If you're interviewing for a high-level finance job and you bring up the word, "redneck," you might have taken the wrong path. (No, I did not do this.)
Better to be Intense and Flashy or Relaxed and Steady?
Have you seen this commercial featuring two fighters with very different styles?
I think it's funny and noteworthy because this happens in real life, in fights, in sports, and in our lives. My favorite MMA fight ever is a real-life example of what happens in the commercial. Look at the following video of Aleksander Emelianenko vs. James Thompson. (This is a Russian version, but it's nice because it's not abbreviated. If you're bored, start watching at the four minute mark. You will get the point.)
The point is that it's often better to be relaxed than intense or
flashy. And, it is even possible to pick winners of fights this way.
After the second presidential debate, I quickly flipped through the major networks’ (and news channels’) coverage of the debate. I was happy to see a great deal of discussion about the fact or fiction of the debate. Many channels aired specific segments dedicated to this type of analysis.
Some of their websites further discuss facts and fictions. You may want to read or watch:
Various websites now exist to help you find the truth about candidates, issues, and elections. These are objective sources, which separate fact from fiction.
One of the first such sites was FactCheck.org, a service of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
Journalists have joined them. CNN presents Fact Check. The St. Petersburg Times offers Politifact, and Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post has The Fact Checker.
You may also check out On the Issues, which allows you to search for candidates and specific issues to learn more about where they stand.
Here is a fascinating article from Time Magazine about offices with open floor-plans (or those without walls between the desks).
I have worked in both types of offices, including one job where we moved from an office with an open plan to an office with separate office rooms. It always seemed like the open office was better for socializing and camaraderie. And, I always thought that I worked more efficiently in my own room; although, sometimes I did feel isolated.
According to the research, however, the open office is associated with higher levels of stress, dissatisfaction, and poor co-worker relations. I suppose the tradeoff that open offices are louder and more distracting is obvious. But, the open office may not actually be better for employee interactions either, because people are afraid to say things that they know everyone else will hear.
Check out the article. Comment. Which type of office do you prefer? Do you wear headphones when you work?
Here's an interesting article from Governing. It illustrates why it can be a bad idea for governments to institute across-the-board budget cuts. We also learn why cutting tax collectors actually costs more than it saves.
Red sky at night: sailor’s delight…Red sky in the morning: sailors take warning
This is the second saying from the list below that is more than just an old wives’ tale. The rhyme is actually based upon facts and science.
The sun’s rays are broken up by moisture and dust in the atmosphere. The red color means that the sky is filled with more of these particles.
Because weather systems typically move from the west to the east, the red color often tells a story. When the sky is red at sunset, the sun is typically shining on dust particles, which imply that stable, high-pressure air is coming in from the west. A red sky in the morning typically occurs when the sun’s rays are cast on storm clouds moving in from the west.
Does warm water really freeze faster than cold water?
As promised last week, here is the first of two old wives tales that are factual: Hot water can and frequently does freeze faster than colder water. This phenomenon has been discussed for centuries; although, it wasn’t until 1969 that a Tanzanian high school student introduced it to the scientific community. For his troubles, the phenomenon was named the “Mpemba Effect” after the student.
Since then, physicists have verified that hot water often freezes more quickly than cold water. Scientists have not been able to definitively explain why this happens, but a few phenomena are thought to contribute to the effect:
Evaporation—Hot water evaporates faster than cold water and brings away steam (water), thereby reducing the amount of liquid to be cooled. Less ice is created, but it is made at a faster rate. This can only be a partial explanation, however, because studies of completely enclosed containers have also exhibited the Mpemba effect.
Convection—As the water cools, its temperature does not remain uniform throughout. The swirling around of the hotter and cooler sections may contribute to faster cooling.
Dissolved Gases—Hot water holds fewer amounts of dissolved gases than cold water. These gases may prevent convection or change the temperature necessary to freeze the liquid.
Container and Surroundings—The container in which the water is held, as well as the surface or the surroundings in which it is placed, may also affect the cooling process differently at different temperatures.
Interesting fact: Many ice cream makers use warm milk to take advantage of the Mpemba effect.
Another interesting fact: Cecil Adams of the Straight Dope basically got this one wrong!
For your entertainment, here is a list of old wives tales and superstitions. People have actually believed each of these statements, but virtually all of them are fiction.
Exactly two of them are based upon facts and science. Can you tell which two?
If a teen has acne, it means that he or she is sexually active.
If you eat cabbage, you will grow large breasts.
If you eat spinach, you will become as strong as Popeye.
Wearing green to a wedding is bad luck.
If you give knives as a gift, then you should include a coin or the relationship will be severed.
If you see a penny pick it up, and all day long you will have good luck.
Only a coin with the head side up is good luck.
A bird that flies into your house or dies by flying into your window signals impending death.
It’s bad luck to put a hat on a bed.
Don’t get up on the wrong side of the bed; always use the same side to get in and out.
If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck.
If your nose itches, then company is coming.
If you drop a knife, then a man will come to visit.
If you drop a fork, then a woman will come to visit.
Hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Thunderstorms spoil milk.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Feed a cold; starve a fever.
Don’t feed milk to a child with a cold, because it will help create more phlegm.
Tickling children will cause them to stutter.
Rub a stick of butter on a burn to help it heal.
Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.
If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
You can find a much longer list of old wives tales and superstitions here.
Remember the Seinfeld episode where George found out that his tonsils had grown back? (The 1991 episode was called, "The Heart Attack". Here's a clip.)
But, can tonsils really grow back after they have been removed? This article has the answer.
