tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62239722024-10-06T23:14:00.673-07:00Gary Short shares cool things he finds around the web and other stuffGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-79613154659956068072019-01-23T21:08:00.001-08:002019-01-23T21:08:16.575-08:00

Over a year ago, I said that I was going to start up my blogging, but that did not happen. I am again going to give it a try, and a major theme will be my efforts to improve my finances. I intend to pay off a lot of accumulated debt. A large part of it will be following a budget. I followed a podcast by a company called "You need a budget" or YNAB for short. I will get into it more in a future

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-5327226221357507062017-08-10T19:55:00.001-07:002017-08-10T19:55:11.975-07:00

It has been a while, and a lot has happened. I am now in Taylorsville Utah and working for Elsevier in Salt Lake City as a QA Engineer. Lots of exciting things going on that I am reading and trying to do. I am past my first half century and am following the "Younger Next Year" Exercise program. With that and improved diet. I have managed to get my cholesterol within bounds, without taking statin

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-8812493309194021352014-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:002014-06-05T10:19:52.646-07:00

I have yet to take advantage of this service, but I think that it is pretty cool. Quarterly is a web site that features Curators that will periodically send you a package. You do not find out before-hand what it contains, but it you do get to choose your curator, and many are already well known on the internet for their design chops (hope you know what I mean there). I have wandered onto

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-86346710342591373472014-04-22T11:11:00.003-07:002014-04-22T11:53:30.455-07:00

Since my geography skills are rather poor, I was looking for some worksheets that would allow me to brush up on countries and related information. I found Sporcle which has some games where you have to come of with the names of all the countries on certain continent, as well as matching games and other related things to do. This reminded me just how ignorant I am of many other countries. It

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-8521409829069839542014-02-02T18:58:00.000-08:002014-04-22T11:54:13.052-07:00

I read this book a while back (Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder). It was pretty good. I am interested in the DIY, or Maker revolution, and maybe his was a good example of an everyman trying his hand at things. I subsequently checked out his blog, and he talked about getting eye-glasses online. It was a little risky but I decided to get some extra

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-42075045850814807232013-12-01T08:07:00.001-08:002014-04-22T11:54:43.012-07:00

I do not get too many compliments about my attire except for two things: My Star Wars t-shirt (certain to get compliments at Vons (like Safeways)) These Shoes (fake Vans)

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-90647837013156964652013-09-06T07:11:00.000-07:002014-04-22T14:21:11.008-07:00

Following Seth regular blog, I saw that he is starting a variation on the Massively Open Online Class. Although it might not be strictly online, and he calls it Krypton Community College . He observes that there is a 97% dropout rate for classes such as Coursera. I can attest to this because I have started a number of them and have dropped out of all when I realize that I just had not accurately

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-41765357472196313642013-07-24T07:12:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:21:49.717-07:00

On Dave Ramsey's podcast he shared some of this info, and then provided the following on his web site. It is from a book by Tom Corley, where he talks about the difference in habitual behavior between rich and poor. The following was on his website RichHabits.net. I am going to see about getting this book. I have some questions about his methodology, but find the differences very telling. 1.

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-20645680469889043712013-07-04T06:21:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:22:39.465-07:00

This article talks about the dangers of texting while driving. The More You Talk On—Or To—Your Phone, The Worse You Drive This is in spite of new speech to text solutions. This obsession to make most use of all our time, even when behind the wheel is just not going to go away. The only solution will be having a car that will drive itself. As an aside, I think that there will be an

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-78719873300659240442013-05-19T21:52:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:23:17.148-07:00

 This is an interesting citizen scientist site where for $99 you submit some samples and it determines the relative populations of different microbes. There is emerging research that our microbiome affects our weight, well being and much more. http://humanfoodproject.com/americangut/

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-55515584622687053992013-03-01T15:58:00.002-08:002014-04-22T11:51:25.991-07:00

at http://peoplemov.in/ there is a cool interactive graphic that shows the movement of emigrants between countries.

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-2496365997460511382012-12-18T08:31:00.001-08:002014-04-22T14:23:49.307-07:00

I recently listened to a TED talk by Jane McGonigal entitled "The game that can give you 10 extra years of life".  She is also the author of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. In her TED talk she talks about all the benefits of Playing Games.   I really have mixed feelings about this topic. I really do like playing games, once I have moved up

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-1742795815794066922012-10-25T22:39:00.000-07:002014-04-22T14:24:11.346-07:00

Years ago I had read an article in Smithsonian Magazine about a research project in Russia where they raised foxes, and selectively bred them to bring out the friendliest characteristics. In each round they would take the kits that are most compatible with humans and mate them together to bring out those characteristics. It was interesting that those foxes soon took on the characteristics

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-9453762563600149852012-09-05T05:51:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:24:47.352-07:00

I saw this video on TED about augmented reality app that run on your smart phone. http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_mills_image_recognition_that_triggers_augmented_reality.html I find this fascinating because of the possibilities to enhance the capabilities of the cell phone. They demonstrate that you can aim your camera at a painting in a museum, and it can replace the painting with a video that

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-21860946100964126232012-08-27T06:35:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:25:24.429-07:00

I find this interactive graphic from the New York Times, though not new, to be very interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/newsgraphics/2012/0115-one-percent-occupations/index.html It shows where the top 1% are occupied. It is interesting because the 1% is really spread out a lot. Of course if you are a lawyer or doctor or work with financial securities, you stand a good chance of

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-85362966061328012682012-08-08T06:12:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:25:41.977-07:00

The Google Blog just issued an update about their self driving car program. Their computer controlled cars have logged over 300,000 miles without an accident. Now members of the team are going to use the cars to do some limited commuting, with only a single human within the vehicle. Previously the humans were in two person teams. This is very remarkable for a number of reasons. 1. Image

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-7797359706032955932012-08-06T23:05:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:26:16.522-07:00

Well, not exactly AT the University of Michigan. I am taking Social Network Analysis through Coursera.org. Right now Free virtual classes are all the rage. Online courses in general are nothing new. U. C. Irvine, for example has several computer science classes available online, but they are about the same price as the in-classroom version of the same material. What Coursera (as well as a few

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-82330126169895229562012-08-05T21:45:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:26:41.867-07:00

Nathan Wolfe has an interesting TED Talk about the uncharted worlds of exploration within our own bodies. I find it interesting how the organisms that live within our bodies affect our health and well being. When Wolfe cataloged the DNA captured in a human nose for example, there was a significant amount of DNA that was not associated with known organisms! It was like a UFO in your nose (and

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-69976292778284534102012-07-31T06:37:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:27:28.892-07:00

I do not know about you, but I loved the Reader's Digest. They brought together the latest in interesting articles and repackaged them for easy consumption. I also like the jokes, which came in three or four flavors (humor in uniform, etc.). It was funny that my reaction to their condensed books is just the opposite. Whenever I come across one of their condensed books at a garage sale, I will

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-31649824275219415552012-07-26T07:17:00.000-07:002014-04-22T14:28:13.857-07:00

I recall hearing the following joke on NPR (My most listened to station) as the winner in the scientific search for the worlds most funny joke. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and abottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. "Watson,look up at the sky and tell me what you

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-36123108900430583812012-06-25T18:19:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:28:45.872-07:00

I had fun this morning at the exhibit hall of the American Library Association Annual Convention in Anaheim. I picked up a few pre-publication preview books, and  lots of publisher information. I read more non-fiction than fiction, and most books I saw were Young Adult, which I do enjoy, and children's books. At the end of the conference, and maybe during the conference (I am not sure

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-5006083668992244032012-06-20T07:57:00.004-07:002014-04-22T14:29:07.429-07:00

I shared my love of the TED conferences a few months back. They, in general, are informing entertaining and thought-provoking. As a book lover I was intrigued by the fact that an in-person conference attendee (at over $7000) also is part of the TED book club described in this snippet from their web site: TED Book Club: Enrollment in the TED Book Club, which sends inspired 2-3 book selections

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-68190837094495033802012-06-15T06:05:00.000-07:002014-04-22T14:30:12.187-07:00

I have enjoyed following Seth Godin's blog for the last several months. He is point of view is refreshing, eye-opening and uplifting. Here is an example of one email update (slightly longer than average) I received that got me thinking. His book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? is one of my favorites. Follow the link to check out the book, or buy anything you want at amazon. It helps support my

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-60473147400227003452012-06-06T06:26:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:30:50.325-07:00

I have followed Schlock Mercenary for a number of years now. Even though the creator Howard Tayler would not want you to peruse his earliest drawing attempts, in the following comparison between his first strip and a very recent one, the improvement in drawing skill is noteworthy. When I wake up each morning I dismiss the alarm on my phone, and go first thing to my email to read my daily dose

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223972.post-44731003026426746242012-06-01T10:46:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:32:09.913-07:00

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248592089703478582noreply@blogger.com1