Google Mapping where No Car can go

You've seen the amazing Google maps street view - right? Well, now, they are trying to go one step further with a bike, and pedestrian, model.

How cool is that! Where can I sign up to be one of their riders?

clipped from fivebells.livejournal.com Google Maps Street View capture... from a bike they're deploying people on bikes to capture images of trails where you can't take cars The readout on the handlebars shows the regions covered so far, and the amount of disk space available. He says they'll probably be available through the Google Maps interface in two to three months.

Eureka ... Now I know WHY my kids are so smart!

You simply must read this article. It revealed, for the first time, why my kids are so smart.

And for all of you who thought it was me who gave them such stunning intellect, I may not have impacted the girls as much as I thought.

Apparently my sexy wife had a LOT more to do with it than I gave her credit for.

Read on to learn more:

clipped from www.psychologytoday.com Booty and brains sit well together. Curvy-figured mothers have children with better cognitive abilities. A woman's eye-popping hourglass figure offers drooling men more than just an irresistible image. Shapely hips and thighs hold essential nutrients that nurse brains and could produce smart kids too women with low waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) have children with better cognitive abilities than less curvy mothers.

3 Day Weekends ... Could they become a reality?

When I used to work at the Intel Fab, we had 3 and 4 day weekends EVERY week. Talk about outstanding time for relaxation and free time.

For some reason that concept has not caught on in the cubicle world.

However, maybe with some people actually thinking about cost savings, energy savings ... and workers wondering how they can claim more freedom ... the 4 day workweek might start gaining some popularity.

Check out this recent test by the State of Utah:

clipped from yglesias.thinkprogress.org Four Day Work Week the state of Utah actually tried this and had state employees take Friday off and work longer hours the other four days of the week. According to Scientific American the results were impressive: For those workplaces, there’s no longer a need to turn on the lights, elevators or computers on Fridays—nor do janitors need to clean vacant buildings. Electric bills have dropped even further during the summer, thanks to less air-conditioning: Friday’s midday hours have been replaced by cooler mornings and evenings on Monday through Thursday. As of May, the state had saved $1.8 million. …

What Makes a Crappy Bike? Here's a few thoughts ...

I've known many, many friends who drop into their local Wallie's World, or Kmart, or Target and pick up the cheapest bike they can wrap their wallets around.

And, let me tell you, they are NOT doing themselves any favors.

I know good bikes are expensive. And the best bikes are WAY TOO expensive. But, you have to get a nice bike to really be able to use it, put it through its paces, and get the most out of it.

The last paragraph gives the best advice of the whole article ... buy used (second hand) from someone who has worked in a bike shop, and have pimped and maintained their bike while they've owned it. I've owned my Gary Fisher over 10 years, and the freaking thing just keeps running. It's like buying quality over value. Not easy - but if you really want it to work, you gotta do it.

And here's a tip for anyone who has trouble riding ANY bike. Raise your seat.
No ... Seriously.

Raise your seat so that your legs have to almost fully extend for you to pedal. The 90-degree, right angle bike pedal IS NOT how you are supposed to ride your bike. This one change could revolutionize your riding experience.

clipped from www.wired.com Worst) Bikes Mens Bike looks to be a bargain But the trouble begins… immediately. The conclusion of the LBS? The bike is junk. First, the women’s model was supplied with a men’s saddle. Second, it just doesn’t work properly. The brake calipers are bendy, flexy plastic, the twist-grip gears won’t actually hold in a single speed for more than a couple minutes (or until the next bump in the road) and hills were impossible: “but tackling them on my weighty (18kg), graceless machine felt like I was scaling Pen-y-Ghent on a pedal-powered tractor,” says Pidd. Even the back wheel came supplied already out-of-true. Worse, this is a self assembly bike. Anyone who knows enough about building and fixing bikes would know enough to avoid this machine, so therefore the only people who might buy it are not qualified to build it. It shows us that “low-priced” is not the same as “value”, and that skimping on a good bike is not only dangerous but it spoils you fun. Our advice? Buy second-hand

Veterinarian ... Could one be in Our Future?

It's amazing to me ... the ability Christy has with animals. She knows more about animal health than I could ever comprehend.

And it's been a HUGE thorn in our side that she was never able to go to veterinary school. We've talked about this tragedy many, many hours.

And lately, because of the economy, I've been thinking about how we can make it happen. AND, we're seriously, seriously trying to talk one of the girls into doing vet work when they get older - that is - if they still show an interest in it. If they do, I will do my utmost to make it a reality.

Anyhow, this was an interesting article to read. Maybe ... just maybe ... this could be in our future?

clipped from www.metrowestdailynews.com ARA Veterinary students are taking advantage of a tuition incentive program to work in underserved areas. "The shortage of food safety and public health veterinarians has become a national crisis and it's really put food safety in America in jeopardy," but it is our hope that veterinarians could earn as much as $25,000 a year for the first two years and then $35,000 for the third and fourth years if they agree to serve an underserved area like rural food supply veterinary medicine." Many states including Ohio, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Washington, Wyoming and Kansas have created state school loan repayment incentive the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, are currently developing an ambitious plan to offer their own veterinary school loan repayment program offering $20,000 to $30,000 a year over four years to young veterinarians willing to practice in rural areas.

The Skinny on the Govt's Cash for Junkers Program.

Christy and I were just talking tonight, about what kind of money you could expect to get from Uncle Sam when you turn in your old hunk of junk vehicle.

We couldn't understand how it might be possible to turn in a big, old gas hog ... for a NEW, big gas hog?

Maybe this will explain some of it:

clipped from content.usatoday.com Here's the quick read on the 'cash for clunkers' rules just published You can read a PDF of the whole thing here, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration basically says: The eligible clunker has to be driveable and can't be more than 25 years old. In the case of "very large" pickups and vans (8,500 to 10,000 pounds of gross vehicle weight), they must have been made since 2001.  The program runs through Nov. 1.

Ideas to Help Boost My Productivity

I stumbled upon this article tonight, and read through a few of the ideas.

The ones that strike me the most ... are the ones about knowing what you want to accomplish, noting all the steps you need to cross to get there, and then being diligent about actually doing what you want to do.

I realized tonight, that one of the hardest parts about living a life of passion, is clearly understanding what you are passionate about. And then realizing HOW you can get to the lifestyle that will let you get there.

Personally, I waffle back and forth between so many things, it's no wonder I've never committed my future to anything. It's giving me plenty to think about though.

clipped from celestinechua.com Boost Your Productivity in 50 Ways Single-task: If you are doing something which requires a high level of brain work, focus on doing it one at a time. Don’t try to multi-task and get nothing done in the process. Time boxing: Set aside a fixed time slot to work on your tasks. You must work on that task and only that task during that time slot, no more, no less. To-do list Not run the risk of forgetting anything you need to do. Master your skills. To get your work done well and fast, you need to first master your skills. It’s said that it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at what you do. Make sure you put in the due diligence in your work. Brain dump. You may find some thoughts distracting you while you are working on something. List down all the things you want to get done, order them in priority a life handbook like a life manual where you store your purpose, long-term goals, short-term goals, strategies, plans, and many other information on how to live your best life.