stargeek
Online Shopper: Bad Fit? Bad Color? Good RiddanceOnline Shopper: Bad Fit? Bad Color? Good
|
 The Linus
Pauling Institute at Oregon State University has a site with
useful information about 'micronutrients': vitamins, minerals, other
nutrients (like Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Co-enzyme Q10),
phytochemicals (trace chemicals in various plants), and the foods that
contain all these nutrients. For each nutrient, you can learn its
impact on the body, diseases it can help prevent or treat, where you
can get it, and interactions with other nutrients, foods and drugs.
The
entire database can also be sorted by disease instead of by nutrient.
Pauling was known, of course, for his controversial claim that large
doses of vitamins can prevent the common cold and other diseases. The site is very thorough, quite technical (but still comprehensible), and makes fascinating reading. Thanks to tudogs.com for the link. Speaking of health information, Health Central (the Dr. Dean Edell site) hosts the full (from what I can ascertain) contents of one of my favourite books, The People's Pharmacy. Learn how to make safe, effective treatments from natural, common ingredients that work better than most over-the-counter remedies. Find out which alternative remedies work, which are placebos and which are downright dangerous. |
| One of the kind people who have
been helping me test desktop video software this week is Robin Good,
a veritable alchemist of videoconferencing. I was blown away both by
Robin's deep knowledge of the video tools currently in the market, and
his 'homegrown' applications that integrate and build on the best
features of several of the commercial conferencing apps out there. If
you're looking for high quality, reliable many-to-many
videoconferencing capability at an affordable price, just go directly
to Robin and he'll get you set up right. This guy is really sharp
(though he neither looks nor sounds like what I expected)! Robin has two events coming up that you should check out if you're in the market. Here is more information on them, in Robin's own words: Kolabora Live! Buyer's Review: April 22nd: InstantPresenter vs. C3 Collaborator An ongoing series of live events in which I will personally review multiple real-time collaboration technologies and in which end users will be able to ask and to compare differences and advantages for each tool presented. In each 60-minute Buyer Review I will first introduce the competing technologies I have personally selected and I will offer a “buyer conscious”, concise and benefit-driven analysis of their features, functionalities, key strengths and weaknesses. The remaining time in the event is used for allowing potential buyers and customers attending the event to ask live questions about the tools presented. The questions can be addressed either to me or to one of the elected representative of the technologies showcased. At the end of the Buyers Questions I poll the audience on key feature, traits, marketing and sales issues relating to these products allowing me to gather specific buyers desires, preferences and needs relative to the tools showcased. On the basis of the polled data The Kolabora Buyers’ Pick Award is then assigned to the showcased technology that has been able to stand the toughest test of all: the buyer's mind. Buyer's Pick technology is then showcased on Kolabora until the next Buyer's Review goes live. There is no cost for companies to participate. More info or Sign-up: http://tinyurl.com/3emek Kolabora Live! Monthly Seminar A new unique 75-minute monthly event where I report live (audio/video + slides) on:
. . . . . Robin, Skype guru Stu Henshall, and several others have graciously given me the opportunity to test a variety of desktop video tools, and given me the names and specs of many other tools I have not yet had time to test. Although I will issue a full report when I've finished testing, so far I am quite impressed with SightSpeed's video quality, and I have yet to find anything that matches Skype's audio quality. |
 The
Worldwatch Institute has just released Good Stuff,
a guide for socially and environmentally responsible consumers. Please
read it -- if you're like me, you'll find a lot of information you
didn't know. You can download a .pdf of the entire guide
here.
Following is the essential section: What you can do to ensure you buy
more Good Stuff and less Bad Stuff. Unlike the .pdf, this will fit on
your refrigerator (alongside the Boycott
List):Appliances, Lighting, Electricity: When buying new appliances, look for energy and water efficiency labels and consider models that use less water, detergent, and other resources. Keep your appliances clean and in good working order, to help them run more efficiently. Check the age and condition of your major appliances—especially the refrigerator. Replace it with a more energy-efficient model before it dies. Use low-mercury compact flourescent light bulbs. Use local lights instead of general ceiling lighting. Switch your home to green power through your local utility or a green power marketer, or by buying Renewable Energy Credits, also known as Tradable Renewable Certificates or Green Tags -- but make sure your Green Power is Certified by Green-e or TerraChoice. Turn appliances, lights and electronics completely off after use. Educate your work place, school, church to do likewise. Baby Products: If you're expecting a baby or planning on breastfeeding, minimize your exposure to pesticides, paints, heavy metals, and other toxins. When changing a diaper, use soaps without strong fragrances, colorings, or detergents. Avoid commercial baby wipes. Use biodegradable diapers or reusable cloth diapers. Avoid PVC and plastic baby toys (illegal in Europe because of toxins released when they're chewed). Buy sleepers made from organic cotton, toys made from non-dyed wood, and baby soaps made without synthetic ingredients. Use organic baby food. Get your baby outdoors and exposed to pets so she builds up natural immunity. Beverages and Foods: Refill your water bottle at the tap rather than buying a new one. Buy large size containers rather than single serving sizes. Buy refillable rather than recyclable bottles. Don't buy non-recyclables. Recycle. Organize a recycling program at work. Lobby for mandatory refillable and deposit-return recycling in your state. Avoid low-nutrition, high-fat junk foods, and takeout foods in non-recyclable containers. Stock up on healthy snacks. Get to know local farmers who raise sustainable and organic meat and other products in your area or buy them at your local health food store or farmer's market. Cut back on your meat consumption. Learn more about the factory farm issue. Invite friends over for a locally grown, sustainable meal. And don't buy or eat shrimp: Shrimp fishing is the world's main cause of discarded-catch waste (unwanted sea animals caught in shrimp nets and discarded back into the sea dead) and of deforestation for seafood farms. Building Materials: Use “green” building products, such as less-toxic and recycled paints or wood that has been reclaimed or sustainably harvested. Use materials and processes that last. When renovating or doing home maintenance, avoid exposing your family, neighbors, or pets to lead-based paint hazards. Test for lead residues, keep surfaces clean of dust and chips, and if necessary hire a person skilled in correcting lead problems. Avoid alkyds, oils, and other paints with VOCs (carcinogenous hydrocarbons). Cars: Walk, bike, or take public transportation whenever possible. Encourage your local community to invest in bike lanes, stoplights that favor cyclists, and bike safety. Combine several trips into one. Keep your vehicle well-maintained. Fix oil leaks. Join a carpool or car-sharing club. Buy a hybrid vehicle. Chocolate & Coffee: Most chocolate and coffee production endangers forests, exploits local farmers, and uses toxic and illegal pesticides. Full-sun coffee plantations also reduce bird biodiversity and use more chemicals. Buy only chocolate and coffee that carries a “fair trade” label and that is organic and, in the case of coffee, shade-grown ('bird-friendly'). Encourage your favourite stores to carry and feature such products. Cleaning & Health Products: Use safe, simple ingredients: Soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax, and a coarse scrubbing sponge can take care of most household cleaning needs. Use baking soda followed by vinegar instead of drain cleaner. Use vinegar and water to clean glass, baking soda or cornstarch to deodorize carpet, lemon juice & salt on mildew and mold, baking soda & salt paste as oven cleaner. Use only biodegradable and children-and-pet-safe cleaners, and educate friends and neighbours to do the same. Don't buy thermometers with mercury in them. Computers and Cell Phones: Use an earpiece to avoid holding the cellphone handset too close to your head, and limit use by children. Lobby for less toxic designs and recycling programs. Use energy-efficient computers, and upgrade instead of replacing. Donate old computers to charities or refurbishers. Boycott companies that send computer garbage to third-world countries. Furniture: Opt for second-hand furniture to save trees and reduce landfills. Look for the FSC (certified sustainable-forest wood) label on all wood products you buy. Making your own furniture, using recycled or salvaged wood products. When buying foam-filled furniture, including mattresses, ensure only wool batting and other natural flame-retardant chemicals were used in their manufacture. Boycott teak and other endangered wood species. Jewelry: Demand an alternative to 'dirty gold' and 'blood diamonds' that are produced at the expense of communities, workers, and the environment. Buy recycled or vintage gold. Music & Video: Download instead of buying. Buy used. Borrow. Share, trade, donate unwanted disks. Paper and Plastic: Buy paper with at least 30 percent postconsumer recycled content, and encourage your school or workplace to do the same. Seek out nonwood paper alternatives made from kenaf, cotton, or other fibers. Many “agrifibers” yield more pulp-per-acre than forests or tree farms, and they require fewer pesticides and herbicides. Lobby for legislation requiring manufacturers to take back the packaging waste from their products. Don't print out your e-mails. Don't use plastic bags. Avoid plastic containers and products with vinyl (they have the number '3' embossed inside the recycling symbol). Don't burn garbage or yard waste. Personal Care Products: Buy, and ask your favourite stores to stock, products with organic contents, certified animal-freindly (leaping bunny logo pictured above). Avoid using products labeled “antibacterial.” Choose products with the smallest numbers of listed ingredients, avoiding entirely products that contain phthalates, detergents, and antimicrobial agents like triclosan. Avoid overpackaged and non-recyclable-packaged products. Bottom Line: Buy durable, buy local, buy used, buy reusable, buy recycled, buy certified, buy energy-efficient, buy non-toxic, and buy less. About Labels: There are many labels that claim the products are 'green', 'cruelty-free', 'all-organic' etc. Use caution with these claims. Only a few, like the 5 pictured above, are actually independently certified to meaningful published standards. If you want to know more about certification, see the excellent guide to eco-labels maintained by Consumer Reports. It tells you how meaningful each claim is, and who (if anyone) independently verifies it. (Updates to the Boycott List: I really regret having bought a Dell. Manufactured, shoddily, in Singapore, serviced from India, dreadful 'customer care'. Add Dell to your boycott list. And we've switched foods for our dog Chelsea -- to a high-protein, low-fat Canadian veterinarian-certified dog food, |
 Last winter
I
wrote
about the growth of Internet Radio, and many of you told me about your
favourite online music sources. As a result, I've started listening
quite regularly while I work, enough to have assembled a small list of
favourite stations and tools:Favourite rock music station: Rock Chicks Radio - 128kbps Stereo - All the great women of rock, and interactive: you can get them to add your favourite singer & song to the rotating playlist of about 300 songs, send 'dedications' that will come up everytime your favourite song is played, and vote on songs and increase the amount of play they get. Favourite African music station: Pan-African All-Stars Radio - 64kbps Stereo - I love modern African music, especially West/Central African soukous. This station plays a great variety from throughout the continent, and they have a very informative website as well. Favourite Latin American music station: SalsaStream - 96kbps Stereo - Readers know I'm taking Salsa dance lessons (coming very slowly, by the way, but great fun). But I've loved Latin American music for years, and this site has great sound and lots of variety. Favourite folk music station: Omzig Kicks Ass - 64kbps Mono - Scroll down the list until you find 'Omzig'. As much as I like Hober Radio, this one's at least as good. Great mix of old and modern folk. Favourite eclectic mix music station: Radio Paradise - 64kbps Mono - This station bills itself as an 'intelligent music' station and plays a wide variety of consistently high-quality, often little-know and rarely-heard music. Favourite classical music station: InLiv e Katharsis - 128kbps Stereo - Scroll down the list until you find 'Katharsis' (not a 24-hour station so if you don't see it, it's off-air). This is a tough choice, since there are some excellent alternatives from France, Switzerland and Russia. But this station, surprisingly from South Korea, has excellent sound and plays not only an excellent selection of music from Medieval to Contemporary Classical, but seems to pick the best possible performances of each composition. When it's off-air I listen to MagnaTune all-indie-performers' Shoutcast Classical Radio station. Most unusual station: Radio KanKan - 24kbps Mono - The country of Guinée in West Africa is one of the least-known in the world, but a source of great music (including some amazing electric/tribal instrument fusions). This station and its site play a lot of music and also take a courageous stand against it's government's corruption. Some fascinating local stories, that tell you more about the people of this land, caught between the indigenous, French colonial and Arabic cultures, than you'll ever get in a book. They're also nuts about football (soccer). In French. Favourite Internet Radio Directory/Player: ShoutCast with BOOMBox. The BOOMBox player is free to download. Access to hundreds of Internet Radio stations (including all of the above), which you can listen to with one click (no need to go through the station's website). Very comprehensive list of stations, and well-maintained. Uses ShoutCast as its streaming system and works best with the sister WinAmp player (which is also free online). Set up your own favourites list and then browse through your favourites with one-click.. Identifies the selection currently playing as you browse. Also one-click recording capability. No annoying ads. I'll never go back to Netscape Radio or Yahoo Radio. If you can't find what you're looking for in the BOOMBox list, the ShoutCast page has more detailed listings and info on the available stations, as well as popularity ratings and one-glance look at what's now playing on all the stations on a particular genre. Sure beats the hell out of ClearChannel. Check 'em out, tell me what you think, and what your favourites are. |
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