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How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days)

• Sep 19, 2010 from timferriss in Lifestyle
  Ruh-roh. (Photo: Toby Otter)
  Following our Paleolithic ancestors, our Neolithic ancestors lost an average of six inches in height. Most people now have those last 5-10 pounds that seem impossible lose. The causes for both, surprisingly, may be the same.
  Robb Wolf can explain. Robb, a former research biochemist, has functioned as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism and is co-owner of NorCal Strength & Conditioning, one of the Mens Health top 30 gyms in America. Hes also a former California State Powerlifting Champion with a competition 565 lb. squat, 345 lb. bench, 565 lb. deadlift
  I have known of Robb for several years, but I only met him through a friend a week ago. Several weeks earlier, that same friend had sent me a copy of Robbs book, The Paleo Solution, which I ended up devouring in a few sittings. The chapters on digestion and improving digestion where particularly fascinating to me, and, for that reason, this post is a book excerpt. It details a particular problem and specific solutions. Enjoy.
  Enter Robb Wolf.
  A Common Problem
  Below I describe several people who at first glance appear different, but in fact they all share a common problem. They had significant health issues with no apparent cause or solution and assumed they had no treatment options, as their doctors were stumped and could offer few solutions.
  For you, this chapter may represent the missing link in your quest for improved performance and health.
  Alex, Age Five
  I first learned of Alex from my friend Kelly. She related a story of a little boy who was very sick, underweight, and suffering from constant digestive problems. If you like kids and other small, scurrying critters, Alexs features and symptoms were literally heartbreaking. He had painfully skinny arms and legs, attached seemingly at random to a torso dominated by a prominently distended belly. At night Alex thrashed and turned in his bed, wracked by diffuse pain in his arms, legs and, especially, his belly. Alex had severe lethargy and a failure to thrive. His doctors ran extensive tests but found nothing conclusive. They recommended a bland diet of toast, rice puddings, and yogurt, but with no benefit to the little guy.
  Kelly contacted me on behalf of the family and asked if I had any ideas that might help Alex. I made a few specific recommendations, which the parents enacted immediately. Within ten days, Alexs perpetually distended belly was flat and normal. He gained six pounds in a little over two weeks and was noticeably more muscular in the arms and legs. His sleep shifted from the thrashing, restless bouts that left him listless and tired, to the sleep all kids should have: restful, unbroken, and filled with dreams. Alexs energy improved to such a degree that the other kids and parents could hardly imagine he was the same kid. He was healthy and happy, all because of a simple adjustment he and his family made to his eating.
  Sally, Age Sixty-One
  Sally was referred to us by her family physician. Sallys doctor had worked with her on a variety of issues: low thyroid, osteoporosis, gall bladder problems, depression, and high blood pressure. It was an impressive and ever-growing list of ailments that both Sally and her doctor attributed to normal aging. Her doc was pretty forward thinking, however, in that she recommended that Sally perform weight bearing exercise to help slow the progression of the osteoporosis and muscle wasting that been accelerating in the past four to five years.
  When this recommendation brought Sally to us, she was a bit reluctant to get started with a strength-training program and was very reluctant to modify or change her nutrition. We were gentle but persistent.
  Our recommendations focused on specific changes to her nutrition and lifestyle. Within two months Sally was off her thyroid medications, her gall bladder issues were gone, she was four pants sizes smaller, while her symptoms of depression had disappeared. After six months of training with us and following our nutrition recommendations, it was discovered that she was no longer osteoporotic.
  Of all the improvements, Sallys doctor was most impressed with the increased bone density. She asked Sally what she had modified to affect this change. When Sally told her doctor how she had changed her nutrition, her doctor pondered things for a moment, then said, Well, it must be something else! Food cant do all that.
  Jorge, Age Forty
  Jorge started working with us primarily to lose weight. At five feet nine inches and 325 pounds, Jorge was heading down a path of significant illness stemming from type 2 diabetes and obesity. Compounding Jorges situation was a condition neither he nor his doctors could figure out. Nearly every time Jorge ate, he would break out in a rash and his tongue would swell. Like really swell. Jorge had to keep an epi-pen on his person at all times, similar to someone who has a severe allergy to bee stings or peanuts.
  Jorge is a practicing...

The Way of the Dodo How to Sell 10,000 iPad Cases at $60 Each (and Others Lessons Learned)

• Jul 19, 2010 from timferriss in Lifestyle
  DODOcase, one of more than 1,000 businesses created in the last six months, has sold more than 10,000 units at $60 each.
  From todays New York Times coverage of the Shopify/4-Hour Workweek build-a-business competition that just ended:
  To encourage early, positive buzz among Apple iPad buyers, Mr. Dalton [of DODOcase] hired street teams via Craigslist to hang out with Apple fanboys, while they waited on line for hours, maybe even days, outside of Apple retail stores for a chance to buy the first edition iPad. The street teams, he said, hit Apple store locations in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
  DODOcase also scored favorable reviews with the tech blogs Engadget and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Some endorsements came unsolicited from high profile customers; on July 14, Evan Williams, chief executive of Twitter, posted a DODOcase endorsement on his Twitter feed: Got my Dodocase. Sweet.
  The company, which plans to continue manufacturing its product and creating jobs in San Francisco, received more than 10,000 orders within a few months of the iPads debut
  The DODOcase costs around $60, so you can do the math. Amazing.
  This post will cover how it all happened
  In December 2009, I published a post titled No More Excuses How to Make an Extra $100,000 in the Next 6 Months, announcing a $100,000+ bribe intended to solve a problem: inertia. Perhaps a better translation: temptation to remain in comfortable routine.
  The Shopify build-a-business competition was a financial carrot for anyone whod dreamed of starting a business but hadnt taken the jump. Each person had six months to build a business, and their two highest-grossing consecutive months would be matched against everyone else.
  The competition just ended on June 30th. So what happened?
  This post will cover the overall results and focus on the winners: their lessons learned, marketing tipping points, mistakes, and much more. First, some stats:
  Revenue PER HOUR for the duration of the contest (180 days): $696.38
  Total number of people competing: 1,819
  Total number of orders placed: 66,503
  Below is a sweet infographic that shows some of the highlights and a few other fun numbers (full-size here):
  
  Click here for a gorgeous full-size view.
  The Prize Winners and Analysis of Successes
  I use the term prize winners because more than 500 viable businesses were created by you all, and I consider all of you winners (including those who participated but didnt get this first attempt quite right).
  For prize winners, here are the category and overall winners:
  $5,000 Top Apparel Store: Nashville Flood Tees (www.nashvillefloodtees.com)
  $5,000 Top Digital Good: Buy Mafia (www.buymafia.com)
  $5,000 Top Miscellaneous: Grove (www.grovemade.com)
  $5,000 Top Electronics Store: Vaporizers.com (www.vaporizers.com)
  $100,000 Overall Top Store: DODOCase (www.dodocase.com)
  In that order, I asked all of them the following questions:
  1) How did you decide on your product? What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
  2) What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or a-ha moments? How did the tipping points happen?
  3) What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
  4) Key manufacturing and marketing lessons learned?
  5) If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
  6) Whats next?
  Here are their answers.
  Lessons Learned: From Manufacturing to Marketing
  NASHVILLE FLOOD TEES
  Nashville Flood Tees is a group of artists and designers utilizing their talents to help the victims of the recent flooding in Nashville and the Middle TN area. We sell T-shirts for adults and children, with all of the profits going towards local charities.
  Nashville Flood Tees was the brainchild of graphic designer Susannah Parrish, of texaSUS design, who posted 2 tshirt designs on Facebook. What was intended to be a modest project, turned into a viral marketing explosion- over 25,000 Facebook fans amassed within two days.
  As it became clear this couldnt be just a couple hundred tshirts printed in her basement, Susannah teamed up with Josh and Bethany Newman of ST8MNT design, a graphic design firm, to create an online store and additional designs. Josh and Bethany were able to get a Shopify store up and running within 2 days.
  Render Apparel, a custom apparel company, joined the team to produce the product. The online store sold 800 shirts the first hour it went live. Its been estimated that over $200,000 has been raised for the charities, of which $120,000 that has already been given to the charities.
  1) How did you decide on your product? What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
  
  T-shirts seemed to be the perfect mix of raising money, as well as promoting the cause in the marketplace and giving the consumer sense if empowerment and ownership.
  2) What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or a-ha moments? How did the tipping points happen?
  
  The tipping point was Facebook. There are now 36,970 fans. Google stats show online...

KORG DS-10 Synthesizer

• Oct 11, 2010 from epakapong(Peter) in Technology
  KORG DS-10 Synthesizer
  
  
  List Price: USD 19.99Lowest Used Price: USD 15.00Lowest New Price: USD 38.46Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.
  
  Binding: Video Game
  Manufacturer: Xseed
  
  
  Product Description:The KORG DS-10 is music-creation software for the Nintendo DS that combines the superior interface of the Nintendo DS with the functionality of the famous MS-10 synthesizer. The sound sources in the KORG DS-10 come from KORG - one of the world's top musical instrument producers - and no effort was spared in creating these ultra-high-quality sounds. The Nintendo DS Touch Screen controls are used to the fullest to provide unsurpassed feel and operability. This innovative musical tool is perfect for aspiring musicians and professionals alike.In addition to the two analog synth simulators and drum module, a 6-track/16-step sequencer enables precise control and provides a wide range of musical possibilities. Up to eight units can be connected and played together through a wireless link, and this and other features make the Nintendo DS and KORG DS-10 almost limitless in their application - they can take you places that no single synthesizer can.Amazon.com Product Description:Whether you are just looking for fun on the run, or a way to work out your next hit song, the KORG DS-10 Synthesizer for Nintendo DS could be your newest best companion. The DS-10 combines the superior interface of the Nintendo DS with the design concept of the famous KORG MS-10 synthesizer to bring you portable music-creation software without rival. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.vgoverview { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; } KORG DS-10 Synthesizer brings portable music creation to the Nintendo DS. Various sound textures are made possible by implementing the two VCO's, three filter types, and more. Notes that you perform can be recorded in the sequencer, allowing for further editing. A Professional-Grade Synthesizer in the Palm of Your Hand The ultra high-quality sound sources for the DS-10 come from KORG, maker of some of the world's finest musical instruments. Korg spared no effort in creating this ultra-portable yet powerful and easy-to-use music software with tons of the latest features-- and all with the unique accessibility of the Nintendo DS touch screen. The KORG DS-10 Synthesizer gives you the choice of sculpting your own unique sounds with expansive on-screen controls, or starting from a preset template. With two dual oscillator synth parts and four synth/drum parts, users can create synth and drum lines using the on-screen touch keyboard and drum pads, or engage the elegant six-track, 16-step sequencer. With powerful features such as KORG's KAOSS technology, users can add custom modulations in real-time, tighten the mix with a full-featured mixer, polish their grooves with multiple effects, and create complete songs that they can save on the spot. The DS-10 features a chorus, flanger, and delay parameter that can be applied individually to each synth or the drum machine, either individually or as a whole. In addition, each of the editable drum sounds can have a separate effect added to it. Various sound textures are made possible by implementing the two VCO's, three filter types, and more, while notes can be recorded in the sequencer, allowing for further editing. This broad functionality, combined with patching functionality, makes the DS-10 suited to even the most avid sound designers. Intuitive and Easy Use The sounds made by each of the two analogue synthesizer emulators are modified using virtual knobs, and users can patch particular parameters for further modification. The user interface is mainly through the DS's touch screen. Notes can be played using a two-octave keyboard, or through an interface that detects the X and Y position of the stylus on the touch pad, simulating a KORG KAOSS Pad. The Nintendo DS's dual-screen touch panel is used to the fullest to provide a feel and operability that is unsurpassed. Although there are many expert-level features available with synthesizer, the DS-10 can be appreciated by the complete novice as well as the seasoned professional. Music Without Limits The KORG DS-10 Synthesizer offers two types of wireless play in Multi-player and Data Exchange modes. Up to eight separate Nintendo DS...

Texas Energy Deregulation Drives Innovation And Is The Model for Other States to Follow (Part 2)

• Sep 26, 2010 from powersaverusa(Dave Overholser) in Business
  
  How Deregulation Drives Innovation
  Throughout the country, more and more people are demanding more and more electrical power. However, state regulated markets generally lack agility to meet this challenge that comes with rapid growth. Because the state manages, regulates, and sets the price of electricity, building new power improvements is a slow, bureaucratic process. Power utilities must negotiate with state regulators to build both build new generation and develop new transmission routes and then wrestle with the means of how to pass the expense on to consumers who are also state taxpayers. Naturally, regulated states are very cautious with how they spend public money. Consequently, improvements and innovations are developed so cautiously that they are often technologically out of date when they are deployed for use. Likewise, generating companies have little incentive to cut costs, invest in new technologies or best practices, or improve energy efficiency because they have a monopoly. They are guaranteed a profit no matter what.
  However, in deregulated states, competition has been the answer to the problem of growth and expanding power demand. Competition removes the publics financial risk for the investment and profitability of electrical generating plants and transfers it to private investors. When customers have a choice between rival competitors in an industry, the one that succeeds is the one that gives their customers what they want for the lowest price. Consequently, investors can effectively motivate their generating companies to cut costs by investing in new technologies, adopting best practices, and improving energy efficiency.
  Market competition has been the key feature in Texas electricity deregulation since it began the process in the late 1990s. Already the second largest population in America, Texas is still among the fastest growing states and is expected to have 50 million by 2040. The Electricity Reliability Commission of Texas (ERCOT) has estimated that peak demand for Texas electricity increased at an annual rate of 2.5% from 1990 to 2006 and will experience similarly high annual growth, requiring between 60,000 and 80,000 MW of new electricity generation capacity by 2030.
  Several important improvements to Texas electrical grid have now been put in place by ERCOT because of deregulation. Beginning in 1995 with its wholesale market, ERCOT consolidated 10 different control centers into one central location, increased staff and resources, created new transmission pricing and interconnection policies, developed statewide planning expertise, and produced detailed annual reports identifying transmission constraints and needs throughout Texas. This reorganization streamlined policies and eliminated bottlenecks in the transmission and distribution network. One of the effects was transmission rates became so-called postage-stamp rates, meaning that generating companies pay the same rate throughout the region, no matter how far the electricity must travel. With ERCOT as the central clearinghouse, transmission companies can rely on one organization with one price.
  In terms of poles and wires, $5.8 billion has been invested in the transmission grid since 1999. Much of this has been in upgrading the carrying capacity of 69,000 volt lines (69 KV) to 138,000 volt lines (138 KV). Since 2008, ERCOT Transmission Service Providers (TSPs) completed numerous improvement projects affecting approximately 1,137 circuit miles of transmission. In 2013 alone, an estimated 2800 circuit miles of additional 345 kv lines are planned. To meet further growing electricity needs, other major projects are being considered through years 2010 through 2015 and beyond, with an estimated cost of over $8.8 billion.
  Power generation also benefited from the change to market deregulation. Between the years of 1990 to 1997, only 6 gigawatts (GW; 1 GW= 1,000 megawatts) of electrical generating capacity had been added to the ERCOT system. With the introduction of wholesale completion in 1998 and continuing through 2008, 36 GW of electrical generating capacity was added with 6.4 GW (most of it green) added in 2008 alone. This is a clear sign of the amount of investment in improved generation capacity brought to Texas. Most investment in new generation capacity was in energy efficient generating technologies, such as low-polluting combined-cycle natural gas systems. Coal, the traditional fuel for power generation, is also improving its ecological footprint. Clean coal generation technologies now offer innovations that cut carbon emissions through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
  The biggest developments are in wind power. Long thought an environmentalist pipedream in past regulated markets, Texas now leads the US in wind energy with more operational wind turbines than Iowa and California combined. In fact, on February 28, 2010, wind generators delivered a record 6,242 megawatts of power to Dallas, Austin and other...

5 Hotly Anticipated Social Gaming Experiences

• Oct 02, 2010 from mashable(Mashable) in Technology
  Web-based social games like FarmVille have long been integrated with social networks and loaded with tools to help people share experiences with their friends. But you know those triple-A console games you play in your living room? This year, theyve caught the social bug too.Each year, a bulk of the new games for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 arrive in the fall season just in time for the holidays or right afterward.And this year, social is the big trend. So if youre looking for innovative new ways to play games with your friends, check out this list of five titles that are hitting store shelves in the next few months.Once youve absorbed our list, feel free to share your most anticipated social gaming experiences in the comments below.1. LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)Even though LittleBigPlanet 2 is a sequel, it doesnt just rehash the ideas in the first game. The focus is still on creating fun levels and playgrounds then sharing them with your friends, and yes, you can still browse those levels with tags and rate them as if they were YouTube videos. Yes, you can play through any level or create any level with your friends over the PlayStation Network.But LittleBigPlanet 2s level creation and sharing tools are leaps and bounds beyond those of its predecessor. First off, you can work with your friends to create entire games, not just levels. You can splice levels together into a sequence to create a campaign, and you can use new tools to create whole new game types besides the platform-jumping style introduced in the first LittleBigPlanet. You can even create cutscenes that tell a story. And all of this can be done with help from a friend.Developer Media Molecule has set up a social network of sorts for the game, and it includes Facebook-like activity feeds. When your friends create new levels or rate ones theyve found, youll see it in your news feed. Its nothing new to web users, but in video games it looks like it has the potential to be the wave of the future.Take a look at our hands-on LittleBigPlanet 2 preview from the E3 video games conference this past summer if you want to learn more.Availability: January 18, 20112. Def Jam Rapstar (PS3, 360, Wii)The music game emerged as one of the most popular genres a few years ago, thanks in no small part to Guitar Hero, but some types of music have evaded the trend. Hip Hop is unfortunately one of them; only one Hip Hop music game has come so far, and it was reviled by critics.When working on Def Jam Rapstar, 4mm Games VP Paul Coyne said his team used that previous game as the architectural model of how not to do a hip hop game. So exactly how are they planning to do it right? By building the entire experience around strikingly innovative social features.You can do the traditional music game thing if you want that is, duel your friends in rap battles with two mics and one television but Def Jam Rapstar makes our list because of the YouTube-like social network connected to it.The game gives you the tools you need to record rap music videos with yourself as the main performer, and you dont even have to perform the songs included with the game. Rather, youre encouraged to create your own beats and rhymes, and post them to the social network for your friends to see. They can then rate them or share them on Facebook, and even record their own rap responses.Thats where rap battles come in. Winners of battles gain badges similar to the Xbox 360s achievements or the PlayStation 3s trophies. Rappers who gain a huge following (theres a follow system similar the one found on Twitter) could become featured artists on the network, and the best of the best actually have a shot at winning time in a real music studio with a talented Hip Hop producer.Its enough to make Guitar Hero look totally last-generation. To paraphrase Jay-Z, Yeah, we off that, is you still on that? And we still makin money cause we still on that.Availability: October 5, 20103. Halo: Reach (360)Halo: Reach was just released a few weeks ago, and as expected, the launch went swimmingly for publisher Microsoft and developer Bungie. This is in part because the two companies have gone to great lengths to foster a strong online community of Halo enthusiasts.Halo Reach makes our list because its acclaimed multiplayer modes and tools are simply the best in the business. Advanced matchmaking tools help you find people to play with who not only match your skill level, but your play style and social expectations.Each time you load the games matchmaking tool, youre given the option to adjust your Psych Profile. And you have a lot of choices do you want to talk a lot or stay silent? Play to win or just have fun? Are you a team player or a lone wolf? Plus you can pick your tone, and choose to be polite or rowdy.From any menu, you can press a button to browse friends profiles, your achievements, your appearance options and info from Halo Waypoint, Halos online community portal. You can also view your friends...