Diverse Thoughts

Natural deodorant: Baking Soda versus Apple Cider Vinegar

Roger Costello — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:14:52 +0000

For the last year I have been using baking soda as my deodorant.

It works pretty well. However, there are two downsides:

1. If I don’t wash it off at the end of the day then my underarm gets a rash.

2. It I do wash it off at the end of the day, the next morning my underarm stinks.

A few weeks ago I read that apple cider vinegar is a good deodorant, so I gave it a try. It works great. The downside is that I smell like apple cider vinegar for about 15 minutes. That’s okay. It has no smell after 15 minutes. The upside is the next morning my underarm doesn’t stink.

Which is a better natural deodorant – baking soda or apple cider vinegar? Answer: apple cider vinegar!

MBT/Shape-up shoes and hip pain

Roger Costello — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:48:14 +0000

18 months ago I purchased a pair of MBT shoes. (“Shape ups” are of the same type).

I wore them pleasurably.

6 months ago I purchased a commercial-quality treadmill and starting walking on it wearing my MBT shoes.

After a week I started to get a pain on one side of my hips. It got progressively worse. It got so bad I had to stop using the treadmill. I layed off for a few weeks and then started back. Shortly thereafter the hip pain resumed. At this point the pain was constant, not just when I walked on the treadmill.

6 weeks ago I switched shoes, to the traditional type of shoe (i.e., not an MBT or Shape up shoe). Immediately my hip started feeling better on and off the treadmill. In a week the hip had no pain. I haven’t worn the MBT shoes since then and have had no hip pain. I am now walking on the treadmill for an hour each day without any hip pain.

Fabulous Chocolate Shake

Roger Costello — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:38:31 +0000

I am staying away from sugar, fat, and cholesterol. At the same time, I have a sweet tooth. This fits the bill. It is high protein, low carbs, no fat, no sugar, and tastes so good.

8 oz of non-fat milk
1/4 tsp of pure vanilla
1/2 tsp of pure chocolate extract
1/2 tsp of unsweetened cocoa
1 scoop of unsweetened protein powder
1/4 tsp of stevia

Put in a blender and mix. Enjoy!

Four phenomenal books

Roger Costello — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:43:22 +0000

There are four books that I have read which I have found to be phenomenal. Until recently I have not been able to put my finger on why I found them so phenomenal. Now I know why: they start with simple concepts and gradually build on top of them. Each step adds a tiny bit of knowledge on top of the preceding steps. Each step logically follows from the preceding steps. Here are the four books:

An Introduction to Mathematics by Alfred North Whitehead.
Economics by Boyes/Melvin.
Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith.
Elements by Euclid.

Do you know of other books which follow this approach of starting with basic concepts and gradually, incrementally building up a vast body of knowledge?

You can live to 150 while retaining the energy and vitality of a 40 year old

Roger Costello — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:17:53 +0000

Do you have normal blood pressure? If so, do you reckon, “Since my blood pressure is fine, I can pile on the salt.”

Wrong!

Recent research indicates that salt will damage your heart even if it doesn’t raise your blood pressure (BP):

There is also increasing evidence that a high salt intake may have deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system and lead to the development of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy, independently or in addition to its effect on BP [1]

You can live to 150 while retaining the energy and vitality of a 40 year old. Here’s how:

1. Eliminate salt from your diet.

2. Eliminate refined (white) sugar from your diet.

3. Eliminate refined (white) flour from your diet.

4. Eliminate stress from your life.

5. Exercise daily. (very important)

I learned this from Dr. Oz yesterday.

[1] http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/22/9/2426

54 point drop in cholesterol level in 3 months!

Roger Costello — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:49:54 +0000

Last December I got a cholesterol test. I was shocked to see it at 187.

I determined to bring it down.

So, for the past 3 months I have been on an awesome diet. I’ve lost 13 pounds. I pull my belt buckle in another notch. My abs are ripped. I feel awesome.

Last Friday (April 2) I got another cholesterol test. Today I got the results: 133. Ha! My cholesterol dropped 54 points in 3 moths! Yippee!

Here’s how I did it:

Morning:

Freshly squeezed OJ

4 egg whites (hardboiled eggs, discard the yolk)

Brown rice

Lunch

Vegetable soup (homemade, made creamy using milk made with cashews)

Low-carb brownies

Dinner:

Steamed boneless, skinless chicken

Frozen mixed vegetables

Fat-free yogurt

I can’t dance, but I can twirl and let my soul fly

Roger Costello — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:55:02 +0000

Yesterday someone asked it I can dance.

I responded:

I can’t dance. But I can twirl and let my soul fly.

Would Albert Einstein read New York Times bestsellers?

Roger Costello — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:29:58 +0000

I am reading this book:

“Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely

It is a very interesting read. It describes some of the author’s research findings in the (new) field of behavioral economics. And it is a New York Times bestseller.

For a book to be a bestseller it must appeal to a large number of people, i.e., it must appeal to the masses. What are the implications of that? Clearly the average person doesn’t have an in-depth understanding of every field. So a bestselling author must present his material in a way that requires little or no understanding of the field. Research results are oftentimes rather dry. “Dry” doesn’t lend itself well to “bestselling.” So the author must spice things up-emotionalize the material, appeal to the readers emotions. What are the implications of that?

Several years ago, as I was beginning to learn about the field of complex systems, I read a pop-sci book on the topic. The book was very exciting and-to my thinking-it provided profound insights into the field of complex systems. I attended a class at the New England Complex Systems Institute. The instructor was a world-renowned scientist. Being so excited about this book, I approached the instructor to get his opinion about it and, in particular, a certain section of the book. Much to my surprise the instructor had never read the book. I was shocked, “How could he have not read this wonderful book, especially when it’s in his field of expertise?” I asked him to read a certain section because I wanted his feedback. He was gracious enough to do it on the spot. I don’t recall his comments. I only recall feeling that his comments were very controlled, he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. He was clearly not impressed by the book.

I wonder if it may actually be damaging to read bestsellers? Do they lead the reader into ideas and beliefs that are simply wrong?

If Albert Einstein were alive today, would he read New York Times bestsellers?

Where can I get broad (flat) tip yellow highlighters?

Roger Costello — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:43:41 +0000

It seems that the only yellow highlighters available any more are the chisel tip highlighters. Do they sell the broad (flat) tip highlighters any more? I much prefer them to the chisel tip. Do you know where they sell the broad (flat) tip highlighters?

Seek clarity of thought? Here’s how

Roger Costello — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:24:07 +0000

Are you struggling with a problem, but are unable to obtain clarity on a solution? Here’s an approach to get clarity that has worked for me: read a book with great clarity; that is, a book that expresses fundamental ideas in a simple, clear way.

I am on my fifth read of An Introduction to Mathematics by Alfred Whitehead. Every time I feel my thoughts getting muddied I pull out this book and read it. This book takes the complex subject of mathematics and describes its fundamental ideas with brilliant clarity. Reading this book brings clarity to my mind, in all of my thoughts.

Do you have a book that you enjoy reading because of its clarity of thought?