List 2

I'm beginning to like this list idea instead of blogging about each topic individually. If you have a comment stating that this new style is good or bad you know where to put it.

• Stop doing sit-ups! Stand straight, feet shoulder width apart, tighten up your abs (and keep them tense), slowly lift 5-15 lb. weights with arms straight out in front, hiss as you exhale, and "do this until you fall over."
• Canada has discovered that DRM (a hidden system on purchased media content that encrypts data limiting it to strict uses) can take private information about you and give it to third parties without your consent.
• An amplified photon thruster could shorten trip to Mars has scientists ecstatic.
• Putting pressure on special floor tiles can generate electricity which can power dance clubs simply by people dancing.
• Using adult stem cells instead of six day old embryos may just be the key to curing millions of Americans of numerous disorders and illnesses.
• Curcumin, the main ingredient in curry spice turmeric, could be just as potent as pharmaceutical drugs when it comes to killing cancer.
• The same ingredients found in sheet rock, shampoo, and rocket fuel along with sorbic acid, which is derived from natural gas, are used to make a Twinkie.
• Soil can be easily converted into organic soil, used to make organic produce, but consumers just won't pay those high prices even though costs would decrease if more people supported these foods.

Mega List of Interesting Things

Since I have little time to write up a full summarized report on all the really sweet inventions and secrets I've come across while at college, I'm just gonna put them all in one big list.

• Have someone else take over your cell phone contract, get a temporary one, and find a better plan without having to wait for the contract to end.
• Create a visually appealing virtual desktop with myGoya just in case your real desktop isn't enough.
• Chat with people looking at the same website as you or leave messages for others to read about the website with Chatsum or Xpanity.
• Cooking 16 healthy burgers at home is cheaper than buying 16 fattening, sodium filled McDonald's burgers.
• With the way we're using resources, the earth is expected to "expire" by 2050.
• If heated at 680 degrees, a teflon coated pan WILL release toxic gases that can make you ill or possible cause death.
• British scientists are positive that they have created a "miracle tube" that can cut heating bills in half because it produces more energy than is put into it.
• A technology that can possibly fit over 1 terabyte (20 times larger than a full Blu-ray disk) of data onto a single disk could end the Blu-ray vs HD-DVD battle.
• Turn any laptop into a tablet pc with this cool pen.
• Quantum computer technology can greatly increase processing power and speed on normal computers.
• Magnetically powered refrigerator that doesn't need electricity to come out in 2010.
• Anti-aging pill could be on the market in 10 years by forcing the activation of the SIRT2 gene normally activated through eating a strict low-calorie diet.
  
• "Pollution-eating cement" actually speeds up the chemical process of turning air pollutants into less dangerous compounds like water, carbon dioxide, and nitrates.
• Bottle turns dirty water into clean drinking water in seconds without constantly changing the filter will prove valuable to millions of people.
• Pee powered batteries are reusable up to 10 years but only give out a third of the power that alkaline batteries produce.
• Clever student came up with a way to create power by adding odd looking wind turbines to highways that rotate when cars pass underneath making a lot of energy.
• Ethanol as a fuel source is a scam because it costs almost as much as gasoline and while "our current ethanol production represents only 3.5 percent of our gasoline consumption... it consumes twenty percent of the entire U.S. corn crop, causing the price of corn to double..."
• Sugar cane is MUCH more efficient than ethanol as a fuel source but with so high tariffs how can we even get it over here?
• Vehicles can run on compressed air leaving behind no pollutants and can go extremely long distances at speeds up to 135 mph on a single tank while refueling takes a matter of hours over night.
• Burning salt water using radio waves may be the next big, not to mention abundant, fuel source.
• Apparently smart people tend to be liberal while the not-so-educated people will most likely be conservative says this study.
• Student punished for wearing religious attire while school thinks it's disruptive.
• "Bush Administration Says Warrantless Eavesdropping Cannot Be Questioned"
• Leaders of America, Canada, and Mexico could be planning to combine all three countries into a very frightening and all powerful super-government.
• The Federal Reserve is an illegal private bank creating money out of thin air while convincing people for nearly 100 years that a piece of paper has value.
• Government is using authorities to crush opponents in order to create a Police State through Operation FALCON.
• The facts about 9/11 are alarming to the point that our government could have perpetrated or at least allowed it to happen.
• The best way to keep Americans ignorant to what's going on and to not question the government is to have political debates but limit the spectrum of topics to give the illusion of free thinking when it's really just propaganda.
• Speak out, and actually be heard, for or against something with YouMob.

Cell Phone Users Rejoice!

Bill to stick it to the mobile phone industry.
Finally, a bill that doesn't limit our rights: it gives them to the people. The Cell Phone Empowerment Act of 2007, summarized on The Consumerist, would prevent crazy fees and practices that cell phone companies have been using to screw its customers for years. This would finally right most of the wrongs imposed on us by those bastards. Here are the basic changes:
1. Early termination fees (ETF) would be cut in half after the first year.
2. Coverage maps would be made public and dead zones would be revealed.
3. Stupid fees would be stopped and only authorized ones would be allowed.
4. Any contract changes would have to be shown to customers in writing and wouldn't take effect for 30 days.
5. No more locked phones!

No Hoodies Makes No Sense

Four year old told to remove hoody for "security."
This no hoody policy schools and public buildings are picking up is pissing off a lot of people including me. When I went to high school, white honor roll students who have never broken a single rule were being told to take off their hoodies because it was violating dress code. Yet other students were allowed to wear hats, caps, visors, and other crazy head gear any way they liked. In a recent scenario BBC tells us that a mother is outraged at such a ridiculous order to have her young daughter take off her hoody for "security" reasons in a family arcade. The mother points out that it's just plain stupid to have her daughter's hoody removed when there are others with hats on all over the place. This brings me to my final point: in order to be fair to everyone, either ban all fashion oriented head gear or allow them all.

Tumbleblogging?

New "just write" trend in blogging: Tumbleblogging.
Thanks to Telegraph, I'm turned on to tumbleblogging. It's like writing your thoughts as they come to you and then publish these raw notes in a blog. It's not terribly exciting, but at least they're trying to give a face-lift to blogging. You might want to give it a try even if you just use notepad instead of publishing every single time you write. The most effective way to do tumbleblogging is to have a pda or smartphone so that no matter where you are you can jot down your thoughts as they come to you. It's probably not the right thing for everyone but anyone who usually has eventful lives might enjoy this new craze.

Moving In

Going to U of M = less posts.
It's time to go to college so I'm going to be super busy packing, traveling, and settling into my dorm. I'm probably not going to be posting much of anything for about a week so in the mean time why don't you use this post as a way to give me some suggestions on how to improve, what you like/dislike about my blog, or what you would like to be added through comments. You can even request a post like "what's the best ? to buy" or "which ? should I use." Whatever you like. See ya.

Top 10 Board Games

Key: 5-high 1-low
P - playability: how long you can play it over and over until it gets boring or you already know all the answers
L - longevity: how long one games lasts
F - fun: how exciting a game can be considering all age groups
D - difficulty: how complicated the instructions are and how hard the game is when being played

10. Scrabble - It's not for everybody but it's the only game besides Boggle where you can really show off your vocabulary. P-2 L-4 F-1 D-5
9. Clue - Nothing says kid's game like murder. Hint: it's always Miss Scarlet or the Colonel. P-3 L-3 F-4 D-2
8. Life - Education, a career, marriage, a house, and a family. This game has it all. P-4 L-4 F-4 D-3
7. Risk - World domination has never been this popular. P-3 L-5 F-3 D-5
6. Monopoly - This classic game has so many versions out that there's bound to be one that you like. P-4 L-5 F-4 D-5
5. Whoonu - This Cranium card game is meant for kids, but it's a great way to get to know people's interests. You can play likes, dislikes, or you can try neutral. P-4 L-1 F-5 D-1
4. Cranium Conga - It may not have a single board to play on, but boy this game is fun for everyone. P-4 L-2 F-5 D-2
3. Pictionary - Sure you might get angry at your partner, but this game allows any large number of people to play. P-3 L-5 F-4 D-3
2. Cranium Turbo - Pop culture has never been this fun and there's always an activity that you're good at which makes this game perfect for anyone. P-3 L-4 F-5 D-4
1. Scattergories - Everyone wants to play this word game because it's simple fun and the possibilities are nearly endless. P-5 L-3 F-4 D-2

Top Pick:
Whoonu - It's so simple, quick, and perfect for anyone that it's probably the best game to have in anyone's home. I know it's not a true board game but it's so much fun!

Kitchen in a Tube

An entire kitchen, including the sink, in one space-saving cylindrical cabinet.
Probably the best invention for a kitchen since the microwave, "kitchen-in-a-cylinder" has everything anyone would ever need to cook food in one compact design. It has a mini-fridge, microwave, oven, stove, pantry, sink, dishwasher, and (surprisingly) plenty of counter space. When it's not in use there's a sliding door that covers it all off for a nice clean look. I'm sure apartment architects and people who rent will rejoice when they hear of this amazing kitchen innovation that will yield more space for the bath, bed, or living room. This might be the perfect thing to even have in small vacation homes, college dorms, or ski lofts.

Top 5 Breakfast Foods

Healthy:
5. Cheerios - you really can't go wrong when you choose a box of cheerios, but the MultiGrain ones are better while the Frosted ones are the worst.
4. Slim Fast shake - a fruit shake is nice, but doesn't offer much in nutrition so that's where the Slim Fast comes in. Just add your own fresh or frozen fruits with ice and vanilla along with some Slim Fast powder into a blender. It's best if you also have a slice or two of whole grain toast as well.
3. Total - nothing can compare to 100% of practically everything in just one bowl of cereal.
2. Kashi - they're all natural, come in tons of different forms, and they're delicious. Try Kashi cereal, bars, or waffles.
1. Vegetables - you can't BEET veggies for breakfast! Try these tasty veggie smoothie recipes.

Quick:
5. Bag of cereal - I know, it's lame, but you're still getting better nutrition than toaster pastries.
4. Yogurt and fruit - Yoplait + apple/orange/pear/plum = on the go breakfast
3. Muffin - messy, but if you choose the whole grain or bran muffins then it's worth it.
2. Slim Fast bar - they're like candy bars but with nutrition.
1. Cereal bars - you can go with a Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bar if you're really in a rush, but if you have some time the day before make your own breakfast bars. Kind of like Rice Crispy Bars but you make them with your own cereal.

Top Pick:
Kashi - there are so many different varieties whether you have time to cook or have to leave in a hurry. Not to mention that they're so healthy and surprisingly tasty.

Expand Your Artist Choices

Discover new artists similar to those you like.
Not filling up your music player's hard drive? Well you better find more music you like if you ever want to optimize those 30 gigabytes of space. With music-map you can put in an artist and it'll show you a no-frills map of artists similar to the one you entered. It's a fast and simple way to find new artists that you might enjoy. But what if you wanted to find an artist that's like multiple artists you already like? You should try gnoosic. It's a really unique way to find new artists because you're not just searching for someone similar to one artist, but a combination of three different ones. The larger the differences between each artist you enter, the more interesting the outcome becomes. Now go on and add more songs to your little library already.

Praise Nanotechnology!

Making something molecule by molecule holds much potential to create anything imaginable.
Not too long ago, scientists came up with a kind of object printer that puts together a product from just atoms and molecules stored in containers using a downloaded blue print. You can watch a video of that here. Then they were able to make this incredible tiny energy storage device, basically a battery, that was black, lightweight, flexible, super resilient to temperature, and it could be powered by blood or perspiration! Well they've come up with "metal rubber." Unlike metal foil that crinkles and holds its shape rather well, "metal rubber" works like rubber in that it's flexible and can return to its normal shape after being molded, but it can conduct electricity. As you can assume, demand is extremely high for this 12" square sample that takes about three days to piece together. The possibilities could be endless for "metal rubber" but it's clear that possibilities are infinite when it comes to nanotechnology.

Famous Myths

Some of the most commonly taught stories in history might not be 100 percent true.
I shall sum up some of Write Spirit's "The 20 Greatest Historical Myths" that set the record straight on some misunderstood stories throughout history.

14. Myth: Eve ate an apple.
Truth: The bible said "the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden" (Genesis 3:3) so it could have been any tree fruit. It was Milton who wrote that it was an apple with his poetic interpretation of the biblical event "Paradise Lost."
13. Myth: Newton was hit by an apple.
Truth: Voltaire wrote a story about Newton saying this but it's not necessarily true that Newton was hit with an apple.
12. Myth: Walt Disney drew Micky Mouse.
Truth: Ub Iwerks drew Micky because Walt Disney stunk at character drawing, but Walt Disney did provide the voice for Micky for some time.
11. Myth: Marie Antoinette said "let them eat cake."
Truth: Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote that a "great princess" said this famous line. Marie Antoinette was only 11 when he wrote that.
10. Myth: Van Gogh sliced off his ear.
Truth: He only cut off a piece of his left lobe after his eight years of painting led to a tragic end.
9. Myth: Salem witches were burned at the stake.
Truth: Most of those tried were hanged while one was crushed by stones.
8. Myth: Napoleon was short.
Truth: His nickname was Le Petit Corporal ("The Little Corporal") because of his low rank. He was actually 5'7".
7. Myth: Shakespeare came up with the story of Hamlet.
Truth: Shakespeare just came up with the best adaptation of Hamlet, which is the situation with many of his plays; they're the best versions of the stories created by others before him.
6. Myth: America gained independence on July 4th, 1776.
Truth: The Declaration of Independence was signed on that day, America became independent on September 3, 1783.
5. Myth: Edison invented electric light.
Truth: It was Sir Humphry Davy who invented electric light, but it was Edison, along with his many unnoticed assistants, who improved on his design to make it last longer.
4. Myth: Columbus proved the Earth was round.
Truth: Columbus thought the Earth was pear shaped, he never touched American soil (landed in the Bahamas), and most educated Europeans during the time already believed the Earth was round anyway.
3. Myth: Ghandi liberated India.
Truth: He was really only a small part since India was well on its way to liberation without him. In fact some argue that India would have been liberated faster without Ghandi.
2. Myth: Jesus was born on 12-25.
Truth: "There is no evidence whatsoever, biblical or otherwise, that He was actually born on that day" and even though there were three gifts there weren't necessarily three wise men either.
1. Myth: George Washington was the first President in the U.S.
Truth: Before Washington there were Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled and before them were Presidents of the First/Second Continental Congress which means that Washington was the 15th President in the U.S.

Train Your Brain

Keep your mind sharp with BrainReady.
Have you heard of Brain Age, the hit video game for the Nintendo DS that calculates your brain's age with different challenging activities and math games? Well BrainReady is very similar but you don't need the DS! It offers audio podcasts, what foods to eat to maximize brain power, and a printable worksheet that helps "turn back the clock on the damaging effects of aging." The 15 minute worksheets are especially helpful because they are most like Brain Age where they focus on the prefrontal cortex which is most important for quick thinking and simple calculations. You must give BrainReady a try.

President? Try Dictator Bush

New "NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE" ignores normal two term maximum.
Yup, it's official; Bush will become supreme overlord of the U.S. Under the NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51 a.k.a. HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-20, "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions," a.k.a. a "catastrophic emergency," will result in "the continuity of Federal Government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies" including "all executive departments and agencies." Which means "the President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government" forcing "a cooperative effort among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government, coordinated by the President."
Well...it's finally happened: dictatorship. And what's America gonna do when the 2008 elections are canceled because we're in a "national emergency?" Nothing, because not enough people have made an effort to impeach the President for wiretapping. This is a sad sad day.

Barefoot vs. Shod

Shoes deform strong natural feet into weak ones.
Reading the Nature's Magic Bullet article really shocked me when it said that shoes lead to bad posture, distorted feet, and an increase in common ailments! It sounds totally unbelievable and ridiculous, but then again could it really be that simple as going barefoot to lower one's risk of contracting multiple sclerosis, lung cancer, or other common diseases? First a history lesson: shoes were widely used in order to protect feet from sharp objects, keep them clean, and show off one's social status. A pointed foot was a desired shape to make one's foot look more aristocratic, but then the style of compressing and squeezing together toes became the norm. There never was a shoe that complemented a natural formation where one could draw a line from the big toe to the heel (as pictured). Instead, feet adapted to the fit of the shoe because that's what feet are supposed to do: adapt. There are many people around the world who go barefoot, have natural spacing between the toes, called a gait, and their feet, not to mention their health, are completely fine. Crazy right? You'd think that without shoes your soft feet are exposed to all sorts of dangers, but soft, vulnerable feet are caused by shoes in the first place! If someone goes barefoot, nature made it so that feet adapt to the environment, which is why arch supports are bogus since doctors still buy into wearing shoes all the time as a means to protect one's feet when, in reality, shoes make people lose natural formations. Unshod (yes that's the correct spelling for "without shoes") people, not only those in the wild but also those living in urban environments, have great natural arches, resilient soles, and are less likely to develop improper posture along with general wellness all because of their foot shape. I mean, you could ignore this and say it's stupid, but if going barefoot whenever possible, as nature intended, is all it takes to prevent simple problems and diseases then it doesn't sound so crazy anymore.

DownloadHelper Does Just That

Download music and videos from a website with one simple firefox add-on.
It really couldn't be any easier with DownloadHelper. A song or video is just a few clicks away from being stored on your hard drive. You can go to nearly any site like imeem, youtube, aol, DivxTube, etc. and be able to download pretty much anything they offer. With the internet browser firefox, install the add-on, and when you see or hear something you like look at the DownloadHelper symbol that should be to the right of the address bar. If it's gray then you're not able to download it, but if it's in color and moving then you're in luck. Click the down arrow that shows up when you hover your mouse over the spinning symbol to see what's available. Now even though it may have a bizarre name, the file you want is most likely there. If you select one of the options and the download is done immediately you probably have a dud. Try another selection until you get a fairly large file depending on what file you're downloading. After it's complete, you need a player that recognizes .flv files. I recommend Media Player Classic that's included in a very useful codec pack called k-lite. You can also convert .flv files into something else with SUPER. So now you can go nuts by clicking on the DownloadHelper symbol at any time and looking at the list of sites that you can download media from with you're new add-on.

Chocolate Keeps the Dentist Away?

Cocoa extract in chocolate strengthens enamel.
According to Arman Sadeghpour from Tulane University, naturally occurring cocoa in chocolate "might be an effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste." Everybody should know that fluoride is a very dangerous chemical and it's toxic at high doses. Fluoride is good since it poisons bacteria found in your mouth, but, like most poisons, it harms everything including you. That's why there are warning labels on toothpaste that say "if ingested call for emergency." Flouride can cause fluorosis, slight memory impairments in children, and even death. The reason why fluoride was even allowed to be fed to us is because there was a large amount of it laying around a century ago so big business decided to get rid of it and make a profit. Adding fluoride to water has been outlawed in many countries, but people still haven't caught on in America so it's still a common practice. Anyway, cocoa extract toothpaste won't be recommended at your dentist's office any time soon, so until then you don't have to feel guilty about having a little chocolate; it's for healthy teeth.

Shipping Cost: $1,000,000?!

Pentagon payed nearly $1 million in shipping for two $0.19 washers.
You think that's bad? This isn't the only occurrence of WAY over charging for shipping; far from it as Schlicken points out. But the $998,798 for two 19 cent washers takes the cake. This was done by one South Carolina company that discovered that when shipping to "priority" areas, payment was done automatically without so much as a glance at the receipt. So slowly, this company charged thousands then tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands to the government for things like a few screws. It ended up totaling about $20.5 million just from this one company when someone finally checked their purchasing records. The company was barred from federal contracts, all of their newly purchased things were auctioned off, and the owners will be jailed (probably for life). Hopefully the Pentagon will look out for over charging from now on (not likely).

Faster Than The Speed of Light

Scientists claim quantum tunneling allows photons to exceed the speed of light.
It's suddenly all over the internet but I'll sum it up:
Einstein - "you need an infinite amount of energy to go faster than 186,000 miles per second."
German physicist - "the detector just picked up that some photons instantaneously went from one prism to the next with a 3 ft. gap!"
Einstein - "well, that's just absurd."
German physicist - "It's quantum tunneling! I'm sure of it!"
Einstein - "you know, my laws haven't been broken before, why would they suddenly not apply to you?"
German physicist - "I proved Einstein wrong! I'm telling everybody without considering another theory!"
Einstein - "oh boy..."

Fool Rapidshare

Download like you're a premium member.
I hate that stupid two hour wait between downloads that I get when I use rapidshare. I'm assuming you do too otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. There have been a number of sites and cheats that have surfaced, but none work as well and are as simple as rsleecher. It couldn't be any easier. Just copy the link to the rapidshare file you want, paste it in the bar, and click download. Although, you're only allowed 3 downloads in a single 24 hour period. It's best that you use firefox 2+ with this site.
UPDATE: A program called rapidleecher works just as well if not better. It has a built in proxy option so you can enter in a proxy link to download even more times!

Crazy Like Fox News

Fox News is wrongly changing Wikipedia entries.
After the release of a custom tool that allows anyone to view who has edited a wiki article, someone has stumbled upon IP addresses that have come from Fox News. It seems that the highly conservative news team has been altering sections in their favor like changing "O’Reilly’s show...garnering ratings six times higher than Olbermann’s" to "O’Reilly’s show...garnering ratings ten times higher than Olbermann’s" as The Seminal pointed out. This statistic is clearly inaccurate and what Fox is doing is immoral, but at least they're holding on to typical Republican tactics of lying and misleading the public.

Yet Another Cancer Cure

Scientist observes preventative cancer gene.
Well America didn't jump for joy when laetrile poisoned cancerous cells nor did anyone take notice when DCA destroyed cancer by switching on inert mitochondria, so hopefully people will hear about gene therapy. A Canadian scientist just recently discovered something remarkable when the gene HACE 1 is activated; it prevents cancer! The gene does so by helping "cells fight off stress that, left unchecked, opens the door to formation of multiple tumours" according to Daily Kos. Now, nothing is certain since this is still fairly new but maybe this time a cancer cure won't be ignored.

Easy Fat Lose

10 life style changes that really do make you lose weight.
I think that g333k.glimpsr is on to something when they released "8 easy things you can do to lose fat." I'll not only list what their list, but I'll also add some really simple tricks that I've picked up. Read everything to get some tips to help you lose weight without doing major dieting or exercising.

1. Say good-bye to soda. It's terrible for your health! Drink juice or water instead.
2. Forget fast-food. There's WAY too much fat and sodium in anything you order. Make your own damn food!
3. Limit sugary foods. Take one or two cookies from the packaging and set them on a plate, close the package putting it in a plastic bag, and go into another room to eat your cookies slowly. You'll be less tempted to sit and eat the whole package that way. For ice cream use one of those bowls you melt butter in instead of those soup bowls or worse, eating straight from the carton.
4. Less carbs. I know, it's obvious, but you have to train yourself to eat other foods. Say yes to meat, greens, and fruit and no to bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes. Stuff your sandwiches with meat, have more salads, and bowl of berries with yogurt for dessert. If you must have carbs, take a bite and put your fork down or set it down if it's a finger food and then keep your hands on your lap until you've swallowed it all before having another bite or have a sip of your drink between bites.
5. Protein is the key. I don't mean upgrading to the triple patty hamburger or the grande taco, I'm talking about snacking on granola, nuts, veggies, and better quality meat.
6. Minimize size, maximize quantity. Don't eat until you're stuffed, whatever you're eating just split everything in half with someone else. In another couple of hours eat more, but less of it, get it? Eat often, but in snack size portions.
7. Snack. Yep, you can and should have healthy snacks every day, like carrots with ranch dressing, a nutrition bar, or a bag of cereal with no more than 100 calories per cup.
8. Wait 3 hours after eating before sleeping. Believe me, this helps A LOT. Occupy yourself after dinner so you're not tempted to snack.
9. Get more sleep. It's tough and I realize that, but you gotta do it if you want to lose that weight. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than you usually do each day until you reach 10 or 11 so that you can squeeze in an hour or two of more sleep.
10. Get active. Well duh, it's the same thing as exercise, but you don't have to weight lift, run, or go to the gym. With just a few hours every week, do some DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), play ping-pong, practice more in a sport, walk or ride your bike to your destination, or do 10 sit-ups or push-ups or whatever during the tv commercials.

I've lost nearly 10 pounds in just a week by following these steps!

Skreem for Music with Songbird

Download music easily with Skreemr on Songbird.
This is the easiest way to get free and legal (to the best of my knowledge) music with just a website and single program. The program is Songbird which is free to download and it's a lot like iTunes where you can create and organize music and videos from your library into playlists, but Songbird has a built in web browser. And the coolest thing about this web browser is that whenever it detects a song file on a website that you're looking at it displays it in a temporary playlist at the bottom where you can play and download the song. So now all you need is a website like Skreemr to search for music that you want and use the built-in download feature on Songbird to get songs onto your computer. You can also use music search engines like mp3000, MP3Salad, e-mp3s, and KOhit to find songs too. That's it! But remember to only download legally.

Don't Be Afraid, It's Just RSS

View new stories and posts from your favorite sites all in one place.
It's surprising to me that so many people haven't discovered or fully understand RSS. If you have a lot of websites or blogs that you like you don't have to go to each one looking for updates. With RSS all the updates come to you. It's very simple:

1. Find and click an RSS feed symbol (usually orange or blue) whenever you want to be notified as soon as something new is posted on a site that you like.
2. Now, using Google Reader, which is the easiest out of all readers to manage, you can be informed of any updates that occur on that site just by having a google account.
3. Go nuts by clicking RSS symbols on all your favorite sites and if you don't want them in Google Reader any more then you can just click "unsubscribe" under "Feed Settings."

That's all you need to know! Now of course you could use other RSS readers but the best thing about using the google version is that with the same account you can have email with Gmail and a calendar with Gcal and all the other benefits that come with google.

"Ultimate Video Search Engine"

Find a video with one easy search.
Calling your site the "ultimate" is pretty bold, but the Gujam video search engine can really back up their claim. It's exactly like google with a simplistic design and results page but it searches video sites like YouTube, Veoh, The Daily Motion, Meta Cafe, and many more. Now you can easily find videos from lonelygirl15, as pictured above, with ease. If you don't find the video you're looking for with Gujam then it just doesn't exist.

What's Really in the Food You Order?

Find out the nutritional facts for foods and drinks you get at your favorite restaurants.
Which is better chicken or beef? How much sodium is in one of those double cheeseburgers? Is Subway really all that healthy? All of these answers and more can be answered simply by visiting CalorieKing. Didn't you ever say to yourself "what's in this food anyway?" Did you know that most fast food restaurants make you request nutritional facts by mail?! Instead of blindly ordering something, why not check out how good that food really is for your body? Word of advice: stay away from sausage patties at McDonald's and cookies from Subway, they're TERRIBLE for you.

The One Site to Control Them All

View the top stories from digg, reddit, fark, etc. all on one convenient page.
It couldn't be any easier to find the best stories, pictures, and news that's happening now. Jimmyr really does a nice job at organizing everything recent and up-to-date on his site. There are others like it, which you can find on the right under "Best Lists," but nothing compares to the simplicity and ease of use of Jimmyr. I use it everyday because it changes constantly so I always know what's new and interesting on the internet.

HD Internet TV

Find, download, and watch episodes from hundreds of free channels.
Comedy Central, National Geographic, Ask a Ninja, and much more all make up miro. It's exactly like video podcasting with iTunes only with miro you get to search and download Youtube videos too. Another great feature on miro is that after you download a video and watch it you can save the video forever or there's an expiration date that deletes it in a few days so that you'll have room later for more downloads. But you don't have to limit videos to those that you find on the channel guide, you can even use miro to organize any other video that you have all in one easy to manage program.

Google Records Your Searches

Everything you type into google is closely monitored, but there's a safer way.
It may come as a shock, but google, the most widely used online search engine, not only keeps track of what you search for at what time under your IP address but also allows authorities to view these records whenever they like. Now this can be used for good, but do you really think a multi-billion dollar company gives a crap about doing the right thing? Most likely, they're in it for money and power. But how do you combat google's spying without giving up on your favorite search site? Use googlonymous: the 100% free and anonymous search site that gives you google results without giving out your personal information. It even has a documentary on it's site that provides further details of other companies that are recording your every move and how you're helping them do it without knowing.

Get an Energy Boost Without Caffiene

Feel refreshed after listening to soothing music in just 20 minutes.
If you take naps a lot like me, but hate it when you end up sleeping for hours just to wake up feeling tired again then 20MinuteNap has a free and simple solution: take a 20 minute nap of course. Just close your eyes and enjoy soft music so that after about 20 minutes of relaxation, you're ready to get back to work without feeling exhausted. The music isn't some boring classical stuff either, they're actual songs from bands like Snow Patrol, Jack Johnson, and Coldplay. You'll be surprised that this system actually works and it's just as effective as a 2 hour snooze but without the afterward sleepiness. Try it next time you feel like collapsing onto your bed to stay unconscious for a few hours.

Ask and Answer

Anonomously ask any question and then answer someone else's with QuestionSwap.
Have you ever wanted to know why some people are republicans? Or wanted to read a funny story about someone? Or perhaps you wanted to ask a person something so random that you'd think you would get an odd look from him/her? Then why not ask away on QuestionSwap where you can type pretty much anything and get a response from someone around the world then answer theirs. Do you think that's a good use of your time? Just ask someone that very question on QuestionSwap! After a while you'll see why it's so fun, although you can get addicted.

"BBC Corrupted!"

BBC admits it has been infiltrated by Microsoft
Now that BBC will use the iPlayer, only users with Windows may be able to view BBC's online content because all control over "on-line distribution of BBC programming" is now Microsoft's responsibility according to Defective by Design. With so many high-up British officials in awe of Bill Gates from the new Prime Minister of Britain, Gordon Brown, to BBC's Director of New Media and Technology it was only natural that corruption set in and BBC give it's online power to their biggest fan, Gates. If you want to protest this Defective by Design is conducting a petition and a protest at BBC Television Studios in London on Tuesday August 14

Your Music on Any PC

Listen to your favorite songs with only an internet connection.
Have you found yourself wanting to enjoy some music when you're without an mp3 player on someone else's computer? It happens a lot. There are tons of different sites for you to use for free that lets you not only listen to music you like but also lets you choose the music. Allow me to explain:

1. Last.fm is great for those who are looking for a multipurpose site. Last.fm is more like a social network that was built around a customizable radio. Not only can you choose an artist that you want to listen to and the player will automatically select similar artists to play as well but you're also able to view friend's music, create a profile, find events, join groups, read journals, install widgets... the list goes on.

2. Pandora has to be the best and easiest when it comes to selection and usability. It's much more simplified when compared to Last.fm because it doesn't have a fancy social network. You can make multiple radio stations just by entering an artist and, like Last.fm, it'll pick the best songs to go with that artist. You can then rate a song as thumbs up to hear more music like that or vice versa. What's really nice is that you can choose to not play that particular song for a month in case you like the song but you're just sick of it right now.

3. imeem is nice because you can create a short playlist of songs and then share them with everyone else. You can even add photos and videos to your profile. It's great for bands who want to promote their material.

4. radio.blog.club is great because you can either search for a song or artist and then be taken to a pre-made playlist or you can sign-in and make your own. Some songs don't work for some reason but then again it is free music.

5. Musicovery is unlike any other because its purpose is not to choose songs you already know but to discover new songs based on the criteria you give it. So if you want to hear rap songs from the 80s to 90s or metal with a dark, energetic mood or pop with a fast tempo then this is for you.

Just One Click to Find Sites You Like

View websites based off your interests with StumbleUpon.
It's never been easier to surf the web. If you enjoy sites with science, humor, videos, hacking, or anything else you can think up, StumbleUpon will show you sites that people have labeled as such. It's simple to sign-up, download (firefox) or download (internet explorer), and use StumbleUpon. Once you have the toolbar installed all you have to do is check the topics you want to see, click the Stumble! button, and then you're taken to a site that other users with similar tastes have liked. You can then select if you liked it or not by clicking the thumbs up or down buttons and then click Stumble! again to be taken to a new site. If you suddenly discover a really good website that no one else has, then click "I like it!" to label the site and give a quick review so others can enjoy it too. At any time you can click on the Favorites button to see all the sites that you visited while using StumbleUpon. It's just that easy to use, but be careful, it's VERY addictive.

The iPod Killer

The feature-rich Archos mp3/video players easily beat any iPod.
I'm going to discuss the absolutely amazing Archos 604 WiFi. The screen is as big as the PSP's (about 4" diagonal) but it's also a touch screen for easy navigation. It has a respectable 30Gb hard drive to store everything from music to videos to photos and more. You can customize practically everything, such as the background with one of your own photos. The removable battery lasts for about 15 hours playing music while video watching will give you 5 solid hours. There's an external speaker for listening without the headphones, a built-in microphone for recording audio on the go, and there's a kick stand in the back to prop up the player when watching videos. With a separate dock, you can even record tv shows just like a DVR. And because it's WiFi, you can even access the internet for free to check email, write on forums, and check your blog. In fact, I did this entire post on my Archos (save for a bit of adjustments later on). The only draw backs are the price (upwards of $300) and you can only watch online videos from sites like youtube.com on the 605 model which costs a bit more. Does an iPod have all that? Didn't think so.

Santa's Home is Russian Territory?

Russia wants control over the North Pole.
Ever since 2001, Russia has requested to make the arctic a part of Siberia. But the rest of the world isn't convinced just yet. There's plenty of oil up there and everyone wants a chunk of the profit so this battle is going to go on for a while.

Futurama Returns!

HALLELUJAH! After years of fighting for its return, Futurama is making a comeback on Nov 27th.
Futurama was another animated series by Matt Groening that started a few years back when his regular series, The Simpsons, was at a really popular state. Futurama was, dare I say, better than The Simpsons because the jokes were fresh, the characters were new, and the situations got crazier. Well for some reason it was canceled and lots of fans were bummed to the point of petitioning for the network to bring it back. Now with The Simpsons movie out, the save Futurama project was revived and they listened. According to The Animation Blog, Futurama will be put into four movies and then later split up into episodes to air on Comedy Central for a new season.

Real Life Treasure Hunt

Hide or find treasure world wide with Geocaching.
Haven't you wished that life was more like a treasure hunt game? Well, it has been since 2004! There are millions of hidden items all over the world and possibly in your backyard. Sign-up for Geocaching at their website and you can search for treasure, like the one pictured above, people have hidden near you.
When I searched for stuff near me there were 10 treasures in a 3 mile radius around my house! I couldn't believe it! Go ahead and try it out for yourself.