Friday, September 30, 2011
How to Smell Like a Celebrity (Cologne) !
The newest Hollywood fragrances, plus the right place to wear each,
Steve Jobs Is Dying for Us All !
No one has ever died the way Steve Jobs is dying. Other people have died of cancer.
Other people have died in the public eye.
Other people may even have died in public installments, their impending demise meted out in a series of statements to interested parties such as employees and shareholders.
But no one has ever died with the inexorable logic of their mortality feeding into a logic of expectation that they themselves made inexorable — that they themselves created and aroused. Other men have had to tell the world that they are dying.
Steve Jobs has to say that he is dying to a world that is dying to know when the iPhone 5 is finally coming out.
This is not to say that we don't love him. This is to say that what we love him for is rewriting the language of technological progress.
Before Steve Jobs, the progress of the machine was understood to be primarily mechanical — to be of the machine itself rather than the people who dreamed it into being.
We were being dragged into the future by Moore's Law, the doubling of computer-chip capacity that repeated itself every two years.
It was miraculous but inhuman, a law of man that had the immutable force of a law of nature, and the man who was its primary beneficiary, Bill Gates, honored it by making miraculously inhuman products.
That ended when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and starting making computers in cool colors as a prelude to making computers that were actually cool.
Henceforth, we weren't going to be dragged into the future by restless and relentless circuitry and a company that depended on antitrust violations; we were going to be led, by a man who knew how to give us a rooting interest in our own progress, who knew how to make progress seem a matter of choice, who knew how to describe progress in the language that we wanted to use all along, which was the language of boyhood.
Of course, it took awhile.
But Steve Jobs usurped the cultural authority of Moore's Law, and with it the idea that technological progress was something that occurred both inevitably and outside ourselves. Progress was inevitable, all right, but because we wanted it — because we, like him, wanted stuff that that was "neat" and "awesome" and "cool."
We can say that Steve Jobs humanized technological progress, that he made it feel like the product of our desires by matching it with our desire for products.
But it's easier to say that he was and will always be the man who gave us back our toys.
Now he has resigned as the chief executive of Apple, with an announcement that eerily echoes the announcements we've come to depend on — an announcement by Steve Jobs of the thing that will be the next thing:
"I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come." "Unfortunately" is the grabber here, because of its finality. Steve Jobs has made a career of raising expectations and then meeting them, of saying "and one more thing" and then unveiling the thing he deems essential.
Well, it is the same here at the end, except that his use of the word "unfortunately" is the "and one more thing" of a dying man.
More than any other purveyor of technological products, Steve Jobs has seemingly translated his soul into machines meant to be immortal even when they are only as eternal as consumerist whim; now, at the very moment when the language of technological immortality is becoming most explicit — when he stands ready to translate himself and his company into "the cloud," with its promise of digital files backed forever by technology that never goes out of date — he is stranded, like Moses, in the land of the body, and its inevitable swift transit.
"And one more thing," he says, except this time there is no iPod or iPhone or iPad or iCloud to follow.
There is only this unspoken plea, as his body changes within its still unvarying uniform of black shirts and blue jeans: I'm dying.
There is always a next thing, in technology.
Steve Jobs has taught us that, trained us to expect and demand it.
There is also always a next thing, in sickness and death.
He is teaching us that, too. Of course, it is a lesson that has been taught just as well by every human being who has ever walked the planet.
But Steve Jobs, who has done more than anyone to make the idea of a "digital life" possible, might have one last lesson for us, by letting us in on his digital death.
The logic of technology has always been offered as an answer to the logic of mortality; as it turns out, it is the same logic — the logic of inexorable advance.
The logic of Moore's Law turns out to have its biological analogue in the logic of cancer, and so it still reigns.
Steve Jobs, in his career at Apple, reminded us that technological progress is but a human invention, subject to human hopes and human dreams and human choice.
In his resignation — terrible and moving both for what it admits and for what it leaves out — he reminds us that technology doesn't answer death so much as it shares its preference for forward motion.
We hope and we dream; maybe we even change the world by getting people to hope and dream that the iPhone 5 will come out in September.
But we don't get to choose much of anything, in the end. We succumb.
esquire.com / By Tom junod
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!
LET THEM EAT CAKE!
Happy 18th Birthday Baby Girl !
12:55 PM, September 30th, 1993...you enterered this world 6 days past your due date, and weighing in at 9 lbs 13 oz!
We should have realized back then, that you would do everything in a BIG way!!
You have the BIGGEST heart of anyone we know, and a smile to match it.
You have accomplished more than we could have ever imagined, and have done it with grace.
No matter what the obstacle, you have climbed the mountain, and cheered at the top.
Everyday you have been a blessing to us, and to all those who know you.
As you enter this new phase in life, adulthood and college, may you enter it in the same way you came into this world 18 years ago...Do it in a BIG way!
God will be walking right along side of you...
We love you baby girl and are so very proud of you!
Mom, Dad, Sissy, Tyler, Toby and Kylee too!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Amazon - The greatest river !
The Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width.
It is one of the longest rivers in the world and, depending upon who you talk to, is anywhere between 6,259km/3,903mi and 6,712km/4,195mi long. le Rivers have been in a tight battle for title of world's longest river. The exact length of th
For the last century the length of the Amazon and the Nie two rivers varies over time and reputable sources disagree as to their actual length.
The Nile River in Africa is reported to be anywhere from at 5,499km/3,437mi to 6,690km/4,180mi long. But there is no question as to which of the two great rivers carries the greater volume of water - the Amazon River.
At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. The area covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the course of a year.
In an average dry season 110,000 square km of land are water-covered, while in the wet season the flooded area of the Amazon Basin rises to 350,000 square km.
When the flood plains and the Amazon River Basin flood during the rainy season the Amazon River can be up to 40km/24.8 mi wide.
Where the Amazon opens at its estuary the river is over 325km/202 mi wide! Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent (approx. 40% landmass), including all the torrential tropical rains that deluge the rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water.
The mouth of the Amazon River, where it meets the sea, is so wide and deep that ocean-going ships have navigated its waters and traveled as far inland as two-thirds the way up the entire length of the river.
So, how did the Amazon get to be so big?
The first reason has to do with its location - right at the equator. Around the "belt line" of the earth lies a warm, tropical zone where over 400 in/1016cm of rain fall every year.
That averages out to more than an inch (3cm) of rain, everyday! A lot of water falls onto the land surrounding the river, what is called the "Amazon River drainage basin".
A good way to understand what a drainage basin is to think of the whole northern half of the continent of South America as a shallow dish, or saucer.
Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into the lowest place in the pan, which happens to be the Amazon River.
The sheer volume of rain in the Amazon jungle, as well as the slope of the surrounding land, combine to create the enormous river known as the Amazon.
Sports-Yacht Adventure !
The Audax 130 combines the perfect layout and accessories for entertaining with striking exterior styling into one sporty megayacht.
Key features include generous forward and aft sun lounges, spacious dining and living areas, and even a water-level garage for recreational “toys.” Hit the jump for more specs!
AUDAX 130 SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 128’-10” (39.27m)
BEAM: 25’-8” (7.82m)
DRAFT : 8’-0” (2.44m)
CABINS: 4 +
CREW HEADS: 5 +
FUEL CAPACITY: 8,000 GALLONS (30,283L)
FRESH WATER CAPACITY: 980 GALLONS (3709.7L)
MAX SPEED: 30 KNOTS (ESTIMATED)
CRUISE SPEED: 21 KNOTS (ESTIMATED)
PROPULSION: TWIN FIXED PITCH
ENGINES: DIESEL / MTU
STABILIZERS: TRAC SYSTEM
Designer: Schopfer Yachts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Odds Have it…How to Evaluate your Infertility by the Numbers by John S. Rinehart, M.D., Ph.D., J.D.
The answer will depend upon how a person views predicting the future. Oh, that again… just when you think you’ve got it figured out, someone changes the rules. Statistics actually provides a method of predicting the future. Not quite as snazzy as a crystal ball, but a lot more accurate. The ‘numbers’ can guide you to the best way to use all of this information that is at your fingertips and actually help yourself.
So how does statistics work? The most common misconception about statistics is that they will tell a person what will happen. Actually, they tell a person what might happen and how likely the event is to happen. Patients frequently ask whether a prediction/statistic applies to them. Yes it does, but that is not what a person wants to know. Most people want to know what will happen to them as an individual. Statistics speak to people as a whole, not the individual. If a physician tells a person that the chance of having an infection or a bleeding complication from an egg retrieval is about 3 in a 1000, that is reassuring…unless of course you are one of the three who had the complication.
Making smart choices in medicine rests upon the use of predictions. A prediction makes a statement, usually in the form of a percent or odds such as one in ten. Both types of predictions require two numbers; numerator and denominator. A percentage is nothing more than one number (numerator) divided by another number (denominator) expressed as a percentage. Unless you know both the numerator AND the denominator, a statistic is meaningless. Knowing the denominator frames your information into likelihood…or not. Think of it as the lottery. 1000’s of people have won a lottery…sounds like a good bet, no? Unless you realize that billions have played. It is the stories that are told, numerator only, that warp the statistics, and often the hopes and dreams of the people reading them. A seemingly great story of a pregnancy that was achieved against all odds seems like it could be YOUR story, until you put it into the context of the number of people who have attempted, and failed, to make it their story as well. Consequently, the horror story bandied around on any given day regarding risks from Infertility or any other procedure, may send its reader running…until/unless that number is put into context (by reporting the denominator as well) and the Unlikelihood of this occurring is realized. The point to remember is that rare events, whether good or bad, are actually predicted by statistics so rather than being wrong they are, in fact, correct.
Statistics allows a person to make a risk-benefit determination. What is my chance of being pregnant from the cycle of IVF versus what is the chance of significant harm from IVF? For example, there is actually a death rate for doing egg retrievals for IVF. It is quite low and perhaps incalculable but some estimates are 5/1,000,000. What most people don’t consider is that there is also a death rate from being pregnant. On any given year in the USA, the death rate varies around 16/100,000 live births. In 2008, the motor vehicle fatalities were 18/ 100,000 registered drivers. Interesting but let’s get back making a smart choice about getting pregnant!
So let’s say that you were just born and had never seen a coin nor bet on a coin toss. A somewhat nefarious fellow shows you only one side of a penny and all you see is Lincoln. He says he’ll flip the coin in the air and he bet’s you a buck that when it lands Lincoln won’t be on the coin. Again, you we just born so being somewhat gullible you think this is a good idea and you bet him the buck. He tosses it and “voila” it’s Lincoln- you win. Bolstered by your success, when he says he’ll make the same bet if you toss it again, you eagerly take the bet. But wait- what is this? A picture of some stupid memorial? Where did that come from? Now he wins and you learn an important principle. The coin has two faces and a smart choice would have been to have inspected the coin to begin with and determined what was on the other side. Furthermore, tossing the coin does not always guarantee that it will land on Lincoln. So what about a third toss? Should you take that bet? Here is where statistics can help you make a smart choice.
Anyone who understands a coin toss can understand the important points from using statistics to help make a decision. The problem with mass communication and overwhelming data is trying to determine the accuracy of a prediction. For example, suppose you are browsing the web and a 42 year old lady says she got pregnant on her fifth try at IVF. You are 42 and trying to decide if you should do IVF at all. The first problem with a personal story on the web is that it is impossible to tell if the story is accurate or even if it is true. Just because someone put it on the web does not make it factual. But let’s suppose the above is true. What is the chance of a 42 year old person getting pregnant and how fast should it happen? That information is available. A 42 year old just starting to try to get pregnant has less than a 50% chance of being successful. If the woman can get pregnant, it happens quickly, usually within the first 6 months of trying. The longer a woman tries to get pregnant and is unsuccessful, the less the chance that she can conceive.
So assume that you have been trying for six months and you are not pregnant. You consult an REI and that person suggests moving straight to IVF. Seems a bit aggressive on the first go? Now it’s time to figure out the odds of achieving a successful pregnancy on the first try for a 42 year old woman with a normal evaluation (semen analysis for partner OK, uterine cavity OK, ovarian reserve [hormone testing] OK). National data suggest that it would be somewhere around 10%. What would be the chance if you did nothing? That estimate is somewhere around 1-3%. Other choices like clomid or an Insemination protocol are probably not better than IVF and most likely somewhat less successful. With this information, our 42 year old opts for IVF…and doesn’t get pregnant. The story about the fifth time being the charm looms in her mind. Yet, doing a cycle of IVF was not as easy as she thought it was going to be, her response was not great and the quality of the two embryos that formed was only average. Oh, and she wants to be pregnant now. So what about a second cycle of IVF? The chance is still about 10%. Second cycle, not a great response and still no pregnancy. The thought of a third try is almost overwhelming. It is worth it? Use statistics!
What are the options? Do nothing, do another cycle of IVF, do a cycle of IVF using donor eggs or adopt. You already know that the chance of getting pregnant on your own is exceeding small- OK not zero- but really, are you feeling that lucky? Donor oocyte cycles are somewhat successful with a delivery rate around 50% for the first try. Adoption is an option but it is expensive and neither you nor your partner has any genetic input into the child, nor do you have the chance to carry the baby and deliver the child. On the other hand, when done properly adoption has a very good “success” rate. How about that third cycle of IVF? Estimates will vary but the literature that does exist suggests that after two tries for women between the ages of 41 and 43, the success for the third try at IVF is very low and perhaps not different from doing nothing. Knowing the statistics puts the options in perspective. It does not help make the decision because a lot of factors go into a decision about what form of treatment to use, but at least statistics allows a person to rank the options by the likelihood of success.
In the end, the best you can do is to gather reputable information, combine the outcomes, add the things that are important to you and go for it. The use of statistics can give you the best chance of getting what you want. All statistics comes down to the concept of the coin toss so don’t let the numbers scare you. Use statistics to achieve success.
Dr. Rinehart is a Founding Partner of Reproductive Medicine Institute (www.reproductivemedicineinstitute.com) with six board certified specialists in the field of reproductive endocrinology and immunology including the area of recurrent miscarriage, along with the treatment of endometriosis, in seven locations throughout Chicagoland.
MIGHTY AMERICAN CORPORATE WORLD !
If Wal-Mart were a country, its revenues would make it on par with the GDP of the 25th largest economy in the world by, surpassing 157 smaller countries.
We've found 25 major American corporations whose 2010 revenues surpass the 2010 Gross Domestic Product of entire countries, often with a few billion to spare.
Even some major countries like Norway, Thailand, and New Zealand can be bested by certain U.S. firms.
Yahoo is bigger than Mongolia
Mongolia's GDP: $6.13 billion Yahoo's Revenue: $6.32 billion Yahoo would rank as the world's 138th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Visa is bigger than Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's GDP: $7.47 billion Visa's Revenue: $8.07 billion Zimbabwe would rank as the world's 133rd biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
eBay is bigger than Madagascar
Madagascar's GDP: $8.35 billion eBay's Revenue: $9.16 billion Ebay would rank as the world's 129th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Nike is bigger than Paraguay
Paraguay's GDP: $18.48 billion Nike's Revenue: $19.16 billion Nike would rank as the world's 102nd biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Consolidated Edison is bigger than the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo's GDP: $13.13 billion ConEdison's Revenue: $13.33 billion ConEdison would rank as the world's 112th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
McDonald's is bigger than Latvia
Latvia's GDP: $24.05 billion McDonald's Revenue: $24.07 billion McDonald's would rank as the world's 92nd biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Amazon.com is bigger than Kenya
Kenya's GDP: $32.16 billion Amazon.com's Revenue: $34.2 billion Amazon would rank as the world's 86th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Morgan Stanley is bigger than Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's GDP: $38.99 billion Morgan Stanley's Revenue: $39.32 billion Morgan Stanley would rank as the world's 82nd biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Cisco is bigger than Lebanon
Lebanon's GDP: $39.25 billion Cisco's Revenue: $40.04 billion Cisco would rank as the world's 81st biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Pepsi is bigger than Oman
Oman's GDP: $55.62 Pepsi's Revenue: $57.83 billion Pepsi would rank as the world's 69th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Apple is bigger than Ecuador
's GDP: $58.91 billion Apple's Revenue: $65.23 billion Apple would rank as the world's 68th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Microsoft is bigger than Croatia
Croatia's GDP: $60.59 billion Microsoft's Revenue: $62.48 billion Microsoft would rank as the world's 66th biggest economy. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Costco is bigger than Sudan
Sudan's GDP: $68.44 billion Costco's Revenue: $77.94 billion Costco would rank as the world's 65th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Proctor and Gamble is bigger than Libya
Libya's GDP: $74.23 billion Proctor and Gamble's Revenue: $79.69 billion Proctor and Gamble would rank as the world's 64th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Wells Fargo is bigger than Angola
Angola's GDP: $86.26 billion Wells Fargo's Revenue: $93.249 billion Wells Fargo would rank as the world's 62nd biggest economy. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Ford is bigger than Morocco
Morocco's GDP: $103.48 billion Ford's Revenue: $128.95 billion Ford would rank as the world's 60th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Bank of America is bigger than Vietnam
Vietnam's GDP: $103.57 billion Bank of America's Revenue: $134.19 billion Bank of America would rank as the world's 59th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
General Motors is bigger than Bangladesh
Bangladesh's GDP: $104.92 billion GM's Revenue: $135.59 billion GM would rank as the world's 58th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Berkshire Hathaway is bigger than Hungary
Hungary's GDP: $128.96 billion Berkshire Hathaway's Revenue: $136.19 billion Berkshire Hathaway would rank as the world's 57th biggest economy. Source:
Fortune/CNN Money, IMF General Electric is bigger than New Zealand
New Zealand's GDP: $140.43 billion GE's Revenue: $151.63 billion GE would rank as the world's 52nd biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Fannie Mae is bigger than Peru
Peru's GDP: $152.83 billion Fannie mae's Revenue: $153.83 billion Fannie Mae would rank as the world's 51st biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Conoco Phillips is bigger than Pakistan
Pakistan's GDP: $174.87 billion Conoco Phillip's Revenue: $184.97 billion Conoco Phillips would rank as the world's 48th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Chevron is bigger than the Czech Republic
Czech Republic's GDP: $192.15 billion Chevron's Revenue: $196.34 billion Chevron would rank as the world's 46th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Exxon Mobil is bigger than Thailand
Thailand's GDP: $318.85 billion Exxon Mobil's Revenue: $354.67 billion Exxon Mobil would rank as the world's 30th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
Walmart is bigger than Norway
Norway's GDP: $414.46 billion Walmart's Revenue: $421.89 billion Norway would rank as the world's 25th biggest country. Source: Fortune/CNN Money, IMF
From: Gustavo Bataller Piera
Adidas’ New Sporty Office !
I thought my office was cool until I saw the exterior of Adidas’ new corporate headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
The part that really stung though, was seeing the interior… thanks to the design team at KINZO, I now officially hate my office!!
The new working environment features a custom, sporty, and functional furniture system they like to call “WORKOUT” … a perfect name considering the design is purely Adidas in both form and function.
Hit the jump to see for yourself !
Designer: KINZO
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