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Try This "Recipe" to Increase Productivity Over the Next Week

Try This "Recipe" to Increase Productivity Over the Next Week

95 best websites you should bookmark today Google is the internet surfer's best friend and worst enemy. If you know what you're after, just type it into the search engine's famous little box and – hey presto – you'll be given a list of related sites in order of relevance. Such is Google's dominance that its name has become a synonym for search. And rightly so. Searching for something implies you know what you're looking for. How do you ask Google for some brilliant sites, sites which will feed your mind, soul or just let you waste time in style? Our experts have put their thinking caps on and come up with a list of their favourite sites. 20 websites that changed the world Best sites for learning Martin Cooper uncovers the best sites for discovering amazing facts and figures When you're after something to feed your mind, body or soul, you'll be sure to find something on the internet that will make you think. eHow If you're ever in doubt about how to do something, visit eHow. www.ehow.com Cooking for engineers The CIA World Factbook

Deadly Dancing: Could a Nocebo Effect Explain Medieval Europe's Dancing Plagues? [Excerpt] Editor's note: Chris Berdik's Mind Over Mind examines the myriad effects of expectations—whether the eager eyes of sports fans on a key player, anticipating a sip of expensive wine or the mysterious medical efficacy of a placebo. In this excerpt, Berdik describes a peculiar contagion that some scientists attribute to the placebo's harmful counterpart, the nocebo effect—in which our expectations cause harm. Excerpted from Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations, by Chris Berdik. The largest wave of compulsive dancing hit Strasbourg in the summer of 1518. Mass psychogenic illnesses [MPI] are fueled by stress and flow from expectations. A hungry and fearful populace was primed for a freak-out, but the loss of control that followed was scripted by cultural expectations. Today's versions of MPI follow more modern expectations —including fears of environmental toxins and terrorist attacks. Certainly, MPI should be a designation of last resort.

Murder Your Worst Habits By Doing This Old habits die hard. Which means if you want to kick butt and knock those bad habits out cold, you need some serious ammunition. Yup, it’s buh bye bad habits and hello new life. Or in the words of Die Hard hero John McClane (Bruce Willis): “Welcome to the party, pal.” What’s Your Poison? Who’s your guest at this habit busting party? We all have our favorites. Glugging away time on social mediaForgetting important tasks (e.g. keeping feeds updated)Obsesively checking emailUsing sugar (okay, chocolate) instead of exercise to boost my energy Time to get brutal. Knowing your enemy is your first task in defeating it. Brutal honesty with yourself is the only way you can see what’s wrong. Alternatively, you can ask a friend. You’ll still need to be honest with yourself. Your Habit Busting Arsenal Now you know what you’re facing, what’re you going to do about it? Here are a few of your options. Cold Turkey. Check out our advice on detoxing. A Guardian Angel. Body Busting. Get A Dummy. Avoid Temptation.

10 TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Communicate August 1st, 2012 By: Alvina Lopez Even the most eloquent of public and private speakers could always stand to tweak their communication skills just a little bit. After all, the ability to convey feelings and facts stands as essential to keeping the human species rolling along. Both the Internet and bookshelves sport advice a-go-go on how to get points across as clearly as possible, and the venerable open source lecture series TED does not disappoint in this regard. Its best offerings regarding human connectivity encourage essentials not always discussed in manuals and textbooks, so give them some consideration and use them to launch more exploration into how to grow into an effective, evocative communicator. Elizabeth Lesser: Take "the Other" to lunch: If communications with people on opposite sides of political, cultural, religious and other common divides so often proves extremely problematic, try Elizabeth Lesser’s simple-but-effective approach.

Ethicist Peter Singer Critiques Roe v. Wade, Obamacare, Romney | Cross-Check Last week the man whom The New Yorker called “the most influential living philosopher” came to my school, Stevens Institute, to talk about “Ethics and the Election.” Peter Singer, who was raised in Australia and now teaches at Princeton and the University of Melbourne, espouses utilitarianism, an ethics that seeks to minimize suffering and maximize wellbeing. Singer’s work is challenging, not because his writing is difficult to understand but because it is all too clear. He has a knack for pushing people out of their moral comfort zone. Although his positions—especially on mercy killing of severely disabled infants and adults–have sparked public protests both in the U.S. and abroad, Singer is disarmingly cool on the page and in person, even when talking about the hottest topics. During his lecture to a packed house at Stevens, Singer expressed disappointment that questioners in the Town Hall Presidential debate seemed primarily concerned with their personal welfare. Photo: nyulocal.com.

Your Body's Best Time for Everything Codex (TM) | eVr1 The Codex is a zipper-pull that contains humanity's accumulated wisdom, the EVR1 Canon. Its made of upcycled leather, a stainless Omega shackle and metal bolts. Use It is designed to be played with and meditated upon daily, whether at home or work or car. You can secure it to a belt loop, valuables or rear-view mirror. It can used as a zipper pull for your briefcase, camera bag, purse, messenger bag or adventure gear. Accessing the Wisdom As a Codex owner, you can access this wisdom in two ways: The EVR1 customers-only Wisdom Locker. It is etched with your choice of the following archetypal symbols: Infinity - instilling you with wonder and humility, given the grand scale and expanding nature of the cosmos. EVR1 Terms of Use

Men and Women Can't Be "Just Friends" Can heterosexual men and women ever be “just friends”? Few other questions have provoked debates as intense, family dinners as awkward, literature as lurid, or movies as memorable. Still, the question remains unanswered. Daily experience suggests that non-romantic friendships between males and females are not only possible, but common—men and women live, work, and play side-by-side, and generally seem to be able to avoid spontaneously sleeping together. New research suggests that there may be some truth to this possibility—that we may think we’re capable of being “just friends” with members of the opposite sex, but the opportunity (or perceived opportunity) for “romance” is often lurking just around the corner, waiting to pounce at the most inopportune moment. The results suggest large gender differences in how men and women experience opposite-sex friendships. Men were also more willing to act on this mistakenly perceived mutual attraction. So, can men and women be “just friends?”

- StumbleUpon Lilach Lilach is the founder and driving force behind Socialable, and highly regarded on the world speaker circuit. Forbes and Number 10 Downing Street have even been graced by her presence! In a nutshell, she’s a hugely connected and highly influential serial entrepreneur – the embodiment of Digitelligence.Listed in Forbes as one of the top 20 women social media power influencers and likewise as one of the top social media power influencers, she is one of the most dynamic personalities in the social media market, she actively leverages ethical online marketing for her clients and for Socialable. After launching her first business within three years of becoming a mother, her financial success was recognised by being a finalist at the Best MumPreneur of the Year Awards, presented at 10 Downing Street. When Lilach isn’t working she enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid fan of Zumba.

50 Things Everyone Should Know - StumbleUpon by Mark and Angel Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. While not totally comprehensive , here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Read the rest of the article

Salton Sea Volcano Mystery Solved Earthquake swarms and a region-wide rotten egg smell recently reminded Southern California residents they live next to an active volcano field, tiny though it may be. At the time, scientists said the phenomena did not reflect changes in the magma chamber below the Salton Sea. But now, researchers may need to revise estimates of the potential hazard posed by the Salton Buttes—five volcanoes at the lake's southern tip. The buttes last erupted between 940 and 0 B.C., not 30,000 years ago, as previously thought, a new study detailed online Oct. 15 in the journal Geology reports. The new age—which makes these some of California's youngest volcanoes—pushes the volcanic quintuplets into active status. "The USGS is starting to monitor all potentially active volcanoes in California, which includes the Salton Buttes," said study author Axel Schmitt, a geochronologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Resolving the Obsidian Butte riddle Rifting brings rising magma

2012 March 12 - The Scale of the Universe Interactive Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2012 March 12 The Scale of the Universe - Interactive Flash Animation Credit & Copyright: Cary & Michael Huang Explanation: What does the universe look like on small scales? On large scales? Tomorrow's picture: dust before galaxies Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD at NASA / GSFC& Michigan Tech.

Contaminated Culture: Native People Struggle with Tainted Resources For the Anishinaabe people at the southernmost tip of Lake Huron, cedar is not just a tree – it is sacred. Used in medicines and teas, the tree’s roots, bark and sap have been central to their physical, mental and cultural wellbeing for centuries. “We smudge with it, as singers we inhale it, as a medicine we bathe in it,” said Ron Plain, an Anishinaabe tribe member and environmental policy analyst at the Southern First Nation Secretariat. But the tribe has abandoned its generations-old tradition. For decades, indigenous people in the United States and Canada have been burdened with health problems linked to environmental pollutants. Their native foods, water, medicines, language and ceremonies, as well as their traditional techniques of farming, hunting and fishing, have been jeopardized by contaminants and development. “Animals have died off or left, the water is no good. “It’s contaminated our culture.” Birth complications also are commonplace. “Food is our culture” Alaska’s St.

11 Goal Hacks: How to Achieve Anything Goal-setting research on fantasising, visualisation, goal commitment, procrastination, the dark side of goal-setting and more… We’re all familiar with the nuts and bolts of goal-setting. We should set specific, challenging goals, use rewards, record progress and make public commitments (if you’re not familiar with these then check out this article on how to reach life goals). So how come we still fail? This psychological research suggests why and what mindsets should help us reach our goals. 1. The biggest enemy of any goal is excessive positive fantasising. 2. The reason we don’t achieve our goals is lack of commitment. One powerful psychological technique to increase commitment is mental contrasting. 3. You can use the Zeigarnik effect to drag you on towards your goal. What the Zeigarnik effect teaches is that one weapon for beating procrastination is starting somewhere…anywhere. 4. 5. When we miss our target, we can fall foul of the what-the-hell-effect. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

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