BeatNotes: Wellness & World Commentary

Tristan Launches a Space Probe

2012-12-02T13:30:00.002-08:00

Well it's been an interesting week to say the least. My current obsession is space travel. A word to those who may interact with me, space travel and colonization is always a good conversation piece! It came to my attention, through various Google searches, that I could send a probe into space with relatively few dollars and almost no skill. That sounds fairly far-fetched, and to be honest it kind-of is. It is possible for the average Joe to send a weather balloon up to about 20 miles. This puts the balloon square into the stratosphere... hardly into space. But it does return some fairly awesome footage, and definitely some bragging rights. The following link is to a YouTube video from a family who did this, and has provided information on how to do it. Because of this, I know that I would like to do something of this nature for a summer project. If anyone would like to join me in this endeavor, I welcome the discourse.

I can definitely see the potential for some awesomeness here... can you imagine if I were to put a little rocket fuel in there and have it ignite as the balloon reaches it's apex? Perhaps this would be illegal, but I have a theory that it would take relatively little thrust to push the payload beyond Earth's gravitational control once at a high altitude (and provided the payload is quite light). Maybe I'm wrong, but that's for the comment section below! Let me know what you think.

MMORPG Review: Star Trek Online

2012-11-01T15:30:00.002-07:00

Like I said in my description... I have a lot of interests, from politics to video games. To today I would like to share with you my new pastime. Over the past week I have been playing Star Trek Online. It's a massively multiplayer online RPG... the most addicting kind of RPG.

Firstly, lets start at the beginning (there may be a few light spoilers here). The game begins, you are left in command of a small starship because your captain and bridge crew have died. An unsurprising theme for any Star Trek storyline. As you play, you work your way up the ranks. Get larger starships, more diverse and talented crew, and take on increasingly more difficult adversaries.

What I like about it:

IT'S FREE TO PLAY.
Secondary to that point, it's possible to continue playing and enjoying the game without paying. Paying for items will allow you to increase rank faster, get cooler looking starships, get awesome gear. But if you play without paying, you're gameplay is not retarded (no level caps and you can still eventually get the highest class starship)
Very detailed customizability of ship, character, and crew
Graphics, very well done for a free play online game.
Mixture of starship fighting, second person (or first person) shooter for ground assaults and missions, and starship management (assigning tasks for officers, who complete the tasks autonomously of you)

What I didn't like about it

Learning curve. There is a lot to learn and know about the game. And it takes quite a while to get the hang of using things effectively. The tutorials work pretty well, but I find are lacking slightly.
Use interface. It's hard to logically tell where you should click in order to open up a particular window. Buttons are small and hidden away. I'm assuming that this is because they want to encourage you to use keyboard hotkeys, so I guess I can't fault the designers too much. once you learn these key bindings, it's relatively easy to navigate the game.
Travelling from area to area can get tiresome. (Especially when a task is halfway across the galaxy) This is rectified in higher levels by the use of ship improvements to speed things up.. but is annoying at lower levels..

All in all, it's a good game and I recommend it highly.

Election 2012: Apathy at its Greatest

2012-10-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Being a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, I have had the pleasure of watching the US election from not only an insider's perspective, but also an outsider's perspective. My conclusion: I don't care. My feelings toward the upcoming US election scare me, and I don't think that I'm alone. We have two main political parties in the US... neither of whom embody an ideal candidate. Obama makes some good points and so does Romney... but do I want to sacrifice some civil liberties and social programs or do I want the US to get out of debt... the list goes on. In the end, my mind is more consumed with my day-to-day life than it is caring about a popularity contest between to men battling for an increasingly king-like position. What ever happened to the "citizen president" ? Maybe I'm just ranting.... but I am feeling more and more defeated and disillusioned by the US government.

If you have read any of my other posts, you'll know that I'm fairly Libertarian when it comes to politics. I would rather be self sufficient on a plot of land by the ocean than dependent on my fellow man for anything. But we always have to find a balance between what is good for the individual and what is good for the betterment of the world. This is one of the main underlying struggles of this election; the pull between isolationism and world communism (I use this in the theoretical sense..). As a people, do we want to care about the rest of the world? or just ourselves? In theory, this is a simple question. Most of us would answer that we want the world to thrive... but most people don't want to give up money, fame, or privilege in order to help the world. It's a nation-wide dissonance in thought.

In November... I will vote. The candidate that I feel best represents the nation will likely not be elected. And I will go on, striving to distance myself from big brother, and making the most of my life on this planet. Keep calm, and carry on.

How to Eat, Lose Weight, and Have Fun Doing it

2012-04-27T07:58:00.002-07:00

Most of you remember the old days of the Atkins diet, and the South Beach diet, and all the other magical mysterious diets that claim you can lose 500lbs in just one week!! Well, there is science behind some of these diets, and some actually work to an extent. However, there is one key item that gets left out of these diet plans. It's called sustainability. Can you really give up chocolate cake for the rest of your life? No, you can't, there will definitely be an occasion where you will say "one bite wont hurt" and before you know it, you've devoured the entire cake... not to mention the rest of the buffet table filled with carby goodness. So what is a person to do if they want to lose a little weight and make it stick? It's called making a lifestyle change! It's one of the hardest things a person can accomplish. So in order to increase your chances of success you have to take small steps in the right direction, after a while these changes become habituated, and then you can move on to more good habits. I've put a bit of an outline in the following section that helps people come up with a customized plan of attack.

Determine body type to increase the efficiency of your workout:

Lots a fat and no muscle = 60% muscle building 40% cardio
Lots of muscle and lots of fat = 50/50 strength and cardio
Skinny (its hard for you to build muscle or gain fat) = 90% strength and 10% cardio

Take a look at what you already eat and look to cut out one or two items:

Chips, replace these with carrots or celery, the crunchy sensation helps with the craving
Sugary things: A lot of "low fat" items have a LOT of sugar added to make them taste better, so look at the labels. Fat isn't necessarily bad, just make sure you aren't eating tubs of butter. You can replace sugar with various substitutes (Stevia, Xylotol, Splenda.... these are the ones that I use) If you crave sweets for desserts, try making fruit based desserts with the above mentioned substitutes (or no added sweetness at all).
Starchy things. Potatoes (use them in moderation), pasta, white bread. Try to find items that are whole grain. Whole grain rice is a good substitute for pasta; and avoid minute white rice. Starch gets converted to sugar in your body, so eating a bunch of pasta is almost the same as eating a couple spoons of white sugar! <== sadface

Places where calories hide:

Coffee: If you have a coffee with cream and sugar in the morning.... that can be up to 300 extra calories in your diet. Not to mention the amount of fat in the cream, and the sugar content. Try using milk instead of cream and sweetener instead of sugar. It will take a little while to get used to, but just think about the benefits of cutting out 200 calories from your daily intake!
Sauces: they can make or break a meal, and also make or break your diet plan. A lot of sauces have high sugar content and are full of preservatives and chemicals. Look for sauces that are vinegar and olive oil based and that use natural ingredients.
Low calorie snacks: They are small, unsatisfying, and you will gorge on them! Get baby carrots and chew on them throughout the day.

Make your plan:

Start with moderate exercise (2 days a week for an hour each session)
Start with one food item to replace. For example, if you love chips, replace them as described above and don't change anything else for a week or so. Then add more and more items to that list of changes.
If you don't feel like exercising, just start and say to yourself "I'll just do 15 minutes" chances are... you'll just keep going once you've started.

Make sure your family is supportive and on board with you. It is always easier to follow a plan if your whole family wants to get involved and follow the plan as well. If they don't want to give up their chips, you will be faced with a craving and the ability to get the item you crave (it's like a cocaine addict, they can't be around cocaine without craving or going after it) Make sure they know that this is something that is important for you and they must treat this change with respect. Communicate with them if they make your choice of eating habits seem stupid. If you have to.... call a family meeting to discuss the plan.

As with any diet and exercise routine, consult your doctor and get a physical to determine your baseline health.

There are lots of great sites that you can visit to find good workout routines based on your body type. I will post some at a later date as I want to review the sites thoroughly before I pass them on to you.

In the meantime, good luck on your weight management endeavors!

Tetrapharmakos

2012-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Do you know where this is? Why don't you discover it!

Way to start a post with an unfamiliar word that's impossible to pronounce. Well, lets break this down a little. I'm not going to regurgitate the definition for you all over my post, you can do that on Wikipedia (they're better at cleaning up that kind of mess anyway). I'm going to attempt to modernize this old Greek thought and hopefully change around a few minds.

Tetrapharmakos is basically a four-part "cure" to living the best life possible. Traditionally, the four parts can be explained as follows:

1. Don't fear God
2. Don't worry about death
3. What is good is easy to get
4. What is terrible is easy to endure

I can tell that a lot of you are already having issues with this already. Particularly the God-fearing part. Most religions say that we must fear God as part of our faith. What we must understand is that the Greeks looked at the gods in their own special way. Basically, they thought that if you didn't appease the gods (with slaughtered goats and virgins) that they would wreak havoc on earth (volcanoes, pestilence, etc..)

Second issue I fell you may have: hedonism... Tetrapharmakos sounds an awfully lot like hedonism. For those of you who don't know what hedonism is: it's basically that we as humans want to avoid pain and maximize pleasure (in all its naughty forms). But tetrapharmakos is a bit different from hedonism, which I believe you will see later in this post.

Now that I'm done fortifying my position, lets get to the nity gritty.

1. Don't Fear God: What I tell you, dear reader, is that you shouldn't fear things that are beyond your control. You must accept these things as inevitable and continue living your life. This does not mean that you shouldn't take an active role in your government, or be involved in helping a poorer nation. It means that you shouldn't fear, for example, Wall Street. Why, you ask? because Wall Street does not decide whether you will live or die, it does not decide if you will eat well or eat poorly. Wall Street is an easy way for people to gamble their money. Some make fortunes, others do not. What I want you to take away from this is that, essentially, you shouldn't waste your time and effort on things like stocks; you're better off saving your money and spending it on charity, trips, and food. Then, make sure you put some away for retirement in a retirement fund. I realize that retirement funds are linked with the stock market, but leave that up to the people who guarantee your fund to worry about.

2. Don't worry about death: This is a big one. Some philosophers have even suggested that the only motivation we have as human beings is that associated with death. For example, making a lasting impression on society, saving money for your children etc... So why should we not worry? Because if you don't worry about death, you will have no regrets when it happens. So instead of worrying about what will happen to your children after you die, just live in the moment, enjoy yourself now rather than worry for tomorrow. This might sound a little fishy to some, just remember: everything in moderation. Don't go spending $340,000 on a car when you know that you cannot afford it. Just don't worry when, how, or why you'll die.

3. What is good is easy to get: This one is really simple. The Beatles really had it when they said "All you need is love". Essentially, all you need in life is food, water, shelter, social relations (romantic and otherwise), and a sense of choice in your decisions. The rest is superfluous, so keep it simple. Have your core needs taken care of (by working..... duh) then take the rest of your time to do things that you enjoy doing. If you don't know what you enjoy doing, then you definitely need to get out there and have a hobby or two. If you are incredibly unhappy in your job, quit and move on. If you want to do something, make a plan so you can attain that goal and work tirelessly towards it. You'll find that motivation to, for example, save for a trip to Cambodia will come naturally. You'll enjoy the trip, and you'll enjoy working toward that goal. Because life is essentially just working toward a goal and enjoying yourself when you get there.

4. What is terrible is easy to endure. This is probably the hardest one to wrap our heads around. Basically it is not talking about disease, torture, and bad things like that. What it means is that if you have to live through some uncomfortable circumstances in order to attain your goal, then they are easy to get through. Think about it, the last time you were living paycheck to paycheck it may have seemed like the end of the world. But in actual fact, there is a way out, and you made it (or are still on your way out). So take the initiative and make that path. The other thing that makes this last point work, is if you follow the first three, the fourth comes by itself. If you're care-free, happy, and you know what you can and cannot control then there shouldn't be much horror for you to endure.

To sum up, and give you the first push toward your new life, I would like to tell you a little theory of mine. Get your finances in order, work to pay of any debt, and spend your money in two ways: cover your basic needs (few frills) and spend the rest on activities (not items). Do you really need that new flat screen? or would you rather take a trip somewhere....? your call!

Well hello there...

2012-02-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't see you sitting in the corner. The bar is dark and the haze of cigar smoke is heavy in the air. Yet there, through the din, are my followers!

It's been a long time since I have posted on here. A great deal has changed in my life. From one end to the other I have many new insights and experiences to share. So take a green tea, a little biscuit, and about 15 minutes of your day to take a break and a read.

Subject of my next post: Tetrapharmakos

Do your homework early and I will give you extra credit :-)

Your (sometimes) faithful blogger,

-Beatnotes

Happiness, and what it really means

2011-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Sadness is an unnatural state :-)

You all know what happiness is, right? Give me a definition.... not so easy was it? Happiness is different for every person on this planet. What makes me happy is profoundly different from what makes you happy. I will admit, however, that there are subjects of overlap (e.g. a fluffy kitty makes me happy and also makes you happy) But in the grand scheme of things we all want to have our own little brand of happiness and carry on our lives comfortably.

But what happens if your arm gets cut off?!?! Most people say something like this: "I would never be completely happy again". Here's where I'm going to blow your mind away; people who actually have had their arms removed report the SAME level of happiness they experienced before the amputation, roughly six months after the amputation. This is our mind's immune system at work. Once we learn to cope with a loss (whether it be losing an arm, family member, job, etc...) We return to how we were before the loss. There are some confounding factors though; for example, if you were to lose your job, and end up working much more demanding and stressful jobs for the rest of your life it would only stand to reason that you might not be quite as happy as before. However, when you consider this... how likely is that situation? Not very, if you have the experience, you can always find a job that you are at least moderately happy in doing.

At this juncture, you're probably wondering if I have a point to all of this; well, I do. And it comes down to making decisions. There are almost NO decisions that you can make, that you are going to be stuck with for the rest of your life (maybe a tattoo doesn't fall under that category though...). For example, if you decide to move across the world for a job, and that job turns out to be a big mistake... you can always change your mind and move back. It may take a little work to pull yourself you, but you can make the change. So, when it comes to making a decision; don't stress too much over it, science has shown that you will be happy regardless of what you decide (even if you decide to remove your arm [please don't do this though]) There is a difference between knowing your options and making educated decisions and wasting time waiting for the right opportunity, or analyzing an opportunity so much that you convince yourself that it's a bad idea; when in the end, it really isn't.

I'm going to share a video that goes into a little more detail about happiness that I believe you should ALL watch. It's on the TED website (which, by the way, is a fantastic place to get information) A great deal of the information that I used in my everyday life came from this video and other psychological journals; let me know if you want some further reading and I will e-mail you some great PDFs.

Dan Gilbert on Happiness

Cheers!

An App!

2011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I'm making a little announcement. Maybe if I make it public like this I will actually follow through. I have an idea for an application for Andriod, iPhone, etc... It ties directly into a post I made a long time ago about making a site for health and wellness. I will fill you in on more details as time progresses (I don't want to show my cards yet, if you know what I mean) but I will be giving free beta versions of the program for testing to people who are subscribed to this blog. Furthermore, I will have some for twitter folk as well (but it will be a limited number)

Take care everyone! and wish me luck on my programing endeavors

How to Get a Job (the practical way)

2011-10-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Most of you have (at one point or another) applied for a job and had an interview to determine if you are a good candidate. Regardless of your current position, you may feel the need to find new employment. So I have come up with a little how-to to assist you in finding a job. The aim of this blog (as you all know) is about health and wellness; and your wellness is profoundly impacted by your career (or even a career-less temporary job).

I will not be playing this the fair way per se... as I said in an earlier post, the job market is a dog-eat-dog situation and I want to arm you with the tools you need to fend off the dogs and become the dog-catcher. I want you to become "above" the rabble and be aware of your options, what the hiring party is thinking, and how you can separate yourself from the background.

With a good career, you will be happy, healthy, and possibly wealthy (although money does not bring you happiness, it DOES give you comfort in your lifestyle; and until we live in a completely communal society, it is a sad necessity)

The following is a bullet point system for the whole process. A great deal of this information is available in various sources online and in books. I simply aim to reiterate it and pass it along.

Before you even apply:

Know yourself, what you want, and who you want to help. This could mean that you take a career aptitude/satisfaction test; or maybe a talk to a career counselor. All in all, make sure you know the kind of job you will be happy with. One that is rewarding and also provides you with the future experience and upward movement you need. For example, if you enjoy reading and mostly solitary activities; it might not be advisable to apply for jobs that require you to interact with the public on a regular basis (like a sales job). Instead focus on jobs that are more self-monitored, like library work or book-keeping etc
Tailor a couple resumes and have people look over them. Make sure you put only pertinent and your most current jobs on the resume. If you are applying for a job in the human resources field, for example, list skills that you have applying to this (5 years of counseling experience, HR Certificate, Great communication skills). Then leave out information that is not as critical, like "I am interested in how radio-isotopes interact and have written a thesis on said subject".
Get some professional new clothes. I do not want you to go spend thousands of dollars and a made-to-measure suit. Simply make sure that your clothes fit, they aren't stained, and they are up-to-date with current business-wear trends. This will save you from rushing to the store the day before an interview trying to find a shirt that fits and is under $5 because you didn't budget for a last minute expense like that.
Write a couple cover letters. Test out different formats for your cover letters, have friends and family read them and give constructive criticism. There are many great online resources for cover letters and resumes; just do a Google search and surf away! Lastly, make sure you tailor, like your resume, a cover letter to each application; highlighting your strengths in the field you are applying for.

Looking for Jobs:

Like I said earlier, look for your interests! Make sure you check out many different avenues for advetisment as well. Your local online job-bank, newspapers, monster.com, etc etc. Don't limit yourself to advertised jobs either; take your resume around to different companies you are interested in, they will keep your resume on file and call you when a job opens up that they believe you would be suited for. This also shows you are interested in their company beyond the simple "I need a job".

The Interview:

Dress Appropriately. Do I even need to say this? really?
Have a copy of your resume, references contact sheet, and cover letter. This is for your convenience and theirs (sometimes the interviewers are not very organized and won't have a copy of your resume, it's best that they have something to look at).
Don't be afraid to bring a portfolio of your work to show off
Figure out what the company wants. If you are applying for a sales position, make sure you have a couple SPECIFIC examples of good sales experiences, times when you gave great customer service etc... They want to hear what job, when, what happened, and how you resolved it. The don't want to hear: "in this situation I would..." they want to hear: "During my time at Sears, I had an experience where .... and we both came to an agreement and left on good terms". Check a Google search for more information about behavioral interview questions.
Have your lies rehearsed and backed up. I know it's bad to lie, but sometimes you have to. A good example of where to lie would be if you are planning on attending Graduate school in the next year, and you are applying for a full time job. Employers want someone they can have for as long as possible (because it's expensive to train a noob). Therefore, instead of saying "I plan on attending a graduate school in the next couple years" say: "My long term plan is to attend graduate school after 5 or 6 years of practical work experience, I would like to take a little break from school and get some hands-on experience" That whole thing might be bullshit, but once you're hired they can't fire you for changing your mind. Essentially, don't give them any pause for thought (any reason do doubt hiring you).
Ask a couple questions: A good one to ask is "how long should it be before an answer is given on the job offer" That way you aren't waiting by the phone day after day for a call that isn't going to come. Ask about the company (but don't sound too dumb) and ask how the interviewers enjoy working at the company.
Always leave with a handshake. Also, leave with a smile, a "pleasure to meet you", and a "I look forward to hearing from you".

Follow-up:

Send a friendly e-mail or phone call to check on the competition status. Don't be pushy, but word a nice e-mail expressing your curiosity on the status of the job offer.
If you don't get the job: Don't sweat it, move on. If you want to analyze your techniques, this is the best time to do it. See where you may have gone wrong and correct for the next time.

I hope this helps all of you! if you have anything to add, please put them in the comments section below

Time to Cut The Sweet Stuff

2011-10-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's surprising how much sugar we consume..

We all know that sugar isn't that great for us..... but we binge on it anyway, especially around Halloween. It's part of our tradition that we walk around town and gather sweet goodies and then consume as many as possible in one night. It's also part of our culture (through our choices of food) that we eat sugar. Sugar has this nasty habit of ruining our bodies, not only is it hard on our liver, kidneys, and pancreas; it also contributes to our excess fat stores. Lets think back for a minute, do you remember when the "Fat Free" and "Low Fat" revolution came into play? Since then obesity has actually increased; despite increase consumption of "low fat" foods. What is going on?!! It's simple really... when you cut fat out of a food product, it tastes bland and not very appetizing at all. So what do you do (as a food product specialist) ? You add sugar to make it taste better. It's no wonder everyone is getting so overweight! They are eating low fat products and thinking it's helping, when in actuality it is causing them to get bigger.

I would like all of you to take a look at the video I will post at the end of this article. It details all the scientific facts about sugar that everyone should know. But to make things faster for you readers out there, I'll make a list of things to avoid and things to do instead

Tips:

Don't eat foods that have "high fructose corn syrup"
Don't eat foods that are high in carbohydrates just before going to bed
Start using a natural sweetener (like honey) instead of sugar (or artificial sweeteners; they aren't that great for you either) in your coffee and tea
Eat fruit when you get a craving for something sweet. Berries are a good choice as they are rich in good sugars and have a very sweet flavor.
Using apple sauce in recipes instead of granulated sugar
If you like chocolate: the darker the better (as it has less sugar)
Stick to a plan of "no sugar" you have to treat it like an addiction

It's not feasible to completely cut out bad sugars in a modern society, but you can reduce it. There have been rumors in the scientific community that sugar can contribute to a wide variety of diseases.... including cancer. These studies are ongoing, and I look forward to more results. Thanks for listening, and please take this message to heart. You will feel like a new person once you've trampled your addiction to sugar. (and as promised, here's the video) Sugar: The Bitter Truth

The Golden Rule

2011-10-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Is it true? Are successful people rich jerks?

If you went to grade school during the years between 1900 and 1980 you were taught about the "Golden Rule". If you were unfortunate enough to go to school later than that, it is likely you missed the boat on how to act in a society.

The simple truth is that we rarely follow the golden rule anymore. Its message is simple "do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" Essentially, if you don't want to be treated like a piece of lint then don't treat other people like pieces of lint! It really isn't hard to understand, but it is ever so hard to actually practice.

Most Psychologists, religious officials, world leaders all agree that if everyone followed this rule, we would be the most happy and cohesive species in the whole galaxy. What gets in the way of this happening? selfishness! Our world is set up so that bad people are the most successful. If you are willing to step all over people in order to get your way, then you are rewarded by having lots of money and a comfortable lifestyle. If you are always nice to people and rarely force your will.... you're likely to not go very far. So it's true, nice people finish last in Western society. Lets say, for example, that you want to have a house on the ocean in Nova Scotia; and lets say the property you want will cost you more than you can afford, so you put your dream of home ownership on the shelf with the other dreams you can't accomplish and move on. Then suddenly a new position opens up in your office, and you have the qualifications, but Bill across the hall has more years at the company and will likely get the job. BUT, you know for a fact that Bill is homosexual, and that the boss is very homophobic.... Maybe if you mentioned this to him casually, he will reconsider your application over Bills... (Realizing there are laws against discrimination, it still happens, and in this situation they would be bogged down in court for years deliberating the outcome) What would you do? most people would SAY that they wouldn't do anything, but studies have been done that say otherwise. People will say things that are socially more acceptable, then DO what is better for themselves.

Now, don't expect a big change in the world anytime soon. Big changes happen very slowly; and I think that we are headed in the wrong direction when it comes to morality and treating each other with respect. So here's what you can do, and it's my little word of advise for the day. Follow the Golden Rule as closely as you can, without being taken advantage of yourself. In other words, be successful, assertive, but also be wise and kind. When you find the right balance, the world will be at your fingertips.

Parrot Phrases

2011-10-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.


Are our words superficial social norms?

Last night, as I lay down to sleep, I said "goodnight" to my partner. This morning at work I said "Thank You" when a co-worker held the door for me. Also this morning, I said "good morning" to countless people. Where is all this going?..... it's about common phrases that we use everyday, but lose the meaning of.

Let me elaborate a little bit on that point. When you say good morning to someone, are you actually hoping that they have a pleasant morning? or do you say it out of social obligation? As humans we have a set of these "parrot phrases" that make our interactions with people easier. In psychology, they are called heuristics ... (a.k.a. shortcuts) and they essentially make it easier for our brains to function. It's like a keyboard shortcut on your computer, whereby you simply hit the right combo for the situation and you don't even really have to think about it. Psychologists use it to explain shortcuts in our judgments and behavior. For example, "I had an experience were a cat bit me, therefore, I hate all cats". The same works for "Thank you" and the other parrot phrases (e.g. "A woman walked into my workplace, I smiled and said 'good morning'") The character in the last example did not say "good morning" because he wished the woman had a nice day.... he said it because it is the social norm for that situation.

Because of these shortcuts in our interactions, I believe we are losing meaning behind our conversations. So from now on, I charge all of you to think about what you say to someone, change it up. That way, they know and YOU know you mean what you are saying. "Get a good rest" "

How to Reorganize Your Sleep Life

2011-09-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Nobody sleeps like a cat...

Think of the last time you went to bed when you STARTED feeling tired... hard to find a time correct? We've all been there. It's 7pm and you want to go to bed... but NO, you must stay up! there's a 4 hour marathon of Dr. Who that you must watch. Well... people in the know about sleep say otherwise. It is important to let your body tell you when it's time to sleep and wake up. Normally, your body will put you to sleep and wake you up naturally and without an alarm clock. But the days of living in caves are over, now we have bosses that expect we will be at work by 7am regardless of what our body needs for rest and recovery.

So, we must take the time to understand when our bodies' want to sleep. I challenge you to take a couple of days (most likely weekends) where you don't have to be awake at a specific time and you don't have to go to sleep at a specific time and track your sleep pattern. All you have to do is get into your bed and go to sleep when you feel tired, take note of the time, then let your body wake up naturally in the morning, and take note of the time. You should notice that the amount of time you sleep each night is almost the same! Roughly 7 to 10 hours per night, depending on your age and activity level. Once you know what your body needs, start scheduling your life accordingly. If Dr. Who is on, tape it; with the advent of DVR and PVR, and computers, we don't need to be slaves to the idiot-box's timetable. This could mean that you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7. To some people a 10pm bedtime is way too early... but are you tired when you wake up the next day? The answer is mostly yes, because your body didn't get enough sleep! Once you know the amount of time you need to sleep, force yourself to go to bed at the correct time and see how you feel at work the next few days (after you get accustomed to going to bed earlier)

Now I know there are some of you out there who have trouble sleeping at night. For you I have a few solutions to cure the bedtime blues...

Things to do:

Read before bed (puts me right to sleep)
Listen to come calming music as you sleep (Maybe put it on a timer so it switches off)
Regular exercise (Is extraordinarily important to getting restful sleep)
Vitamin D & Melatonin (Get out into the sun!)
Keep your room clean and neat (so you aren't bothered about being in there!)
Proper nutrition (Have your 5 fruits and veggies every day!)
Have a ritual that puts you in the bedtime mood (Brush teeth, read book, go to sleep etc...)

Things not to do:

Don't have the television on (it distracts and stimulates your brain, hindering proper sleep)
Don't eat big meals after 6pm (Stick to cereal and easily digested foods as snacks)
Don't do schoolwork in bed (keep your bed a work-free zone)
Don't drink caffeine after 12pm (Hard to do, but caffeine has long-lasting effects than can hinder sleep up to 10 hours after your last cup!)
Don't think that a 3 hour afternoon nap will make up for lost sleep the night before. This nap isn't nearly as affective as a full night, and it will take your body hours to wake back up from your nap, ruining your next night's sleep.

Lets all take the time to have a good night's rest. You'll find that you will be healthier, and sharper (in the head) than ever before!

Space, The Final Frontier

2011-09-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Conceptual Space Habitat - Stanford Torus, by Don Davis (1976)

I've been doing a lot of mulling about space travel lately. This sort of thing happens when I go on a sci-fi kick on the telly. If humans can go to the moon and return, then it would only stand to reason that we, as a united human race, can accomplish anything we can imagine. Because, if you think about it, everything we have ever created, started as a thought and developed into a physical object or process through experimentation and reasoning. So what is standing in our way with regard to complete human-space integration? Lack of what I mentioned earlier: a "united human race". As of right now, most of the world is at odds with itself. People have their own selfish agendas, countries have their own selfish policies, and all-in-all we lack a unified designation as fellow earth-dwellers. If every country in the world stopped thinking entirely for itself and worked together with other countries... there would be no hunger, very little disease, and we would be focusing our efforts into the space beyond our world.

That is easier said than done. It would take a second coming of some religious prophet to reunite the world in this way. The only other way I could imagine this happening would be if extra-terrestrial beings were to make contact with earth. This would give everyone on earth a sense of belonging to a group .... Earthlings. And if you remember from your into psychology courses, if your group (earth) is threatened or at least made to realize that it isn't the only civilization out there, then there will be a much stronger self-interest amongst the group and an extremely heightened sense of resolve.

Sounds a little far-fetched, no? Well, maybe, but in the next 60 years, I predict that many of the world's internal issues will be at least under control (if not eradicated) and we will be able to enjoy a margarita on mars.

So while our scientists work on a means to escape the speed of light and travel around the solar system at will, lets focus on getting the ground work ready for our jump into space. Get our diseases in check, be healthy, and no one going hungry. Not a small task, but I think we are up to it. Get out there and make a difference! keep aiming for those stars...

Cigars, Beaches, & Cancer Vaccines

2011-09-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

Bone-marrow cancer vaccine molecule

As I sat at my computer, sipping coffee, and reading the day's headlines this morning, I stumbled across a nifty little tidbit that says Cuban scientists have found a type of vaccine to treat lung cancer. My first reaction was astonished excitement! so I delved further into the myriad of information about cancer research and how far we've come. It turns out that this vaccine is essentially used to stop the spread of cancer. It does not stop it from occurring, and will not get rid of cancerous growths that are already present. What this vaccine does is stop the proliferation of a particular protein that allows cancer cells to multiply. Similar vaccines are being tested in the United States. "Provenge" was the first cancer vaccine to be approved by the FDA. However, this treatment is extraordinarily expensive and only prolongs survival by a few months. This is where the difference lies; the Cuban vaccine turns the cancer into a more manageable chronic illness that can be treated with more conventional and less invasive means. Basically it's not just a promise of a few more months of life, it's a promise of years!

I will say that there still needs to be testing, and it's unlikely that the drug will become available in the United States and Canada for a while as there will be very stringent investigations on the validity and safety of the drug. It's no secret that people from the US are likely to distrust the country of origin because of the indoctrination of anti-communist thought since the 1950s.

This could, however, bring the two nations closer together and open up better dialogue for ... well... not being so damn uptight to one another! One can only hope

Tempo

2011-09-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there, I just want to direct your attention to my other blog (if you are so interested) it's about music, both mine and other's.

TEMPO - Music & Life

Enjoy!

New Paths

2011-07-23T04:01:00.000-07:00

Well hello again! long time no see...

I would like to share with you the new path that I am taking with regard to online presence. As most of you know, I have a great number of interests, all of which tend to pull me in different directions all the time. Because of this, I feel that this blog (and all my other online profiles) lack a certain cohesiveness... the kind of cohesiveness that is found in most successful blogs, YouTube pages ... etc...

Therefore, I am going to create a couple new blogs, revamp my YouTube presence, open a music profile (site yet to be determined) and create a website.

This blog will remain intact and will actually focus on Wellness, commentary on world events, and how world events pertain to your well-being. Since I am critical of music that I listen to, I will be starting a blog devoted to my opinions of new and old music. Lastly I will be starting a blog to detail my musical progress on a professional level, Including my thoughts and feelings on gigs, info on where to see me perform etc...

I will keep my personal YouTube page (for family reasons) but I will be starting a new page that will have very tight control of content and a focus on professionalism ... because hey, in many ways it is my musical portfolio.

The website will be focused on my music as well, and will have lots of cool things for people to look at, listen to, and perhaps buy.

I think that creating these different venues will attach the right people to the right social outlet. I would love to have your thoughts on this! if anyone has some cool ideas, let me know!

Take care!

Social Psychology, how I love the lessons you've taught me

2011-06-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm walking down the street today, and a thought occurred to me: my Social Psychology and Personality classes have to be the most practical courses I have ever taken in University. I definitely mean no offence to the numerous other helpful courses that have lead to my profound bachelor's level of enlightenment; I simply mean to point out that these courses are the most helpful when you want to manipulate, weasel, or in other words... play the game that is modern life.


Marty Feldman - Successfully Bug-Eyed

Lesson #1:

People who are better looking (e.g. have a symmetrical face and are fit in appearance) get higher paying jobs, and have more relationships. There are a ton of other factors that come into play there as well, such as self-esteem. However, when experimental rubber hits the practical road ... it's a reliably tested tendency. So what can we do about it? ... Go to the gym and keep yourself healthy. Other than that, you simply need to be confident and a little bit more sure of yourself. Genetics can only get you so far.

I urge you to disagree with me, PLEASE TRY TO UNDERMINE MY PLATFORM. for that is what experimentation is all about.... discourse.

Stay tuned for more lessons as the weeks tick by :)

Another Tech Post? Boxee ! The Start of a New Era

2011-04-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

Like I say in my description, my interests are varied. So I've decided that you all must know about this new program that I'm running that has turned my television experience upside down. It's called "Boxee" and it's a neat little program that packs a huge punch. Specifically, it's punching standard Satellite and Cable TV right in the gonads. The program installs on your computer (or you can order a pre-made version). You plug your computer into your TV, and voila! you have videos streaming from all the major networks (Via your local network's streaming services, and depending on where you are viewing from that could change) YouTube, Netflix, TED, etc etc all on your TV, without having to browse through their websites (which are usually full of advertisements)

Boxee turns your TV into a communications hub for all your entertainment needs. Because of it, I don't have cable at all. Why would you pay for cable, when you have everything you want on demand. Check it out for yourselves! It works on Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac. The only downside is that it does not support Netflix for Ubuntu... but this is due to Netflix using exclusively Microsoft Silverlight, which does not run on Linux :-(

www.boxee.net

Study-Break!!!!

2011-04-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's been a while since the last post. These last few weeks of a semester are always the hardest, what with studying and all *wink wink nudge nudge* So I thought I'd share a little cartoon with you. You may or may not agree with it, but I see it as an example of how subjective the wording of ANYTHING can be. Enjoy :)

Mendeley and my student life

2011-04-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Beyond its clever name, Mendeley is a really powerful program and social networking utility that I have begun to use non-stop over the past months.

It organizes all those peer-reviewed journals you downloaded from EBSCO or any of the other multitudinous online journal distribution sites. It allows you to highlight and add notes to the articles, then share them with people and collaborate.

It also allows you to set up a social networking utility that facilitates communication with other people in your field! So for example, as part of your profile you list publications you have been a part of, then people can contact you through Mendeley to comment on your work etc. It's like peer review facebook!

Maybe you guys aren't as excited as I am, but at least if you have lots of articles you want to hold on to, this is the program for you! (oh, and did I mention that it's free and runs on Linux as well?!?!) Happy Writing!

www.mendeley.com

Ideas That Matter: Lucia O'Sullivan & the Sex Lives of Youth

2011-03-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite social psychological professors is giving a lecture about "Tweeting, Texting, Teens & Chat: the Internet and Sex in the Lives of Youth"

This lecture that will be held at Fredericton High School on April 6, at 7:00pm.

Lucia has a very pleasant way of expressing important information. Furthermore she is extraordinarily insightful on the issues surrounding sexuality and youth. This is a must-see for parents, and teens alike. Not to mention if you're a psychologist, she will give some tasty tid-bits that will tantalize your inner researcher and send you searching for more! Check it out!

Live Profile and Jabber

2011-03-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've recently heard of this new thing called "Live Profile". Essentially it allows Android, Blackberry, and iPhone to communicate with each other with text messages... without the need for clunky sms. It's all fine and dandy, and I think it's a good program. However, for my purposes (because I use a Nokia n900) I prefer the Jabber protocol. It is open source and works on lots of different platforms. Furthermore, if you have a Facebook account and use chat, you automatically have an XMPP (which goes hand in hand with Jabber)

Here's the link: http://www.jabber.org/about/

Have fun!

"No Logo" My New Book Obsession

2011-03-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you a book that I am reading for a class. At first I thought that it was going to be another stuffy read that had me reaching for summaries and sparknotes. But I must say that this is one good read

It details how the media, advertisers, and brands are interrelated and how invasive they actually are in our lives. It is a must read for EVERY MODERN CONSUMER. It's full of tasty data and streamlined prose that make it manageable and interesting. Albiet, it is a little old (published in 1999) it still makes very good points. So I laud the Author Naomi Klein, and give you a link. Happy Reading!

Cover of the book

http://www.naomiklein.org/no-logo

Don't Worry!!

2011-03-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just changed the site around a bit so that it's more pleasing to they eye and looks a little more professional! the content will still be the same