Use a staple remover to save your fingernails when trying to add things to your key ring!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Rubber Band Tip
Place a rubber band around an open paint can to wipe your brush on, and keep paint off the side of the can
Friday, September 28, 2012
Are People Who Think They're Smart, Really Dumb?
Interesting discussion from barking up the wrong tree:
Why don't stupid people realize they're stupid?
Simply put: stupid people are too stupid to realize they're stupid:
Successful negotiation of everyday life would seem to require people to possess insight about deficiencies in their intellectual and social skills. However, people tend to be blissfully unaware of their incompetence. This lack of awareness arises because poor performers are doubly cursed: Their lack of skill deprives them not only of the ability to produce correct responses, but also of the expertise necessary to surmise that they are not producing them. People base their perceptions of performance, in part, on their preconceived notions about their skills. Because these notions often do not correlate with objective performance, they can lead people to make judgments about their performance that have little to do with actual accomplishment.
Source: "Why People Fail to Recognize Their Own Incompetence" from Current Directions in Psychological Science
It has since been dubbed the Dunning–Kruger effect:
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes. The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Good News Bad News For Paper Industry
From Dead Tree Edition:
Here's how to understand the trends: The bad news for pulp and paper companies is that Baby Boomers are reaching senior-citizen status, leaving fewer dinosaurs in the workplace who still print out their emails to read them. The good news is that the aging of the Baby Boom means more people on the continent are incontinent, which is boosting demand for hygiene products that rely on fluff pulp.
Here's how to understand the trends: The bad news for pulp and paper companies is that Baby Boomers are reaching senior-citizen status, leaving fewer dinosaurs in the workplace who still print out their emails to read them. The good news is that the aging of the Baby Boom means more people on the continent are incontinent, which is boosting demand for hygiene products that rely on fluff pulp.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
God and Politics
From the Ethics Daily blog:
| 4 Principles about Mixing God and Politics Posted: Monday, September 10, 2012 5:26 am Section: EthicsDaily.com's Latest Articles |  Email Print | |||||
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Wine Myths
From the 12 Most Blog:
12 Most Prevalent Myths About Wine
As an ardent wine lover, I often find myself at wineries fielding questions from friends and acquaintances. And like urban legends, I’ve often heard many myths about wine that are passed off as fact. Here’s a list of the myths I’ve heard most often.
1. Artificial flavors are added to wine
When wine aromas and/or flavors are described as being like caramel, strawberry, cherry, etc., it’s not a stretch to think those flavors are added to wine, especially when one thinks of the most common grapes — Thompson seedless. However, the grapes used for making wine are a different species of grapes — Vitus Vinifera. If you were to pluck a Pinot Noir grape from its vine, it would taste like a raspberry. Additionally, the wine-making process changes the flavors and aromas of grapes. For example, the vanilla aromas and flavors in wine come from being aged in oak barrels, not from the grapes.
2. Wines get better with age
Upwards of 90% of wines should be consumed within 3-5 years of purchase, and will not get better with aging. Wines that age well are tannic, acidic, complex, and well-balanced. Rules of thumb? If it costs less than $25, drink it within 3-5 years. If it costs $40 or more, it’ll probably age 5 or more years.
3. White wine can’t age like red wine
How well a wine ages is determined by the amount of tannins and acids present, which are natural preservatives. Granted, white wines don’t have lots of tannins but plenty have high acidity levels, thereby making them age-able. For example, a bottle of 1811 Chatuea d’Yquem made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon sold for $117k last year!
4. Screw-cap wines are cheap and of poor quality
Rubbish! Screw-caps are a great way to seal wine, and since 90+% of wines should be consumed within 3-5 years, screw-caps are fine for any bottle of wine that’s $25 or less. In fact, screw-caps have many advantages over corks, and there are plenty of quality wines that cost $25 or less!
5. Sulfites in red wine cause headaches
Sulfites are naturally occurring in all wines, including wines labeled as organic. They got a bad rap on this one. Physicians and scientists agree that sulfites in wine do not cause headaches. What’s the cause then? That is debatable and under study, but the most likely culprits are histamines, tyramines, or other chemicals naturally present in wine.
6. Red wine should be serve at room temperature, and white wines chilled
People tend to serve red wine too warm and white wine too cold. The optimal serving temperature for wine tends to be within certain ranges, and varies by the type of wine. It’s not an exact science, but think around 60 degrees for red, around 50 degrees for white, and around 45 degrees for bubbly. I suggest using the “20/20” rule as a rule of thumb: take white wine out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving, and put red wine in the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
7. Chardonnay is oaky and buttery
The oakiness in wine comes from being aged in oak barrels; butteriness comes from malolactic fermentation. Both are choices made by winemakers and neither is inherent to the Chardonnay grape. There are plenty of Chardonnays that are neither oaky and/or buttery.
8. The alcohol levels on a bottle of wine are precise
The alcohol percentage listed on label of a bottle of wine is legally required to be 1% plus or minus of its actual alcohol content. Thus a bottle labeled at 14.5% alcohol by volume could actually be anywhere between 13.5% and 15.5% alcohol by volume.
9. You can tell the quality of a wine by its “legs”
After you swirl a glass of wine, there are rivulets that run down the side of the glass. Many believe that the slower the wine runs down the inside of the glass, the better the wine. Actually, the heavy paths of juice running down a glass after swirling are essentially caused by the amount of alcohol and protein in the wine. The quality of a wine can’t be discerned by the amount of alcohol alone.
10. Red wine comes from red grape juice
Grape juice, regardless of the color of the grapes, is clear. Red wine gets its color during the fermentation process when grape skins are left in contact with the juice.
11. Serve white wine with white meat, and red wine with red meat
When inquiries are made about what wine to pair with what dish, this is the most common answer. It’s better to consider the flavors of the food and the flavors in the wine when deciding which wine to serve with which food. The number one rule for pairing wine and food? There are no rules!
There are guidelines though: pair light-bodied fare with light-bodied wines, heavy foods with full wines, spicy foods with wine that have some sweetness and lower alcohol levels. Pair salty dishes with wines that have firm tannins. Be flexible and experiment. For example, try Zinfandel with Ahi tuna, Pinot Noir with salmon, or a full-bodied Champagne with a steak! And don’t forget pink wine which can be the best of both worlds!
12. Open a bottle of wine to let it “breathe”
While this may be technically true for some red wines, the fact is that simply opening a bottle of wine will not aerate the wine. There is simply not enough surface area at the top of the bottle to allow an adequate amount of air to make contact with the wine. If you want to let a wine “breath,” either use a decanter or some other device such as a lab beaker (or simply let the wine breathe in the glass).
This list is just the start! What are some misconceptions about wine that you’ve come across?
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Political Lessons From a Baptist Minister
From Ethics Daily:
- You have to learn how to build consensus. Winning 51-49 is not winning. You don't need unanimity, but until you accomplish good for all, you haven't won.
- You will learn humility willingly or eventually. Willingly is much less painful.
- Since politicians seem to evidence almost no persuasive ability in the current moment – I add this one: "Learn to tell a story. Keep it simple. Tell the truth. Truth doesn't need help."
- The same people you defeat will have to help pay for it in the end. They are not enemies, so unless you can regain their support, you lose in the long run.
- It's dangerous to claim God is on your side and never leave room for disagreement. Even if you and your mother think so. God is not too keen on preachers as court jesters and is intolerant of people misusing the divine name, so you've been warned.
- Preaching that doesn't turn into good deeds doesn't amount to anything.
- You have to trust others to make real changes. Nobody does it by themselves.
- Those who live by demonization die by demonization.
- Forgive and move on. It's just that simple. Holding grudges is a waste of valuable energy.
- Sometimes you just do what is right and let the chips fall. There are worse things than losing your job.
- Believe in Someone or Something larger than you. Without a real vision, not only do the people perish, but nothing really happens.
- It's not your church. It's not their church. It's God's church. Seems to me this applies to countries, property, power and prosperity.
- If there isn't any money, you can't spend it. It's not rocket science.
- Doesn't hurt to let someone else take credit now and then, even if it's your idea.
- A good staff makes a poor preacher look great.
- Principles matter the most when they are most inconvenient and unpopular. Lose 'em and you might as well quit anyway.
- No matter how high and mighty you get, the Almighty gets the last word.
- Don't do the devil's work for him.
- Know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Even a great idea ahead of its time will lose to anxiety and fear and misinformation.
- As a friend of mine put it, "Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is you're stupid and you make bad decisions."
- Love really is the great truth of life. Politics, even with the noble concept of "justice," will degenerate into darkness without the temper of love.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Kickoff For Wes Hayes
http://weshayes.com/
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Rest in peace.
“I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer, born under the second law of thermodynamics, steeped in steam tables, in love with free-body diagrams, transformed by Laplace and propelled by compressible flow.” —Neil Armstrong
We need more scientists and engineers as heroes, desperately.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Did Rock Hill Business Get on Daily Show?
Tuesday night's Daily Show had a report about North Carolina Bar-B-Que. Click here to see the episode. However, the restaurant looks a lot like Rock Hill's Kickin Pig. Here are two pictures from the episode:
Which begs to question, is The Daily Show crew staying in Rock Hill?
Which begs to question, is The Daily Show crew staying in Rock Hill?
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
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