Just Stuff #6

>>> Dunbar's number isn't just a number, it's the law Dunbar postulated that the typical human being can only have 150 friends. One hundred fifty people in the tribe. After that, we just aren't cognitively organized to handle and track new people easily.



>>> Ever wonder what job types might best fit your values? Try out this site - Pork.org. Uh yeah, many of the suggested job types may be found in companies with agricultural connections…



>>> Do you like goofy faces and the ability to morph faces? Well then check out monoface. Click the mouth, nose, head and each eye to create a different monoface. And keep clicking. There are 759,375 possible faces!



>>> Game playing time… Check out how well you can line up angles, guague distance, etc. with The Eyeballing Game. No I won’t share my sad, sad score…



>>> Want to see more “rare” Star Wars Photos? Check out the Unique Scoop!



>>> And finally…A new report from the University of California, San Diego says the average human in the US consumes 3.6 zettabytes (or one billion trillion bytes) of information every day. Check out America Hungry, Need Data . NOTE: Found this story on the blog of Invisible Children.

So that’s all for this time…

New Year Resolutions

If I always had to wait until the beginning of the following year to start something new, change a behavior, toss out the old, etc. I'd go nuts. I'd be robbed of the benefits of the change NOW. So go ahead folks, welcome each and every day with the attitude of a new year - feel free to make adjustments and tweaks every day as needed. Don't ... See Morewait 363 more days to resolve to do/change/start whatever it is that is needed in your life. And to all you New Year resolvers I hope you are able to keep them. Really.

But if I were to set some resolutions for 2010, this would be a good list to start with...

• Get out and party - Humans are social creatures, and we’d be wise to follow that instinct. …older Americans who had more social connections were in better physical and mental health than were more-isolated people. Feeling good about one’s friendships – regardless of the number – is particularly crucial to mental health.
  
  
• Indulge (a little) in red wine and chocolate – Low doses of resveratrol – a compound of red wine – extend longevity and help fight diabetes. …a daily dollop of dark chocolate about the size of a Hershey’s Kiss lowered blood pressure without adding weight.
  
  
• Tickle your funny bone – You think that’s funny? Laughter lowers blood pressure. …likely cause is endorphin-like substances released in the brain that in turn relax blood vessels… “This effect was seen” after 15 minutes of emotional-based laughter (i.e. more than a mere chuckle) and suggests people aim for that several times a week.
  
  
• Take more naps – A six-year Greek study of nearly 24,000 men and women found that those who took a 30-minute nap at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of heart-related death. …naps of 20 minutes to refresh, an hour to boost memory and 90 minutes to recharge creativity. …regular napping also boosts visual memory and learning.
  
  
• Dust off the dancing shoes - Of 11 physical activities, dancing was the only one that reduced the risk of dementia among older Americans. Dancing is physical (balance and strength), mental (remembering steps and following music) and social. The benefit was noticeable in people who engaged in slow or ballroom dancing two to three times a week…
  
  
• Slim down with…fat? - Fat is bad, right? Wrong! …two fats – linoleic acid and safflower oil – helped obese, postmenopausal women lose weight and gain lean mass. …the good-fat list also includes corn oil, olive oil, soybean oil and omega-3 fats found in cold-water fish such as salmon and herring.
  
  
• Soak up some rays - If you live north of Atlanta you do not get enough vitamin D from sun exposure making you more prone to depression. …high vitamin D levels lowered the risk of death from heart disease and other causes in older men and women. Try for 10 to 20 minutes of exposure daily, sans sunscreen.
  
  
• Try tai chi - Look closely (at people practicing this martial art): Most are smiling. Aside from its meditative, strength and flexibility benefits, tai chi also helps reduce knee pain. A study of 40 men and women with osteoarthritis, whose average age was 65, showed that those who did an hour of tai chi twice a week for 12 weeks had markedly less pain than those who simply stretched.
  
  
• Make more whoopee - Maybe this will help put you in the mood: Studies have found sex can help relieve stress, improve sleep, help self-esteem, reduce pain and lower blood pressure. …frequent sex in older men seems to protect against prostate cancer. …women who enjoy sex reported having a higher sense of purpose in life than those with more mundane sex lives.
  
  
• Enjoy the great outdoors - There’s something about fresh air. And trees. And streams, mountains, beaches and other natural settings. …access to green environments significantly lessened health disparities between rich and poor people in Britain. …people living within half a mile of a park or wooded area experienced far less anxiety and depression that those living farther from nature.
  
  

SOURCE: AARP's 10 Fun New Year's Resolutions