Yo... Jelly Man!

It's kinda sad that we haven't really written about this yet, because I think it's been like 2 or 3 weeks since they were actually here, but...

My sister-in-law was here not too long ago.

While they were here, we made a trip over to the east coast - I think this pic is actually of Sebastian Inlet State Park.

I don't know if you remember the jellyfish we saw over on the west coast near Clearwater? But, if not, the ones we saw here were 4 or 5 times as big.

Check these out...


Again, no tentacles or anything like that. Just large, totally clear, silicon-implant type, goopy bodies.


Wild!

Internet Business Ideas - for anyone who might care

Hi,
To our one reader out there...

Hell

Oops... Hello!
Sorry about that. :-)


I am feeling like writing about this, so please bear with me.

Lately, I have been trying to add more internet products I can sell. And I've been trying to do it quickly.

So, I learned about 2 techniques I want to briefly share with you. Not that you care, really, I just want to share. Okay?

If not, then there's no need to keep reading. Save yourself the 4 minutes and come back later, when I have something a little more interesting to say.


Anyhow...

I am pre-supposing that you already have a topic you are interested in making money on the internet with. If not, that's in another post somewhere, I'm sure.

1. The first strategy, I learned about not too long ago, is to find a magazine in the Public Domain (based on your topic of interest).

So, for example, say you are good at re-building Harley Davidson motorcycles. And you wanted to make a product about that. You would scour the globe looking for motorcycle magazines in the Public Domain that might have something to do with building or re-building motorcycles.

Then, once you find a magazine on that topic, you'll find an article (from that magazine) that covers some portion of your topic.

Like, maybe...
- How to custom paint your re-built motorcycle
- How to re-wire your motorcycle
- How to pin-stripe your motorcycle
- How to find replacement parts for your re-built motorcycle

You get the point?

The Public Domain magazine works in this case, because it gives you good quality content, that you can basically use 'as if' you wrote it all yourself. It's a little harder to find good magazines than books, but usually they can help you get great, quick ideas for making products. If you research this topic a little bit, you'll find there are hundreds of thousands of magazines that are now in the Public Domain. Yep - that many!

This strategy works if you want to build a small empire of short little digital reports in your topic of interest, and you want to do it fairly quickly. The hardest part is finding good, quality magazines that have good content in them.


OK - now for strategy #2

Very similar to strategy #1, but with a slight twist.

In this strategy, you'll go to Google Books, http://books.google.com/ and find a Public Domain book based on your topic.

Here's a good example...

'My Ideal Motorcycle' - I just did a quick search and found that article in a book on Google.

Never-the-less, there's bound to be an option or two for you to pick from in your niche.

Once you have a book that seems to match your topic. Go ahead and scan through it until you find a chapter, or a couple of chapters, that really focus in on the product you want to create, OR just what you want to say.

Once you have it focused like that, go ahead and use the content there to create the basis for your short report. Of course, you're not going to leave your product with the same words and verbiage they used in the 1905 book excerpt, are you?

No, I didn't think so!

So, you'll have to re-write some of it, but for the most part - THAT RIGHT THERE is a product you can sell as a short report, as part of your digital empire.


Alright, thanks for listening. I apologize if that was boring. But I had a GREAT TIME writing it.

Al

Hunger can make you happy

I read an article the other day...

It said the only really, honest-to-goodness weight loss strategy that most people actually could agree on was...

Eating less


The article said, you should start eating about 25% less when you hit your 30's, or so. I was surprised they would publish it, but it seems to ring true for me personally. I really don't eat a whole lot anymore, and it still seems like I eat too much. My slowly eroding body just doesn't need much energy to make it work - I guess.

However, I read about another cool concept that ties in with the 'hungry' factor. Basically, the idea is that hunger makes your body happier, more apt to 'do', and more ready to explore.


There's a lot here, but I've tried to boil the article down to the key points.

Basically, when hungry, your body creates this hormone. This hormone makes you feel better. Versus - When you eat more, and aren't as hungry, your body doesn't produce it as much.

Contrary to the moans of many dieters, being hungry may make you happy. Or, at least, it can be a serious motivator...

When our bodies notice we need more calories, levels of a hormone called ghrelin increase. Ghrelin is known to spur hunger, but new research suggests this may be a side effect of its primary job as a stress-buster.

Researchers manipulated ghrelin levels in mice through a variety of methods, including prolonged calorie restriction, ghrelin injection and a genetic modification rendering the mice numb to ghrelin's effect.

Mice who had limited ghrelin activity seemed depressed. If pushed into deep water they made no effort to swim. When introduced to a maze, they clung to the entryway. And when placed with other mice, they tended to keep to themselves. (These behaviors were reversed when the mice were given a low-dose antidepressant commonly prescribed to humans.)

In contrast, mice with high levels of ghrelin swam energetically in deep water, looking for escape. They eagerly explored new environments. And they were much more social...

Instead, ghrelin motivates and focuses us on getting some F-O-O-D! Stat!

Hunger is not the only stressor that causes ghrelin to rise. Social anxiety can stimulate it as well. When mice were exposed to an older "bully" mouse (think, overbearing boss), ghrelin levels rose and stayed high for weeks.

Maybe that's why, when you're in the 'zone', you don't tend to think about food that much? Maybe your body is focused, alert, and working optimally - without realizing it really is hungry? I don't know... just thinking.

Al

When in Florida, this might help you stay cool

Sadly - I think we're getting a little bit used to the heat.

That's not to say that we like it. It just seems our bodies are growing accustomed to the sickeningly oppressive nastiness of it all. I still sweat when I ride my bike. But it doesn't always feel super hot when we walk outside. Last year, it just FELT hot every time we cracked open the door.

HMPH!


Anyhow...

I read this article the other day. It had some decent ideas for beating the heat. I thought you might enjoy it.

Here was the best part. This comes from the little comment bar from the side of the article:

TIPS FOR STAYING COOL

The Internet offers dozens of tips for surviving the summer without air conditioning. Among them: Sleep in wet socks. Position a fan to blow at you across a pan of ice. Suck on a mint. Eat spicy foods. Try yoga.
Energy efficiency experts, however, say your best bet is to weather-proof your home. Here's how:
• Install ceiling fans. They can cool a room by several degrees, for just pennies a day. Box fans work well, too.
• Use a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature to match your daily routine. Letting the A/C rest while you're out at work can shave as much as 12% from your bill.
• Maintain your air conditioner at peak performance by changing the filters and dusting the coils regularly
• Shade the air conditioner's outside condenser. This will improve its efficiency.
• Caulk around windows and weather-strip doors to prevent cool air from leaking out. A $3 tube of caulk can make a big difference.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use less energy and give off less heat. Over the life of one bulb, you'll save about $25.
• Use window curtains or shades to keep out the sun during the heat of the day
• Insulate your attic. Otherwise, the sun's heat beating down on your roof will penetrate the house.
• Cook on an outdoor grill or in an electric crock pot to avoid using the oven.
Sources: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; Lowe's Home Improvement Stores; Xcel Energy.

Al

The Lakeland Revival - 'Battle Royal...'

Hi guys,

I haven't written about this at all. And tonight, I was inspired to finally crack open the vault a bit.

It's wild - we've been here over a year now. July 3 was one year.

Anyhow...

The 'Lakeland' Revival started not too long after we got down here. Well, I guess it's only been going for a couple months now.

The funny thing is - people from Oregon are asking us about this thing. That means - it's SO big, that it's spread across the U.S. In fact, people from all over the world are actually flying here (to Lakeland) to be a part of this revival. A person, whom I just won an ebay item from, included a note about it in her shipment to me. WOW!


The part that cracks me up is - we've never even gone to the thing. Why does it start, right here in Lakeland, after we arrive? It's odd. It makes no sense. I'm not claiming any part of it, not at all. It has nothing, at all, to do with me or us - it's just strange that it would happen here.


I don't know which side of the camp you sit on, as far as this revival goes - if you're thinking it's the next 'Big Thing' from God, then you'll definitely want to take a look at some of these thoughts:
Lakeland Revival Comments


Hopefully, just maybe, it'll make you think about the situation a little bit.



Al

The #1 bicycling town in North America... in FLORIDA???

Well, this one doesn't come as that much of a shock to me.

One thing I can tell you ...

It's NOT Lakeland Florida!


© Danita Delimont / Alamy

First American city to receive a Platinum Bike Rating from the League of American Bicyclists, this metropolis of 500,000 remains by consensus #1 among North America's bike friendly cities ... Da, Dut, Dut, Dut, DA!!! ... Portland

Unlike Portland, half of the roads don't even have sidewalks here. That wouldn't be too bad, if there were bike lanes. BUT - instead, they have 12 inch tall grass growing on the sides of their roads. And the sidewalks they do have meander back and forth, in and out - so that you never can just ride in a nice, straight line.



In fact, there was a terrible story right out of south Lakeland in the Ledger the other day, about some 70 year old guy who was hit by some idiot with a bat, while riding along the street.

Gotta love FLORIDA - it's the greatest place on earth. HA!

Al

The new job - an interesting company...

Hey ...

It's been awhile, but there's good reason for it.

We had some crazy South African's over here staying at our place for about 3 weeks. And then we've been trying to recover over the last few days.

We'll put up more about that a little later.

But, a few of you have been asking about my new job. So I wanted to give a little run-down for you.

The funny thing is - it's not the same product as I used to sell - however we do sell to some of the same companies as I used to sell to. In fact, one of my old customers at Komatsu, is now a customer here - at my new company. Which is quite strange.

Anyhow, I am learning a tremendous amount about fluid systems, and piping, and tubing, and other things along those lines. It's very MANLY type stuff, which I know nothing about. Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to become ... Tim 'the-tool-man' Taylor here at work.

Here's an article about one of the projects they're involved in supplying.
Hydrogen House

Picture - David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

You can see the logo in one of the pictures. It's a pretty high-quality company. The do a lot of cool stuff.

I'll talk more about it later, but I don't want to mention too many names, so I can protect the innocent.

Talk soon,

Al