These days, eating healthy has become a curiously difficult task. Despite the fact that the canons of healthy eating have not changed in centuries, the proliferation of health food products has continued unabated for years. It’s become a crisis of abundance.However, just because a product occupies shelf space in a boutique food store doesn’t mean it’s any better for you than its generic counterpart. Advertisers are very aware of the powers of “mood affiliation”, which is the tendency to associate familiar claims with one another. For example, consumers are very likely to believe a…
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Most Topular Stories
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5 Myths Haunting Your Healthy Foods
Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life3 Feb 2012 | 8:03 am -
ContactPrivacy Alerts You When Apps Access Contact Information [Privacy]
Lifehacker9 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amMore » -
Today’s Top Stories: Google’s Cloud Storage, iPad Rumors
Mashable!9 Feb 2012 | 5:36 amWelcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories. Google to Launch Cloud Storage Service [REPORT] Google plans to launch a cloud storage service similar to Dropbox, according to a report by WSJ. Google’s service will be called Drive, and it will let users store and share photos, videos and other documents in Google’s cloud, say sources familiar with the matter. iPad 3 Might Come With Different Screen and Thicker Case A… -
Doctor Prescribes Preventive Medicine for Shale Gas
thedailygreen.com article feed5 Feb 2012 | 6:07 amAs Gasland director Josh Fox's arrest stole the attention, politicians heard important testimony about fracking. -
Inaccurate labels and why we need them (and need to improve them)
Seth's Blog9 Feb 2012 | 2:46 amIf I tell you, "I'm going to the baseball game," it seems as though you're likely to understand what I mean. Of course, you won't. When George Will goes to a baseball game, it's a religious experience. Me, I don't even like baseball. Or maybe it's my nephew's ball game (the playoffs), or maybe going to the game causes me to miss an important event, and on and on. We label the experience with just two words, and two words can't possibly capture the emotions and circumstance surrounding an event. The same thing is true with brands. If I tell you that a new business was funded by USV, that might…
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Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life
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5 Myths Haunting Your Healthy Foods
3 Feb 2012 | 8:03 amThese days, eating healthy has become a curiously difficult task. Despite the fact that the canons of healthy eating have not changed in centuries, the proliferation of health food products has continued unabated for years. It’s become a crisis of abundance.However, just because a product occupies shelf space in a boutique food store doesn’t mean it’s any better for you than its generic counterpart. Advertisers are very aware of the powers of “mood affiliation”, which is the tendency to associate familiar claims with one another. For example, consumers are very likely to believe a… -
Four Steps To Rescue Stray New Year Resolutions
2 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amLooks like it is that time of year when many New Year resolutions that people set have already strayed. Attempts to kick a smoking habit for example, might have seemed successful for a few weeks but once the realities and stresses of coming back from the holidays have resurfaced, some people may have caved into the nicotine again.Of course there is the usual health promises that get broken too. According to the fitness industry, a lot of gym memberships are sold from December to February but gym attendance significantly drops shortly afterwards when people realize that working out involves a… -
Finding the Courage to Stay the Course
30 Jan 2012 | 10:06 amAnytime you decide on the pursuit of an important goal, you’ll be faced with a series of challenges. Peaks, valleys and plateaus are par for the the course. But the thing that separates the people who make it from the ones that don’t is the courage to stay the course.At the start of any new endeavor most of us look forward to every single day with a child like excitement. We see infinite possibilities and the future appears bright. It seems as though there is absolutely nothing that can get in our way. We feel almost invincible and the possibility of failure doesn’t even occur to us. We… -
How to Deal with Difficult People and Have Constructive Conflict
28 Jan 2012 | 8:32 amLife and relationships aren't always perfect. Take a minute to think of some difficult people you have to deal with in your life? These may be people you work with, the in-laws that come to town throughout the year, or your neighbor who can’t seem to take a hint. For whatever reason, you're just not jiving with these people.Do you flee? Or, do you get flexible and learn to interact?When we encounter these extreme personalities it can feel like they are trying to make our life miserable, but more often than not, it’s simply learning about these peoples’ tendencies and how to interact in… -
7 Habits of Highly Excellent People
27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 amAre you driven in life? Do you love to excel? I believe all of us do. We are born to be the best we can be and to make the best out of our lives.When I was in high school, I wasn't exactly the kind of student teachers would like. I was truant, didn't do my homework and did badly on my examinations. I was lazy and unmotivated in school. However, after a while I realized that this wasn't who I wanted to be. This wasn't the life I saw myself leading. People around me were judging and negative, and I had enough of all of that crap. I had enough of being discriminated against and I decided to turn…
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Lifehacker
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ContactPrivacy Alerts You When Apps Access Contact Information [Privacy]
9 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amMore » -
Skip the Single-Serving Container Coffee and Brew Your Own to Save Serious Cash [Saving Money]
9 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amMore » -
The Snowball Sunset Desktop [Featured Desktop]
9 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amMore » -
Tweetbot Updates with a New UI for the iPhone and a New iPad Version [Video]
9 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amiOS: Tweetbot, our pick for the best Twitter client for the iPhone just rolled out a new update that adds in-line image viewing, single-tap-to-launch links, an overhauled UI, and easy access to people who have retweeted you. Tweetbot has also finally landed on the iPad, with an interface that makes use of the tablet's larger display, multiple-account support, push notifications, and support for third party apps like Instagram, Readability, and Instapaper. More » -
From the Tips Box: Chrome History, Amazon Prime on iOS, and Chrome to Phone [From The Tips Box]
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmMore »
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Mashable!
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Today’s Top Stories: Google’s Cloud Storage, iPad Rumors
9 Feb 2012 | 5:36 amWelcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories. Google to Launch Cloud Storage Service [REPORT] Google plans to launch a cloud storage service similar to Dropbox, according to a report by WSJ. Google’s service will be called Drive, and it will let users store and share photos, videos and other documents in Google’s cloud, say sources familiar with the matter. iPad 3 Might Come With Different Screen and Thicker Case A… -
Nest Calls Honeywell Lawsuit a ‘Patent-Attack Strategy’
9 Feb 2012 | 5:32 amAn unusual technology entered the patent lawsuit theater on Monday when Honeywell International announced it was suing Nest Labs: Thermostat tech. Now Nest says it plans to fight back. Honeywell, a diversified technology and manufacturing company, is suing the startup over alleged infringement of seven of its thermostat tech patents. In a statement to Mashable on Wednesday, Nest called the lawsuit a “patent-attack strategy to stifle competition” and said it will vigorously defend itself. “We have the resources, support and conviction to do so,” the statement reads. -
Google Chrome Update Brings Faster Browsing
9 Feb 2012 | 1:12 amThe new stable release of Google’s web browser Chrome brings several improvements, most importantly faster browsing and more protection from malicious downloads. From now on, when you start typing in Chrome’s address box (or omnibox, as Google calls it), as soon as Chrome autocompletes the URL you’re likely to visit, it will prerender the page, making your overall browsing experience faster. As far as security goes, Chrome now does checks on executable files you’ve downloaded from the net. It matches the executables against a whitelist – a list of programs known… -
‘Bachelor’ Contestant Courtney Gets Auto-Tuned [VIDEO]
8 Feb 2012 | 9:19 pmFans of The Bachelor are all too familiar with this season’s over-the-top contestant Courtney, who makes snide comments at the camera and likes to take off her bikini top. Now, a video has popped up on YouTube that has turned some of her signature phrases — from “Winning!” to “I do modeling” — into a catchy Auto-Tune clip. The contestants are vying for a rose from winemaker Ben, and Courtney has rubbed many of them the wrong way, and this video shows why. This is not the first time YouTube users have turned pop culture moments into Auto-Tuned videos. -
Facebook Talks About Social Games and Mobile Apps for 2012
8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 pmFacebook revealed its roadmap for social games and mobile apps for the rest of the year at the Inside Social Apps 2012 conference on Wednesday in San Francisco — and it’s good news for app developers. Want to create an app for Facebook’s Open Graph? The mobile space presents a huge opportunity to create cross-platform social games, said Carl Sjogreen, director of product management at Facebook, who spoke to a packed conference center filled with IT insiders about Facebook’s projections for the mobile social gaming and app space for this year. “You sort of had to…
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thedailygreen.com article feed
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Doctor Prescribes Preventive Medicine for Shale Gas
5 Feb 2012 | 6:07 amAs Gasland director Josh Fox's arrest stole the attention, politicians heard important testimony about fracking. -
How to Win Friends, Influence People, and Bury Nuclear Waste
28 Jan 2012 | 11:37 pmThe decades-long stalemate on where to store U.S. nuclear waste could be ending. -
Latest Toxic Toy Recalls: Lead and Cadmium in Toys and Jewelry
28 Jan 2012 | 7:40 amFind details about the latest children's product recall: Action figures. -
The Downs and Ups of Gas Prices
22 Jan 2012 | 6:58 amGas exports could drive up gas prices. -
The Record-Breaking 14 Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters of 2011
20 Jan 2012 | 11:09 pm2011 has broken the record for the most billion-dollar weather disasters.
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Seth's Blog
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Inaccurate labels and why we need them (and need to improve them)
9 Feb 2012 | 2:46 amIf I tell you, "I'm going to the baseball game," it seems as though you're likely to understand what I mean. Of course, you won't. When George Will goes to a baseball game, it's a religious experience. Me, I don't even like baseball. Or maybe it's my nephew's ball game (the playoffs), or maybe going to the game causes me to miss an important event, and on and on. We label the experience with just two words, and two words can't possibly capture the emotions and circumstance surrounding an event. The same thing is true with brands. If I tell you that a new business was funded by USV, that might… -
How do they know you're not a flake?
8 Feb 2012 | 2:43 amBefore your link gets clicked or your proposal gets read, a busy person is going to triage it to find out if it's even worth glancing at. Since everyone is now connected, the new permeability has created a deluge of noise, and just about everyone worth contacting is taking defensive measures. Do I know this person? Did someone I trust send them over? Where does she work? (Ideo? the FDA? The New York Times?) Has she won an award? Is she famous? Are there typos and is the design sloppy? Are they pestering me? Do I already follow this person online? Does music play when I visit the website? Will… -
Horizontal marketing isn't a new idea
7 Feb 2012 | 2:09 amBut it is the new reality for just about every organization. Vertical marketing means the marketer (the one with money) is in charge. Vertical marketing starts at the top and involves running ads, sending out direct mail and pushing hype through the media. Your money, your plans, your control. It might not work, but generally the worst outcome is that you will be ignored and need to spend more money. Horizonal marketing, on the other hand, means creating a remarkable product and story and setting it up to spread from person to person. It's out of your control, because all the interactions are… -
Who is your customer?
6 Feb 2012 | 2:26 amRule one: You can build a business on the foundation of great customer service. Rule two: The only way to do great customer service is to treat different customers differently. The question: Who is your customer? It's not obvious. Zappos is a classic customer service company, and their customer is the person who buys the shoes. Nike, on the other hand, doesn't care very much at all about the people who buy the shoes, or even the retailers. They care about the athletes (often famous) that wear the shoes, sometimes for money. They name buildings after these athletes, court them, erect… -
In search of a timid trapeze artist
5 Feb 2012 | 2:01 amGood luck with that, there aren't any. If you hesitate when leaping from rope to another, you're not going to last very long. And this is at the heart of what makes innovation work in organizations, why industries die, and how painful it is to try to maintain the status quo while also participating in a revolution. Gather up as much speed as you can, find a path and let go. You can't get to the next rope if you're still holding on to this one.
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Holy Kaw!
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The content marketing explosion [infographic]
9 Feb 2012 | 4:44 amVia Blue Glass Interactive. Marketing infographics. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
8 historical figures who ate disgusting things
8 Feb 2012 | 11:26 pmBefore you read this article, you may have thought your dog had the grossest eating habits ever. But Fido's penchant for poo is nothing compared to some of these sickos highlighted in Cracked. For example, Victorian scientist William Buckland: He didn't just stop at the meat of animals, either. While on a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, a strange mark was found on the floor. A debate broke out as to what the stain could possibly be, at which point Buckland got on his hands and knees, licked the stain and confidently announced it to be bat piss. But the craziest thing Buckland ever did, at… -
5 explanations of why teenagers act the way the do
8 Feb 2012 | 11:22 pmUnderstanding the teenage mind could be a life's work. For those of you who don't have that kind of time, however, Mental Floss gives five things that could explain the mind of the teenager. For example, parents, have you ever wondered if your teenager is somehow getting dumber? Parents of teens often wonder what happened to the bright child they used to have. How can someone go from getting A’s to getting C’s when they seem to be doing the same amount of work? Once again, changes in the brain are to blame. While the merits of IQ tests are debatable, scientists used to think IQ… -
Surviving the loss of a star employee
8 Feb 2012 | 11:16 pmSome groups have stellar members who carry the team. That's all well and good until that member leaves. Then what? This Smartblog video will help you answer that question: Full story at Smartblog on Leadership. Top news for leaders. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Disneyland circa 1957 [video]
8 Feb 2012 | 11:14 pmThis video was shot in 1957, less than two years after Disneyland had opened. The footage is newly restored and ready to take you to the happiest place on earth as it was in its early days. Full story at Mental Floss. All the top Internet videos in one place. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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How to Change the World
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Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amOver the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are… -
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amNow this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored -
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmThis is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who… -
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amHere is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan. -
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 8:01 amWelcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
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Get Rich Slowly - Personal Finance That Makes Sense.
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How One Decision Can Help You Retire Faster
9 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amThis is a guest post by Dee Bauer from SmallHouseLife.com, where she shares information about abundant living in small spaces. Do you sometimes wonder if you’ll ever be financially stable enough to retire? Or maybe it’s not so much about retirement as it is about financial independence. Personally, I don’t want to wait until I’m in my 60s to enjoy financial freedom and extended leisure time! As a result of one decision, my husband and I took a giant leap toward our “independence day,” as we like to call it. In sharing our story, maybe you, too, will feel… -
Is Retirement Just Too Dang Risky?
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amThis is a post from staff writer Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new article to Get Rich Slowly every two weeks. I’ve been saving for retirement since my mid-20s, and I write a retirement-planning newsletter every month. Yet here’s the thing: I don’t plan to ever fully retire. And while most people list “retirement” as their number one investing goal, I don’t think most other people should retire, either — at least not at age 64 for men and 62 for… -
8 Questions to Help You Save More
7 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amThis is a guest post by Fiona Lippey. Fiona is the author of the bestselling book The $21 Challenge and founder of Australia’s largest frugal website, SimpleSavings.net. If you want to save money, and I mean really save money, then you’re going to have to stop buying Stuff. You have reduce the amount you consume. Today I want to share the system I’ve been using for the last 15 years to reduce my spending and make sure I don’t get tricked out of my hard-earned cash. Question 1: Stop! Is this a good decision? Before you reach for your cash, before you grab your credit… -
Can Money Buy Freedom?
6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amOn Saturday, my friend Tyler hosted a blog meetup. I first met Tyler several years ago. He was a GRS reader who dropped me a line to see if I’d meet him for dinner. I said “yes” — as I almost always do. Now, several years later, Tyler runs a successful blog of his own. It was fun to see his readers come out to support him. Note: I’ve never hosted a meetup for GRS readers, but the more of these I attend for other blogs, the more fun I think it would be for us to have some gatherings of our own. What do you think? Whenever I visit a new city — Denver in… -
Reader Story: Why I Lied About Money
5 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amThis guest post from Aloysa is part of the “reader stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. These stories feature folks from all levels of financial maturity and with all sorts of incomes. You can read more from Aloysa at My Broken Coin. For six years, I lied to my ex-husband about how much money I was making. Some people make up lies trying to build self-esteem. Those people lie “up”. I lied down, hiding how much money I made, and underestimating the work I…
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NYT > Home Page
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Special Section: Wealth: Color the 1 Percent 99 Percent Conflicted
9 Feb 2012 | 4:51 amCriticism of the wealthiest Americans has prompted reactions from guilt to outrage — and much puzzlement. -
DealBook: Credit Suisse Reports First Quarterly Loss in Three Years
9 Feb 2012 | 4:44 amThe Swiss bank reported a net loss of $698 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, as its core businesses suffered a slowdown in the weak economic environment. -
Austerity Talks Hit a Wall in Greece
9 Feb 2012 | 4:37 amThe prime minister of Greece said discussions about the terms of a bailout would continue Thursday after they stalled over proposed pension cuts. -
Libya’s New Government Unable to Control Militias
9 Feb 2012 | 4:37 amThe Arab world’s most sweeping revolution is foundering as the interim Libyan government seems to be paralyzed by its lack of power to control competing militias. -
Young People Are Watching, but Less Often on TV
9 Feb 2012 | 4:32 amYoung people still watch many television shows, but they are streaming them on computers and phones to a greater degree.
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News
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Settlement Reached With Banks On Relief For Some Homeowners
9 Feb 2012 | 5:10 amOfficials have been pressing five banks to offer mortgage relief and some financial aid to homeowners who got crushed when the housing bubble burst or were caught up in the "robo-signing" scandal that sped up the foreclosure process.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
N.Y., California To Sign Mortgage Settlement
9 Feb 2012 | 4:48 amBank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial agreed to the settlement for lowering homeowners' mortgage principal, refinancing, a reserve account, and checks to homeowners.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
More Deaths Today In Syrian City Of Homs, Residents Say
9 Feb 2012 | 4:35 amForces loyal to President Bashar Assad are again shelling the city, according to reports from Homs. There's also been fighting reported in some other places.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
AP: First 10 States Granted Waivers From 'No Child Left Behind'
9 Feb 2012 | 4:05 amThe administration announced last year that states can apply to be exempt from some No Child requirements. The first 10, AP says, are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
White House Official: 10 States Get Education Waiver
9 Feb 2012 | 3:20 amThe move gives long-sought leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students. The states are Colorado, Florida,Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey,Oklahoma and Tennessee.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Twitter Blog
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Post-Bowl Twitter analysis
6 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pmThe results are in: People love to share the experience of watching the Super Bowl with millions of other viewers from around the world. Whether it’s cheering for your team, commenting on the halftime show or discussing the ads, it seems you have a lot to say about this annual tradition—and you’re using Twitter to say it.Here’s a fun fact: in 2008, Twitter’s largest spike in Tweets per second (TPS) during the Super Bowl was just 27. Three years later, fans sent 4,064 TPS, which was the highest TPS for any sporting event at that time.This year, the TPS peak was 12,233 Tweets. The… -
Roar of the crowd: Super Bowl on Twitter
2 Feb 2012 | 11:34 amFrom @TimTebow leading the Denver Broncos to a shocking overtime win (and a new record for sports-related Tweets per second: 9,420) to San Diego Chargers receiver @ericweddle1’s sideline Tweets from the Pro Bowl—we watched all of the NFL post-season’s most memorable moments come alive on Twitter.And while the @Giants and @Patriots’ rematch and halftime show play out on TV, the national conversation is happening well beyond your den: it also happens on Twitter. Follow your favorite NFL players, coaches and commentators during the game, or just search for #SuperBowl to see how everyone… -
Tweets still must flow
26 Jan 2012 | 11:25 amSee below for an update.One year ago, we posted "The Tweets Must Flow," in which we said,“The open exchange of information can have a positive global impact … almost every country in the world agrees that freedom of expression is a human right. Many countries also agree that freedom of expression carries with it responsibilities and has limits.”As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. Others are similar but, for… -
Hack Week @ Twitter
25 Jan 2012 | 12:20 pmHack Week is one of the ways we actively promote innovation through experimentation around the company. This week, a wide range of folks here are taking time away from their day-to-day work to collaborate and develop ideas that they are passionate about. Get comfortable with uncertainty; it leaves room for inspiration. #hackweek— benji shine (@bshine) January 24, 2012Employees across the company have formed nearly 100 teams to work on a variety of projects. Some are developing ways that could make Twitter even easier to use; others are testing out a new feature or tool that people might… -
Twitter Translation Center adds Right-to-Left Languages
25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amBeginning today, right-to-left languages are now available for volunteers to translate in the Twitter Translation Center, starting with Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu. The Twitter Translation Center takes a crowd-sourced approach to translating and localizing Twitter for people around the world. More than 425,000 volunteers contribute to the Translation Center, and to date have helped make Twitter available in 22 languages. With their help, these will be the next four.As we prepare to add Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu to Twitter, we’ve developed new ways to ensure that Tweets and hashtags…
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Vegan.com Blog
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Wayne Pacelle at TedX
8 Feb 2012 | 4:09 pmThe Humane Society of the United States’ CEO gives an outstanding fifteen minute presentation about the ethical issues confronted by animal agribusiness. He makes the case against battery cages and gestation crates as powerfully as I’ve ever heard. Share this however you can. It’s essential viewing for any omnivore unwilling to watch slaughterhouse or undercover investigation footage. (Thanks, Carrie.) Link. -
Sticky Fingers Sweets
8 Feb 2012 | 7:21 amTerrific Washington Post profile of Sticky Fingers Bakery founder Doron Peterson. Doron’s got a new vegan dessert cookbook, Sticky Fingers’ Sweets, coming out next week. (Via Shapiro.) Link. -
The Wingador
8 Feb 2012 | 4:51 amA surreal ten-minute short film on competitive eating by Errol Morris. It’s like a personal visit with the least self-aware person on the planet. (Via Boing Boing.) Link. -
NY Times on Mindful Eating
8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 amA great article on mindful eating in the New York Times offers this exciting piece of news: Few places in America are as frantically abuzz with activity as the Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., but when Thich Nhat Hanh dropped by for a day of mindfulness in September, hundreds of employees showed up. Part of the event was devoted to eating thoughtfully in silence, and the practice was so well received that an hourlong wordless vegan lunch is now a monthly observance on the Google campus. I was lucky enough to eat at the Googleplex this past November. The vegan choices at one… -
Vegan Week in DC
8 Feb 2012 | 3:25 amAmber McDonald of the DC Vegan blog decided to fight back against the city’s Meat Week by starting up DC Meat-Free Week, which began the day after Meat Week ended. This sort of thing is an easy yet powerful activist opportunity: just get a few restaurants to sign on, then contact your local newspapers and foodie websites, and you’re in business. I know I have some readers who could make this happen in their cities. If you’re one of them, and would like to organize a local Meat-Free Week between April 16th to 22nd, email me and I’ll blog it here. This would be a great…
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Home
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Blog Post: Bob Barker Says ‘Stop the Stampede’
8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pmThe always remarkable Bob Barker has sent urgent letters to the major sponsors of the cruel Calgary Stampede encouraging them to take PETA's advice and end their support of the deadly event. The Price Is Too High Bob leapt into action after The Price Is Right—the game show he hosted for 35 years—began giving away prize packages that contained trips to the Stampede and to SeaWorld. Shortly afterward, Bob contacted the program's producers to ask them to stop promoting cruel animal spectacles on the show. Now Bob has gone the extra mile by writing to some of the main companies that… -
Tell ShopRite to Drop Foie Gras
8 Feb 2012 | 1:19 pm -
Tell ShopRite to Drop Foie Gras
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm -
Bob Barker to Stampede Sponsors: No Price Is Right for Cruelty to Animals
8 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pm -
Nearly Naked PETA Couple Beds Down in Oklahoma City
8 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pm
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@ProBlogger
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How to Succinctly Report a Blog Issue to Tech Support
8 Feb 2012 | 6:07 amThis guest post is by Matthew Setter of Malt Blue. How often do you find it happening to you? You discover an issue with your site, or one of your community members emails you to tell you about it, and soon you start to see tweets about it too. Maybe it’s as simple as an error message that detracts from the professional appearance of your site. Perhaps the contact form doesn’t send messages to your contact email address. Or is it that the whole site just displays as a blank page, otherwise known as the white page of death? You’re not a programmer, a software engineer or a seasoned… -
Make Your Blog Load Faster than ProBlogger: Part 2
7 Feb 2012 | 12:05 pmThis guest post is by Devesh of WP Kube. A few months ago, I wrote a guest post here called How to Make Your Blog Load Faster than ProBlogger. Today, I’ll go into some more detailed advice to help you speed up your site even more. If you’re a blogger, you already know about the importance of blog loading speed, and the role it plays in search engine rank and marketing your blog. But if this is new territory for you, here are three quick reasons why you need to speed up your blog: Google includes website loading speed as an important metric in their ranking algorithm. If you want… -
How I Beat my Best Month Ever by Doing Something Good, Better [Case Study]
7 Feb 2012 | 6:04 amMid-December 2010: on my photography site, we launched a new campaign—our first ever 12 Days of Christmas promotion. The result was my biggest month of earnings ever up to that point. The idea was simple: offer discounts on 12 products over the 12 days leading up to Christmas. I used a mix of my own ebooks and products from other photography sites with affiliate commissions. The result was massive. Not only did we see some great revenue generated, it created some lovely buzz on the site. Due to the success of the 2010 campaign, in mid-December 2011 we launched our second 12 Days of… -
Six Steps to Make Sure Your Site Is Ready to Go Viral
6 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amThis guest post is by Nancy Sathre-Vogel of Family on Bikes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Surely Google Analytics was confusing my site with another, way more popular site. There was no way my visitor numbers could be so high! And yet they were. One of my posts had taken off and was spreading like wildfire. Those viral post phenomena that happen to others were now happening to me. The first day, 17,000 visitors came to my website. The next day we topped out at 56,000. Readers were coming in droves. It was exciting. It was exhilarating. My site, viral! Wow! And then I took a… -
How to Handle Criticism: a Practical Guide
5 Feb 2012 | 12:03 pmImage by Stuart RichardsAs bloggers, each of us has to deal with criticism. Blogging is a very public activity—almost all of us has the goal of gaining readers to our blogs—and the more people you reach, the more likely it is that you’ll hear criticisms. “You’re wrong…” “How can you say that? You don’t know what you’re talking about.” “I couldn’t disagree more…” “This is the last time I read this blog!” These are just some of the criticisms bloggers regularly face—I’ve received versions of…
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Copyblogger
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How to Recover From a Social Media Hangover
9 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am“Hello. My name is Cori and I’m a social media addict. “Today is day 1 of my commitment to give myself a regular break from technology and the foggy, uncreative haze it can unwittingly lead to.” I was reading a post the other day by blogger Michael Brenner at B2B Marketing Insider, talking about getting your social media game on. Of course, being the skimmer that I am, the first thing that caught my attention and made me go back and read the whole thing was his mention of having a Social Media Hangover. His hangover was induced by sometimes (as we all do) forgetting to… -
The “New” SEO Secret Weapon
8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amIf you have a web site, you may have noticed one of two things about the traffic you get from search engines. Your search traffic may have dried up overnight, with once-healthy streams turning into a sad little trickle. Or you may have noticed a nice, steady improvement as you’ve climbed higher in the SERPs (search engine results pages), while other sites that used to outrank you suddenly evaporated. There’s a super-secret new ingredient in SEO. It was always a factor, but it’s become even more important recently, as the Google team relentlessly declares war on what they see… -
8 Quick Tips for Writing Bullet Points People Actually Want to Read
7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amIt’s a Twitterized world, we’re just living in it. Blog posts, Tweets, quick videos, Google+, the Facebook Timeline, and tens of thousands of images pinned to digital boards are flying past us faster than we can read them. Faster than we can even scan them, depending on the time of day. What does this mean for writers trying to cut through it all? At least two things that I can think of: You’d better know how to write a compelling headline You’d better know how to write bullet points that grab (and keep) your reader We’re not telling you to keep your copy short. -
7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Wildly Successful Guest Post
6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amWe all know that guest posts grow blogs. But not many people realize that tactical guest posting grows careers. Most bloggers I see pump out these articles while reciting the mantra “quantity over quality”; there’s no real strategy and there are no real long-term benefits. In this post I am going to show you the seven crucial tactics for writing a radically successful guest post. Done right, these strategies will get you more email subscribers, coveted Google ranking positions, and a big head-start on your content marketing goals. Who am I to teach you about guest blogging? -
7 Smashing Social Media Marketing Links
4 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amThis week on The Lede … What really works on Twitter One thing social media copywriters should never do 9 productive social media hacks A reminder of the power of the original social media If you just can’t wait for The Lede every Saturday, and you want even more practical, useable links than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. It’s painless. Really. // 9 Social Media Hacks You Need to Embrace Now Mr. Baer makes a good case that though social media is inexpensive in monetary terms, it can get good and costly when it comes to spending your…
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ReadWriteWeb
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Three Ways To Use Linked In If You're NOT Looking For A Job
9 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amA post last week on pimping your LinkedIn profile drew a big response, as well as a divide in comments about whether or not people should be using LinkedIn. One of the bigger misconceptions in comments in emails was that LinkedIn is a primarily a job-hunting site. But there are reasons to use LinkedIn even if you have a job you love, aside from the obvious benefits of keeping up on your industry and making connections with potential business partners. Sponsor Among them: LinkedIn is a great contact manager. Not all of your contacts will have their phone numbers in their LinkedIn profile (and… -
Groupon's First Earnings Call Missed the Mark, But It May Not Matter
8 Feb 2012 | 9:28 pmToday in its quarterly earnings call, Groupon reported that it did not meet fourth quarter expectations. The company posted a $43 million loss, or $0.08 cents per share. Despite the loss, Groupon's revenue in the fourth quarter 2011 grew 194% to $506.5 million, up from $172.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. In fact, the fourth quarter 2011 was the company's first quarter of operating profitability since it opening international operations in the second quarter of 2010. This brings everyone back to the same question: Is the daily deals model a real, legitimate business, or is it just a… -
Daily Wrap: January's List of Apps You Need to See and more
8 Feb 2012 | 6:00 pmDan Rowinski rounds up the best apps, in our opinion, of January 2012. This and more in today's Daily Wrap. Sometimes it's difficult to catch everything that hits tech media in a day, so we wrap up some of the most talked about stories. We give you a daily recap of what you missed in the ReadWriteWeb Community, including a link to some of the most popular discussions in our offsite communities on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ as well. Sponsor New iPhone, iPad and Android Apps for January 2012 In what is surely a labor of love, Dan Rowinski combs through the mass of apps released… -
Stop Saying "Finally"
8 Feb 2012 | 5:50 pmFIIIINALLY! Google released a Chrome beta for Android! GODDDDD. What took them so long? All the Ice Cream Sandwich users have been waiting, like, FOREVER! Finally, Tweetbot for iPad came out. I've only been asking them for, like, EIGHT MONTHS! Jeez. Apple fiiiinally released iTunes Match after a whole month, and it didn't even work right! Listen to how this sounds. How do we, the tech bloggers, get away with headlines like this? Where do users get off complaining impatiently about updates to a service that costs them $2.99? Or a free service? Let's have a reality check. Remember how awesome… -
10 Ways to Win Over Writers
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmAs a PR person, product developer, CEO or whatever, you're probably more interested in getting noticed by the media than developing a relationship with a particular writer. That's one way to go about it. Then there's that old-fashioned "building a relationship with a real person not a robot" idea. You know, treating people like people and taking the time to get to know them. Oh right, yeah, forgot about that. Writers, like artists, are sensitive to ideas and people. But not every writer will get you or your product - and in the tech world as in any world, each writer has their own…
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Write to Done
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Eight Simple Tips for Editing Your Own Work
9 Feb 2012 | 12:03 amA guest post by Ali Luke of Aliventures.com One key factor that separates mediocre writers from good ones (and even good from great) is the quality of their editing. If you’re working for a big magazine or publishing house, you’ll have an editor who goes through your work, checks for any clumsy or ambiguous phrasing, and fixes any typos – but if you’re working on your first novel, or publishing posts to a blog, you’re almost certainly going to be on your own. It’s hard to edit your own work. You might end up skipping editing altogether because you hate it – or you might spend… -
The Biggest Mistake Most Writers Make
6 Feb 2012 | 12:05 amA guest post by Sean Platt of GhostWriterDad.com. Not having a website or blog to call their own is one of the biggest mistakes a modern writer can make. It’s shocking how many writers make it anyway. Perhaps it’s the abundance of free solutions that lull writers into the false belief that they’re building something with long term, sustainable value, when the truth is they own nothing at all. From social media hot spots such as Twitter and Facebook, to Web 2.0 properties like Tumblr and Posterous, writers can easily find free solutions that will allow them to easily hop online and get… -
Know Thyself. 7 Truths About Writers
3 Feb 2012 | 4:07 amA guest post by Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn, one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers Claiming the word ‘writer’ for yourself can be a big step. You may have been writing all your life but do you actually call yourself a writer? Know Thyself was inscribed on the ancient Greek temple of Apollo at Delphi. People would go there to seek knowledge of the future or to find revelation about themselves. The words were a reminder that the first step to truth is to look inside. Fundamentally, writers write, they put words onto a page or screen. But there are other aspects to writers. Do you… -
A Radical Approach to Launching a Book? Interview with Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing
30 Jan 2012 | 3:19 pmDo you plan to write a book at some point in the future? Writing a book is a big challenge. But there is another hurdle at the end: you have to launch your book. Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing came up with a radical strategy of creating and launching a book when he created Engagement from Scratch. Read about his new strategy in this no-holds-barred interview with Mary Jaksch: Q: How did you come up with the idea for the book, “Engagement from Scratch”? A: It started with my own experience building Firepole Marketing, which I started really working on about a year ago, in… -
Is Your Writing Career Missing This Single Most Crucial Element?
26 Jan 2012 | 4:10 amA guest post by Josh Sarz of Sagoyism I read a story a while back about a farmer who was sowing seeds by hand. He would bring his pouch of seeds, go out and start sowing. The farmer threw the seeds everywhere. At first, one would think that he is losing so much because he throws handfuls of seeds on the ground. To the extremely hungry, those seeds could make a decent meal. Why would he be throwing them away like that? But when you look at the big picture, the farmer really does lose handfuls of seeds, but in time he gains bounties more. I was reminded of this story when I was out fishing with…
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Penelope Trunk Blog
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What Facebook's IPO means for women
7 Feb 2012 | 7:15 pmAfter the Facebook IPO, Sheryl Sandberg will become number two on the list of richest self-made women. She is the COO of Facebook. For those of you not familiar with her career, there’s a nice summary in the New York Times. But the bottom line is that she is really smart (Harvard), a really hard worker (startups, Google, Facebook), a great speaker (here’s a commencement speech) ,and she’s married to a guy who is also making tons of money in startups. There is nothing, really, that is bad to say about Sandberg. And she works very hard to encourage other women to go as far as she has… -
How to have faith in yourself
30 Jan 2012 | 8:37 amSunday nights at our house are dinner with me, the kids, the Farmer and the Ex. They are always fun dinners, and I always feel very lucky for that. My six-year-old talked about his new baby cousin, Eva (who is pictured, in utero, above). "She has a terrible name," he said, "for Pig Latin. Its Vaeay. It doesn't work." We all do the vowel arranging in our heads and agree, Eva is not a good Pig Latin name. "Mom has a great name! It's Enelopepay." The Farmer says, "It sounds like it could be the name of her next company." The Ex says, "Yeah,… -
Key to productivity: Choose phone calls carefully
22 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pmOne of the keys to my ability to work 40 hours a week and homeschool two kids is that I have great time management. Which is to say, I say no to just about everything. But learning when to say no is still a work in progress. Here's what I know about saying no to phone calls: 1. It's more efficient to read the book than talk to the author. I get about ten emails a day asking me if I want to talk to someone about their book so I’ll recommend it on the blog. My answer is always no. I said yes once because it was Gloria Steinem. And it turned out to be a really disappointing phone… -
Things I wish I had written
20 Jan 2012 | 10:34 amIn therapy lately I am learning to identify my feelings. Maybe you’re thinking this is elementary, but did you know that envy is about wanting something you don’t have, but jealousy is the fear of losing something you already have? I am thinking about those two things. I am almost never envious, but I am often jealous. Most of my emotions, in fact, are rooted in fear. I am thinking a lot lately about where my joy comes from, and one thing I love is writing well. When I have a blog post that people love I am happy for weeks. And the excitement of doing good creative work gives me energy to… -
How to manage a career in 2012
16 Jan 2012 | 12:57 pmI have never been great at picking my own clothes. I’m great at interior design, but I have a blind spot for clothes. So I email Melissa photos of my outfits, and she uses her photographic memory of my closet to edit my outfits. When I sent her this photo, she said: “What is this?” I only wanted her opinion about the color of the shirt, so I thought it was okay that it was blurry. But the more I look at the picture, the more I think that it’s how I feel about myself right now. I am not quite sure who I am, right now. And given the current career climate, this is actually how most…
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Escape From Cubicle Nation
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Tracking your right life: Interview with Martha Beck
6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmThose of you who have been following my work for awhile know that I have been heavily influenced by my coach mentor Dr. Martha Beck. Her book Finding Your Own North Star changed the course of my life when I read it nearly a decade ago, and eventually led to my Escape from Cubicle Nation work. Martha is a Harvard-trained sociologist and bestselling author. She is Oprah’s life coach in residence, and writes a monthly column for O Magazine. In this interview, I talk with Martha about her brand new book Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. Building on the research she started at Harvard… -
Are you massively wrong about the size of your market?
2 Feb 2012 | 4:05 pmI walked in my son’s Cub Scout meeting late last night, and ran into the wife of our den leader. She is a wonderful person; an engaged mother, passionate volunteer and airline pilot. “I am so sorry for being late,” I said. “I was teaching a class.” “No problem at all, where were you teaching?” she said. “On the phone,” I said. She looked puzzled. “You were teaching on the phone? How does that work?” “I teach marketing to coaches who are in the Martha Beck coaching program. They dial in from all over the world, and I… -
A concrete example of how to get yourself to “do the work”
1 Feb 2012 | 8:51 amGolden Gloves contender Amanda Wang and Pamela Slim. Photo by proud cousin Abe Cajudo. They say the best way to learn something and reinforce positive behavior is to teach it. So here, 5 minutes after gaining insight while on a walk to Starbucks, is my advice to help you “do the work” (said channeling Steven Pressfield). To watch directly on YouTube, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zVWDH2QflA What I neglected to say in the video is that exercising even a little bit makes everything feel better! <Enjoy getting back to your regularly scheduled programming. I have a… -
How to build a powerful and profitable mailing list
17 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pmIf you have studied small business marketing, you may have heard the frequent cheer “The money is in The List!” And indeed, creating a strong email marketing list is a powerful foundation for any business, online or offline. In this video, I give you a few things to think about as you are establishing your mailing list, as well as a cardinal sin to avoid. To view this directly on YouTube, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xEkc0qEbg More marketing tips coming! At the end of this month, I am going to be opening a new section of Power Boost Marketing for enrollment. Power… -
Bigger goals mean more resistance – don’t back down!
12 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pmHappy 2012! If you followed my planning videos in December, you may have defined some nice juicy goals for yourself this year. And as you have started to execute those plans, you may have already faced some challenges and resistance from your market. My best advice? Don’t back down. Here’s why: (Direct link to YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY-BbkxIkGQ) Bigger Fish! Pescadotes!
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FreelanceSwitch
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A 10-Step Process to a Successful Freelance Career
9 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amAs many freelancers eventually realize, going into business for yourself means you actually take on two separate (very different) full time businesses. How’s that for a surprise when you originally thought that you could blissfully code away and somehow the money would start rolling in? This is actually what happens on your path to freelance success: You dream. It starts with the fantasy of going freelance. First, you dream of the time that you can shed your cubicle life and work from home in your fuzzy slippers, and think that somehow, eventually, the money will start coming in. You dive… -
How To Deal With Criticism
8 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amWorking in the creative field means you are an open target for criticism. Someone doesn’t like your photography work, they think you’re a bad writer, or your prices are unfair. And as freelancers, it can be hard not to take criticism—no matter how well meaning—personally. I read this blog post on Forbes.com on how to deal with really tough criticism, written for people who are business leaders. While I’m not necessarily the target audience for this article, I did take away some good lessons that I’d like to share for the freelance set. The first thing we need to consider is that… -
5 Ways to Spread the Freelance Love
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amValentine’s Day is probably not a holiday that brings your fellow freelancers to mind. You may have made a point to recognize your clients during the December holiday season, so why not make February the time to applaud your fellow independents? Spreading good karma always pays off in some manner, whether it be a new contact, lead, or networking opportunity. Here are some ways to get started. Hire someone. You might not think of yourself as a potential client to other freelancers, but face it, you can’t be good at everything. You could tap into fellow freelancers for several aspects of… -
Build a Better Tweet
7 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amA new study from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science called “Who Gives a Tweet: Evaluating Microblogging Content Value” has unveiled what we like to read, and what we don’t like to read, on Twitter. I have to say, the results aren’t all that surprising. A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Georgia Tech launched a site asking for anonymous feedback from people like you and me in exchange for rating their tweets. Users had to sign in to their website and rate 10 tweets before getting any feedback on their own tweets. Luckily for these researchers, their… -
5 Ways to Earn More from Current Clients
7 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amIt takes a lot of work to get a new client. Unless you have a regular stream of referrals coming your way, you may need to do all the legwork yourself by approaching potential clients, contacting them, and testing if they’d be interested in your services. This often requires a lot of research and preparation. Still, you’re not sure any of these prospects will convert into paying clients – even if you know you did everything right. This is why, during a work famine, it may be easier to get hired again by people who already paid you before: your former and existing clients.
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Dilbert Daily Strip
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Comic for February 9, 2012
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Comic for February 8, 2012
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Comic for February 7, 2012
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Comic for February 6, 2012
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Comic for February 5, 2012
4 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm
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Illuminated Mind
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And… we have lift off. Trailblazer is LIVE.
2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmOkay, I’m a little late getting this message up. Things have been a bit crazy over here at Illuminated Mind headquarters with launch madness. But, we did it! Trailblazer is now LIVE and open for enrollment: TrailblazerJourney.com We’ve been hard at work over the last several months tearing things down and rebuilding Trailblazer from the ground up. We’ve improved all of the content. We’ve added case studies and checklists for every single training module, and revamped just about everything. And last December we launched this video that created quite a stir in our little… -
Why Choosing a Niche is Pretty Dumb (and Why You Should Create One Instead)
26 Jan 2012 | 2:35 pmIf you want to compete in a game someone else created you’ll probably want to find a nice cozy, safe niche that has a history of predictable success. Choosing a niche and differentiating yourself is safe and comforting. And besides, isn’t that what all the experts tell you to do? Find your niche. Well, that’s fine if you want to do something that’s already been done. But I’m guessing that you were brought here to do something bigger. Something more. Maybe your vision is bigger than just following in someone else’s footsteps, or being #2 in a crowded market. -
Win a Free Membership to Trailblazer
19 Jan 2012 | 9:35 amGood morning fellow Trailblazers. My team and I have been hard at work (except for our Shihtzu, Sofie, she’s mostly been barking in her sleep) on the new Trailblazer program. We’ve been releasing a series of videos over the past few weeks, and shared the success stories of some of our awesome members. And last week we had everyone vote on a new emblem for the program (which generated nearly 200 comments). In less than two weeks we’ll be opening the doors to the brand, shiny new program, but for now, there’s nothing to buy. So put away your wallet. :) My heart has… -
Help me choose the new Trailblazer logo
12 Jan 2012 | 11:05 amWe’re rebuilding Trailblazer from the ground up, and it’s time that we got a new emblem to match the new, and improved version of this community. I commissioned Dustin Hoffman (not the Rain Man) to help me design an all new look. If you’re seeking someone to help you with your brand, logo or website, I highly recommend working with Dustin. He’s been incredibly professional and has really blown me away with his work (it speaks for itself, see below). He’s in high-demand, so get in touch with him soon while he’s still available if you can. Anyway, I’m… -
How to Prevent Your Passion from Blowing Up in Your Face
10 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pmEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Jennifer Gresham of Everyday Bright. Your soul dies a little every time you drive to work. The solution sounds so easy: ”follow your bliss.” But you don’t get far before you discover more questions than answers: How do I know if something is really a passion? What if I don’t have a passion? What if I have too many? Am I dooming myself to a life of poverty if I follow my passion once I find it? It’s not that you don’t want to live a life of passion, but you’re scared. What if it doesn’t…
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FactCheckED
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Gingrich vs. FactCheckers on federal health insurance mandate
31 Jan 2012 | 6:43 amFlackCheck.org highlights a FactCheck.org analysis of former Speaker Newt Gingrich's support of a federal insurance mandate. More >> -
Santorum vs FactCheckers on Jihadist Missiles in Cuba
31 Jan 2012 | 6:37 amFlackCheck.org highlights FactCheck.org's assessment of former Sen. Rick Santorum's claims about jihadist missiles in Cuba. More >> -
Gingrich vs. FactCheckers on claims about Freddie Mac
31 Jan 2012 | 6:32 amFlackCheck.org looks at Factcheck.org's examination of former Speaker Newt Gingrich's statements about the specifics of contracts his consulting firm had with Freddie Mac. More >> -
Santorum vs Factcheckers on those seeking free care under Mass. Health plan
31 Jan 2012 | 6:29 amFlackCheck.org highlights FactCheck.org's assessment of former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Gov. Mitt Romney's exchange on free riders in Massachusetts health care system. More >> -
Romney vs. FactCheckers on Palestinian Rockets into Israel
31 Jan 2012 | 6:28 amFlackCheck.org examines former Gov. Mitt Romney's claim that President Obama "has said nothing" about Palestinian rockets being fired into Israel. More >>
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Wired: Wired Science
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Black Hole Eats Asteroids, Burps Out X-Rays
8 Feb 2012 | 2:31 pmThe supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy may be constantly snacking on asteroids. A new study finds that asteroids at least 12 miles wide falling into the black hole would account for the regular bright x-ray flares seen through telescopes. Though nothing, including light, can escape a black hole, most are ringed by a disk of gas and dust. As it falls in, this material heats up to incredible temperatures, generating energy. For several years, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has spotted daily fluctuations in the emissions coming from the Milky Way’s central black… -
European Cave Spiders Produce Super-Stretchy Silk
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmScientists have discovered some of the most stretchable spider silk ever, which can elongate up to 7.5 times its initial length. European cave spiders produce the silk to build egg sacs that protect their developing young. Spider silk is a remarkable material known for its strength and toughness. Most species secrete seven or eight types of silk for different purposes. Dragline silk, for instance, anchors spiders to a surface and is used as the backbone of most webs while other silks are used for web scaffolding or to wrap captured prey. Female European cave spiders (Meta menardi), which live… -
Asia and Americas on Course for Arctic Collision
8 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pmIt’ll be a geological showdown for the ages, with North America, South America, Europe and Asia colliding head-on over the North Pole to create a supercontinent called Amasia. Unfortunately, nobody we know will be around to watch the collision, which won’t happen for another 50 million years or more. But it’s still fun to imagine. “The snapshot that is the present is smack-dab in the middle of what we call the supercontinent cycles,” said geologist Ross Mitchell of Yale University, lead author of a Feb. 8 Nature prediction of supercontinental trajectories. -
The Unusual Physics of Floating Pyramids
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amBy Kate McAlpine, ScienceNOW Think floating pyramids are more metaphysics than physics? Think again. Results just in from an experiment that levitated open-bottomed paper pyramids on gusts of air reveal a curious phenomenon: When it comes to drifting through the air, top-heavy designs are more stable than bottom-heavy ones. The finding may lead to robots that fly not like insects or birds but like jellyfish. Physicist Jun Zhang and his colleagues at New York University wanted to better understand how flying bugs control the orientations of their bodies. Do they have to work at it, or are they… -
Tiny Tarsiers Talk in High-Pitched Code
8 Feb 2012 | 7:04 amBy Mark Brown, Wired UK The Philippine tarsier is a tiny primate with a seriously high voice. The saucer-eyed mammal can let out (and listen to) squeaks and squeals at such a high frequency that it effectively gives the mammal a private communication channel. A team of researchers, led by Marissa Ramsier of Humboldt State University in California, found that the tiny tarsier can hear and emit sounds in the ultrasound range — that’s above 20 kHz. Most humans can’t hear in that range, and a dog whistle is pitched to be just inside ultrasound, somewhere between 22 and 23 kHz. A…
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Top 10 Lists
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Top 10 Worst Ways to Be Tortured in Medieval Times
8 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmThe Middle Ages were truly not for the faint of heart. Most people were peasants and dirt poor. They lived short, brutal existences, and the peasants had few rights to speak of. And did we mention the torture? I’m not talking about waterboarding here. This stuff was brutal. Some people got really creative in figuring [...] -
The Top 10 Most Important Paintings of All Time
7 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmIt’s a well known fact that paintings and art, in general, are inherently subjective things. Sure, we can talk about “famous” art, but fame does not equal quality; at the end of the day, all talks about the best or worst art of any kind come down to one basic question: what IS art anyway? [...] -
Top 10 International Beauties Of 2012
6 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmIn American English, the word “international” is commonly used as a euphemism for “foreign national.” According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a foreign national is “an individual who is a citizen of any country other than the United States.” On the contrary, in the European Union a foreign national is someone who is [...] -
Top 10 Not Well Known Documentaries
5 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmThe documentary gets no love, but it’s a key part of our filmic culture. Too often, it’s lumped in with dull depictions of science topics on PBS, but documentaries fit in genres too, from comedy to horror. Here are ten you may not have seen. 10. “The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On” A Japanese documentary, [...] -
Top 10 Songs That Get Stuck In Your Head
2 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmAs time has progressed, we’ve seen music become much more sleeker and refined, designed for mass appeal from the get-go. Songs have become polished products like trinkets you can fit in your breast pocket and admire from the palm of your hand. It used to be that music had splinters and rough edges and a [...]
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zenhabits
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The Thousand Cuts Fitness Program
6 Feb 2012 | 9:43 amPost written by Leo Babauta. I’ve trained for marathons, triathlons, 10Ks, a 13.5-hour challenge, Ubanathlons, and more. But my favorite fitness program isn’t one where you train for a major event. It’s where you get fit by a thousand little actions. When the actions are tiny, they are easy. You have no excuse. You can do them anywhere, all day long. I fold fitness into my life, like blueberries into batter, and it becomes a part of the recipe, not just a topping. If you haven’t found a way to get fit, try the Thousand Cuts Fitness Program. There is nothing better for… -
The Two-Headed Beast of Successful Habit Change
2 Feb 2012 | 8:20 amEditor’s Note: This is a guest post from Tyler Tervooren of Advanced Riskology. I used to have a lot of bad habits. I still do, but I used to have a lot more. Here’s just a small sampling: I woke up late and went to bed early. I procrastinated on my most important work. I neglected my relationships. I drank too much. I bit my fingernails. I slouched a lot. I picked my nose (no joke). I bought worthless things I didn’t need. I chewed with my mouth open. I dressed like a slob. I ate tons of junk food. I could go on, but none of that’s incredibly important. What’s… -
Create the Habit of Meditation, & the Zen Habits Premium Membership
31 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. It’s something I should have created a long time ago: the Zen Habits Premium Membership, and a mini-course that’s included with it called Create the Habit of Meditation. The membership is a monthly subscription of $19.99, but really it’s a commitment to changing your life, and the tools needed to do that. If you’ve been looking to simplify, get healthy & fit, become more effective, do work you’re passionate about, eliminate debt, find contentment, declutter, create new habits … this new program is meant to show you how to… -
Creating Silence from Chaos
27 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pmPost written by Leo Babauta. We are often afraid of silence, because its emptiness feels idle, boring, unproductive, and scary. And so we fill our lives with chaos, noise, clutter. But silence can be lovely, and therapeutic, and powerful. It can be the remedy for our stress and the habits that crush us. If we want quiet in our lives, how do we create it? I’ve been exploring this myself. As a father of six kids, I have to admit that I don’t always have silence in my life. That’s not a complaint — I love the messy noise that my family brings — but silence can be a… -
The Habits That Crush Us
23 Jan 2012 | 10:26 am‘Don’t panic.’ ~Douglas Adams Post written by Leo Babauta. Why is it that we cannot break the bad habits that stand in our way, crushing our desires to live a healthy life, be fit, simplify, be happier? How is it that our best intentions are nearly always beaten? We want to be focused and productive, exercise and eat healthy foods, stop smoking and learn to get rid of debt and clutter, but we just can’t. The answer lies in something extremely simple, but something most people aren’t aware of: We don’t know how to cope with stress and boredom in a healthy…
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Liz Strauss at Successful Blog
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Be a Good Newbie!
9 Feb 2012 | 5:40 amA Guest Post by Rosemary O’Neill Last week, I wrote about how to be an upstanding citizen of the Twitter and LinkedIn worlds. But what if you’re venturing farther into untested waters? What if you’re pointing your canoe toward some of the newer and less-traveled areas of the web? When a new social tool arrives on your map, it is even more important to mind your manners, especially if there are natives who have been there for a while already. Pinterest, Google+, Quora, Tumblr, EmpireAvenue and others were populated with early adopters and beta testers long before the rest of the… -
Can You Find Success Following a Firing?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amOne of the most challenging situations a person can find themselves in is trying to secure a new job after they’ve been terminated from a previous position. While there is hope of locating employment following a termination, the odds are definitely lessened for such individuals, who must fight through the stigma of being removed from a company. The bottom line is resiliency and the ability to best explain away why you were let go. For those individuals who have to deal with such a situation, keep several things in mind: Deal with reality – It is never easy when the pink slip arrives and… -
Five Delegation Thinking Traps that Trip Almost Everyone Who Wants to Scale Up
7 Feb 2012 | 5:39 amScaling Up Requires Pushing Down Lower-Level Tasks In the companies I worked with and for, product development schedules were cyclical, with seriously tight deadlines at certain times of the year and a more relaxing pace when those deadline had been achieved. To even out this ebb and flow of deliverables, we would hire freelancers, off-sire staff, and development groups. Even the most entry-level full-time people were managing and influencing the performance of someone else. The ability to influence another person’s performance in positive ways affected how quickly employees could grow… -
Does Your Business Style Connect or Make People Cringe?
6 Feb 2012 | 5:43 amGet Serious Attention In Amanda Valenti’s recent guest post here about Common Writing Mistakes, she made many important points that I encourage small businesses to take to heart. If spelling, grammar, and homophones are not your strong suites, find someone who can edit what you write. It IS worth it because Amanda is absolutely correct – these types of errors will cost you visitors and business. There is something more serious you must be aware of as well and that is what kind of image you are presenting to the world. Specifically, what you consider acceptable regarding profanity,… -
Beach Notes: After the Storm
5 Feb 2012 | 7:11 amby Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh After the storm, creative thinking … With all the driftwood on the beach after recent big storms, some people see debris spoiling the usually pristine sands. Others see a gift for creativity. What do you see when everything goes pear-shaped and plans fall apart? Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh
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chrisbrogan.com
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Throw Away the Maps
6 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amPeople judge us by the path they’ve seen us walk before. They can’t anticipate our future steps. We, ourselves, look to how things have been, what seems to be the lay of the land, without realizing that the maps are not the territory. Want to succeed at work? Then don’t try to do your job. Instead, work towards something larger, more meaningful, and something that blends your convictions internally with your best ability to help others externally. Want to create something new? Then throw away the old, or maybe join two disparate old things together into something new. The… -
The Next Social Networks
5 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amThe rage in social networks right now is Pinterest, partly because it’s probably the first social network that has a much higher adoption rate by females than males, and partly because it’s an interesting concept: somewhere between visual social bookmarking and scrapbooking. What also might not be immediately obvious is that it’s just “easier” to interact there. In that way, Pinterest has something in common with Instagram, which is community around photos. What I’m interested in, though, is Gentlemint, which I keep calling “Pinterest for… -
Learn From Adele – Build Your Platform
3 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amJacq and I just watched Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall (amazon affiliate link), and though every song was just wonderfully done, I found myself fascinated by what Adele was doing in between each song. Because even though most people would be interested in hearing her belt out her amazing repertoire of hits, what I took away from the performance was Adele’s real magical ability: the ability to resonate with her audience. What Adele Could Teach You About Impact I’m writing something about this right now for my upcoming book with Julien Smith, but I had to share some of the… -
Rob Gokee is a Musical Wizard
2 Feb 2012 | 8:05 amI had such a great experience working with award winning musical composer Rob Gokee. We did some musical work together, and the process was so amazing. Rob helped me create my theme song for Shhh! The Secret Show. So anyhow, he and I sat down to do an interview, and it’s a bit long, but it’s totally worth it. We talk about what collaboration feels like at a distance, what it takes to get music like this made for your own show, and a lot more. Rob’s a hero to me, and has been part of the community for a while. I was so fortunate to have worked with him. Can’t see the… -
Build Your Platform – Start
30 Jan 2012 | 1:30 amThe following is part ONE of a series called Build Your Platform. If you find it interesting, please consider subscribing for free to get the rest of the series. This post is long. You might want to bookmark it for later. The age of social media oversaturation is upon us. People are declaring Twitter bankruptcy to go along with their email bankruptcy. They cite not wanting to start on yet another social network as their reason for not getting more involved with Google+. And just as soon as you start getting into Pinterest, you hear about Path, but wait: there’s Gentlemint, which is…
