead to one another — to fellow fans, even those they’ve never met — to guide their choices. Before long, wireless Internet connections will let them chatter not only on desktops, but in cars and coffee shops, too. And radio conglomerates and MTV, used to being the most influential voices around, are beginning to wonder how to keep themselves heard.“The tools for programming are in the hands of consumers,” said Courtney Holt, executive vice president for digital music at MTV Networks’ Music and Logo Group, who formerly ran the new-media department for Interscope Records. “Right now it almost feels like a fanzine culture, but it’s going to turn into mainstream culture. The consumer is looking for it.”... (more)

The New Tastemakers - New York Times

The secret to Yahoo Answers' success

2006-09-03T08:02:00.000-04:00

The search giant has stumbled lately, but its popular Q&A serviceshows that getting people to create their own content can really payoff.(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- There are a few clouds gathering around Yahoo these days. The Internet star's delay in rolling out a crucial new advertising system sideswiped its stock price in July, and investors remain jittery about its prospects against Google, Microsoft, and other rivals.But one ray of sunshine is beaming at the company's Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters: Yahoo Answers... (more)

Does Yahoo have the right answers? - September 1, 2006

Opportunity knocks for downsizers

2006-09-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

Downsizing doesn't have to be a dirty word — it can be a reward for a life well spent.Whatever the reason — empty nests with kids gone off to jobs and university, or retirement from a long and successful career — life can be a whole lot simpler with a condo.At The James Club in Etobicoke, Trevor Kruse of Hudson Kruse aimed to design a model suite for the downsizing couple: low maintenance and comfortable for those who are no longer in need — or want — of a large home... (more)

TheStar.com - Opportunity knocks for downsizers

‘Let’s get out there and see what’s real’: Do numbers tell us the real story?

2006-09-02T09:12:00.001-04:00

A person working 40 hours per week at a minimum wage job with one dependent is almost $2,500 below the poverty line with an annual salary of $10,712 per year. A worker with three dependents would have to make more than $9.62 to rise above the poverty level. And even then, a missed paycheck or a missed day of work can send someone spiraling down to a point that’s difficult to climb out of.

The Times West Virginian - ‘Let’s get out there and see what’s real’

Hmmm...what does it cost to live another year longer? What it's value to me?

2006-09-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

BOSTON - Despite exploding costs, most Americans got sizable life-extending bang for their medical bucks over recent decades, says one of the most sweeping studies ever of health-care value. That might come as a surprise to anyone who has ever shuddered over a medical bill, and the report itself raises doubts over how quickly costs have escalated.However, the study calculated that Americans of all ages spent an average of $19,900 on medical care for each extra year of life expectancy gained over the last four decades of the 20th century. And that cost is worth it, the study authors say."On average, the return is very high," concludes study leader David Cutler, a Harvard University health economist. "But it's getting worse for ... in particular, the elderly."... (more)

Americans may get medical money's worth - Yahoo! News

Designing Your Backyard

2006-09-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

See your yard like an interior designerBy MAUREEN GILMERDIY NETWORKIn garden design, the hard palette refers to constructed elements. The soft palette is strictly plants. Separating these two palettes makes designing your yard a lot easier. Put them together properly and you have a near perfect garden... (more)

See your yard like an interior designer

Walt Disney: The Creative Genius!

2006-09-02T09:07:00.002-04:00

Paul Anderson, a Disney historian and a professor at Brigham Young University teaches a course called "Walt Disney and American Culture." Anderson spent years studying, interviewing, and reading about Walt to determine the source of Walt's genius. The six factors they concluded are... (more)

Idea Sandbox Blog

Master of Your Domains

2006-09-02T09:07:00.001-04:00

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMFBreakerRick)August 29, 2006

If you're Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), that warm breath you're feeling on the back of your neck isn't a surprise anymore. You don't even need to peek over your shoulder. You know it's Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), sneaking up on you again.This week's new threat -- the launch of Google Apps for Your Domain -- allows domain owners the ability to incorporate several organizational features like Google Mail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator into their actual domain names... (more)

Master of Your Domains [Fool.com: Commentary] August 29, 2006

The Economics of Attention by Richard A Lanham

2006-09-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing the internet has not brought about, contrary to all prediction, it's the destruction of literature. As the author of this consistently interesting argument notes, we have been liberated into a bibliotopia almost unimaginable to previous generations, with Amazon selling millions of second-hand books at cut-price rates, and Google digitising university libraries for (hopefully) free usage. It's not literary or artistic values that are under threat, but the opportunity to pay even the most cursory attention to what lies before us. Our true scarcity is attention, not culture... (more)

Independent Online Edition > Reviews

Soundings essay on 'Power of Play'

2006-09-02T08:53:00.000-04:00

Small update from earlier this year - my lecture at the Brisbane Festival of Ideas has been turned into an article in the excellent culture and politics journal Soundings, slightly adapted and extended. I'd very much recommend you buy the publication, particularly for Zygmunt Bauman's essay on utopia, and a few others. In the meantime, here's a PDF of my own essay, with thanks to Soundings... (more)

Play Journal

Designing Your Backyard

2006-09-02T07:08:00.000-04:00

See your yard like an interior designerBy MAUREEN GILMERDIY NETWORKIn garden design, the hard palette refers to constructed elements. The soft palette is strictly plants. Separating these two palettes makes designing your yard a lot easier. Put them together properly and you have a near perfect garden... (more)

See your yard like an interior designer

Opportunity knocks for downsizers

2006-09-02T06:58:00.000-04:00

Downsizing doesn't have to be a dirty word — it can be a reward for a life well spent.Whatever the reason — empty nests with kids gone off to jobs and university, or retirement from a long and successful career — life can be a whole lot simpler with a condo.At The James Club in Etobicoke, Trevor Kruse of Hudson Kruse aimed to design a model suite for the downsizing couple: low maintenance and comfortable for those who are no longer in need — or want — of a large home... (more)

TheStar.com - Opportunity knocks for downsizers

Hard Work versus Smart (and Rich) Laziness

2006-09-01T17:08:00.000-04:00

Almost everyone has been brainwashed to accept (and pay lip service to) the fallacious premise that hard work is necessary in order to be successful. But the overwhelming evidence suggests the contrary, that hard work has nothing to do with success and is actually counterproductive. If hard work is supposed to produce success, then it would stand to reason that everyone who works hard should be successful. But that is far from the case. Most people who work hard never come close to being successful. In fact, most hard workers have a much higher incidence of non-success than they have success... (more)

The Lazy Way to Success: Hard Work versus Smart (and Rich) Laziness