2014 Flu Information

As you probably know, the flu vaccine this year was not quite perfect as regards the many strains you can get.  Thus, one strain that is hitting schools in the South is probably one of those the vaccine didn't prevent.
After searching some websites, I put this information together in case you haven't read up on the Flu viruses lately.
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If you are healthy but exposed to a person with the flu, antiviral drugs can prevent you from getting sick. Antiviral medications are prescription pills, liquids, or inhalers used to prevent or treat flu viruses. They are approved for adults and children one year and older. There are four antiviral drugs approved for treating the flu in the United States—oseltamivir (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), amantadine (Symmetrel), and rimantadine (Flumadine). The sooner you are treated with an antiviral, the more likely it will prevent the flu. Antiviral drugs are 70% to 90% effective at preventing the flu. Talk to your health care provider if you think you need antiviral drugs.

If someone touches these surfaces, then touches his eyes, nose or mouth before washing his hands, the virus spreads. Another way the flu can spread is if an infected person coughs or sneezes into her hands, then touches a hard surface like a phone, keyboard, or toy before washing her hands.

People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts think that flu viruses are spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth or nose.

To avoid this, people should stay away from sick people and stay home if sick. It also is important to wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick should not be shared without washing thoroughly first. Eating utensils can be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap and do not need to be cleaned separately. Further, frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected at home, work and school, especially if someone is ill.

The Flu Is Contagious

Most healthy adults may be able to infect other people beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than 7 days. Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Some people can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons may still spread the virus to others.

Addressing an Envelope

I realize not many people mail letters anymore, but with Christmas approaching and Christmas cards you might wish to mail, rather than email, I thought I would refresh my memory on the USPS rules and regulations on addressing an envelope.  Yes, there is a specific way the USPS wants the addresses put on the envelope.   Their machine reads from the bottom up, so the line above city, state and zip should be the street address or PO Box, not something supplemental.  This is but one example of the rules.  STE means "Suite" they prefer you use that, no spell out Suite (I think).

Here is a link to a good reference page:

http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/addressing/deliveryAddress.htm

SOME OF THE RULES

Delivery Address

	The delivery address is the most important information on your mailpiece. Use the following format for your delivery addresses: Name or attention line: JANE L MILLER Company: MILLER ASSOCIATES Delivery address: 1960 W CHELSEA AVE STE 2006 City, state, ZIP Code: ALLENTOWN PA 18104

Automated mail processing machines read addresses on mailpieces from the bottom up and will first look for a city, state, and ZIP Code. Then the machines look for a delivery address. If the machines can’t find either line, then your mailpiece could be delayed or misrouted. Any information below the delivery address line (a logo, a slogan, or an attention line) could confuse the machines and misdirect your mail. Use the following guidelines: Always put the address and the postage on the same side of your mailpiece. On a letter, the address should be parallel to the longest side. All capital letters. No punctuation. At least 10-point type. One space between city and state. Two spaces between state and ZIP Code. Simple type fonts. Left justified. Black ink on white or light paper. No reverse type (white printing on a black background). If your address appears inside a window, make sure there is at least 1/8-inch clearance around the address. Sometimes parts of the address slip out of view behind the window and mail processing machines can’t read the address. If you are using address labels, make sure you don’t cut off any important information. Also make sure your labels are on straight. Mail processing machines have trouble reading crooked or slanted information. TIPS --Always put the attention line on top -- never below the city and state or in the bottom corner of your mailpiece. --If you can’t fit the suite or apartment number on the same line as the delivery address, put it on the line ABOVE the delivery address, NOT on the line below. --Words like “east” and “west” are called directionals and they are VERY important. A missing or a bad directional can prevent your mail from being delivered correctly. --Use the free ZIP Code Lookup and the ZIP+4 code lookup on the Postal Explorer website (left frame) to find the correct ZIP Codes and ZIP+4 codes for your addresses. --Almost 25% of all mailpieces have something wrong with the address -- for instance, a missing apartment number or a wrong ZIP Code. Can some of those mailpieces get delivered, in spite of the incorrect address? Yes. But it costs the Postal Service time and money to do that. --When a First-Class Mail letter is square, rigid or meets one or more of the nonmachinable characteristics it will be subject to a nonmachinable surcharge. --Sometimes it’s not important that your mailpiece reaches a specific customer, just that it reaches an address. One way to do this is to use a generic title such as "Postal Customer" or "Occupant" or "Resident," rather than a name, plus the complete address. --Fancy type fonts such as those used on wedding invitations do not read well on mail processing equipment. Fancy fonts look great on your envelopes, but also may slow down your mail. --Use common sense. If you can’t read the address, then automated mail processing equipment can’t read the address. --Some types of paper interfere with the machines that read addresses. The paper on the address side should be white or light in color. No patterns or prominent flecks, please! Also, the envelope shouldn’t be too glossy -- avoid shiny, coated paper stock. Publication 28 - Postal Addressing Standards. Quick Service Guide 602 - Basic Addressing Standards. Return Address Special Addressing Services (Ancillary Service Endorsements) Additional Resources

New Light In Time For The New Year

I have tried several brands of LED bulbs in the last 6 months in various fixtures around my home. I have used several brands, some brands were better than others. Phillips is my favorite now for interior flood lights. But there is something new on the horizon.  It new caught my eye on Saturday while walking through Home Depot. Cree is a major producer of the new LED light bulbs, and they certainly make a great product. But now they have a really new bulb as well:

 http://www.cree.com/news-and-events/cree-news/press-releases/2014/october/new-cree-led-bulb



It is the closest clone to a conventional light bulb that I have seen.  Called 4FLOW it was not only very conventional "incandescent light bulb" looking, it also was priced less than the normal Cree 60 watt bulb. A double victory for the consumer.

A warm 2700 K, it uses 82% less electricity and is all-around light source "just like an incandescent bulb".  It is also dimmable. But I have noticed that LED's don't always dim to the super low light of incandescent bulbs.  The new bulb has 815 lumens of brightness - which is 15 more than some 60 w equivalents.

Now the big news, price.   $7.97, which was less than the Cree regular 60 w equivalent.  While not the cheapest around, this bulb could be the best value if you like "conventional light" from a 22 year life bulb that uses only a tiny fraction of the electricity of an incandescent.

If you read my blog regularly you know that I find LED bulbs super useful for hard-to-re-lamp locations, and that continued this past week. I had to replaced a 75 watt incandescent bulb in a bathroom fan-light fixture that is a "bear" to change.  I put in a 75 watt Cree, and now have beautiful light and far less heat (a problem in that crammed up fixture).  The wave length of light bulb is just about perfect.  It will last my change for that fixture in my lifetime. No more ladder climbing and upside down contortions to unscrew the metal grill to replace that bulb.

As a long time fighter of the new light revolution, I am becoming a convert.  The bulbs are now better, a bit cheaper, and the power savings are great.  I am a convert. I can tell a difference in power bills now that I have started the slow conversion.  I have 72 incandescent bulbs in my home. Counting them up just now surprised me.  In addition I have 4 flouresent tube fixtures.  I was surprised there were so many, but with corner lights, back yard lights, and so on, it adds up. No wonder Home Depot and Lowes have huge light bulb departments. There could be 30 billion light bulbs in America (10 X 300 million people ?).  Cree seems set to sell everyone a few bulbs.  Once.  Replacement time will be 2034.  Cree will have merged or be out of business by then.  Or, the market will keep growing.

PS -- a few notes.  The new Cree has ventilation slots, something new, don't know how that would affect use in closed fixtures, but there is no warning on the packaging about that. There is the conventional warning not to mix LED and other types of bulbs "together" in a multi-bulb enclosed fixture.  I am presuming the heat from the other bulb could damage the LED bulb.  I have 4 enclosed fixtures in my home, and I have had to be careful to replace both bulbs at the same time.

My initial fascination with the CFL (spiral) bulbs is fading in all categories other than the outdoor flood lights, where they seem to work very well, and last a long time.  Some CFL bulbs are instant light and good color and brightness, and thus just great. But I forget which brands they are and so I am cautious to just buy CFL's on sale.  I will research my favorite brands of CFL's and Blog on them later.  But I know the GE brand is my favorite for CFL outdoor flood lights. the 75 Watt type is quite bright, I think close enough to the old 150 watt floods to get the job done.

When You Need a Serious Flashlight for Safety or Convenience

A good friend that knows flashlights recommended this as his best ever. Fenix is the brand name.

http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Upgraded-Lumens-Flashlight-Black/dp/B008UEU6ZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1415767755&sr=1-1&keywords=fenix+tk41+flashlight

It is $96, but read the reviews.  It is a “serious” flashlight with many advantages. One reviewer said that getting rechargeable AA batteries was a good idea.  He got a number of the Amazon basic NiMH 2000mAh batteries, and he charges them using a BC-700 Lacross Charger. Always a good idea to keep some good Alkline batteries around as backups.

With winter storms coming, this might be a good thing to have at night. Whether you are in an attic, or a crawl space, or outdoors at night, this is a wonderfully bright light that is still light and portable. Some reviewers said the batteries last a long time, 10 minutes a day for several weeks, with no problem.  Note, it takes 8 AA batteries.

As a less expensive but wonderful alternate, try these, they are favorites of mine for a long time.  Great light, beautiful design :

 http://www.amazon.com/Techlite-Master-High-Intensity-Tactical-Flashlight/dp/B0074D6PE6/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1415774516&sr=1-3&keywords=techlite+lumen+master

Techlite.  Sometimes available at Costco for $33, or less. 3 Pack.  Quite a good deal for this caliber product.Takes only 3 AAA batteries, which last quite awhile. 

Phone Is Still Half The Expression "Smart Phone"

Phone is still have the word in “Smart Phone”, so while there are many useful apps, and texting is taking over, don’t forget there are some nice ways to dial a phone number from a smart phone as well.  Here are some interesting links on that topic.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Dial-A-for-Android-the-best-dialer-apps-for-Googles-OS_id59886

http://www.fonewiki.com/blogwiki/2014/08/7-of-the-best-free-dialer-app-for-your-android-phone/

Esper Dialer in the list says it acts like the apple interface.

Thanks to Kerry Barlow for this great tip. 

GrubHub Food Delivered To Your Home, Fast

There is a good story on GrubHub in INC Magazine this week. I like the concept, and the IPO was so successful the company is now valued at $3 billion.  Very high, but they seem to own the high ground in a very hot area of smart phone technology  -- taking your hunger and turning it into a great meal, at your house, in 60 minutes or less.

Some fast facts:

1.     they have 28,000 restaurants signed up in 600 plus cities

2.     they monitor your order, so they call the restaurant if the order is not confirmed in 5 minutes or less

3.     they put tablet computers in all the restaurants, so they get the orders correctly (no longer sent to them by fax).  The restaurants must fix the meal in 20 minutes. 

4.     they store your PayPal or Credit Card, and so there is no payment hassles, also they can store your address for reorders from the same restaurant.

5.     far easier and fewer clicks than on the various restaurant’s own websites, which are not usually well designed, up to date, and or user friendly.

6.     by using your smart phone, the app knows where you are, and can show you all the restaurants in your immediate area that participate --- and you can choose by type, Chinese, Pizza, and so on.  It works so well, restaurants biggest problem it keeping up with the flood of orders coming in.

7.     coupons and discounts, they have ‘em too.

8.     it is a rare APP that gets 1,000 plus reviews in the iTunes store, and survives with 4.5 stars out of 5.  But this company has that, pretty amazing.

Concept is low advertising budget, mostly in big cities they use ads on subways and busses or outdoor ads, to get you in your car, or on the subway when you are “hungry”.  Order then, and by the time you get home and cleaned up, your food will be there.

“Innovation works best when there is a problem to solve” .. is the opening line of the story by Liz Welch.  That’s a good quote, and this company found a serious problem to solve since they had bad experiences ordering their on food on line in Chicago – too many clicks, too many phone calls, too many orders not correct. People eat, people don’t like hassles.  That’s a good combination to work on. 

Forward Progress -- With Battery Powered Lawn Equipment

I know this is not exactly high tech, but certainly it is “tech”.  Useful new products that are Green – that is, battery powered using Lithium Ion batteries.  Cordless, gas-free, maintenance free.

I ordered this B&D hedge trimmer from Amazon, tested it this morning and am amazed, impressed that such a tiny battery, only 20 V, Lithium Ion, can be so powerful. I gave out before the battery did.  It is very light, and very easy.  I highly recommend this if you need a trimmer.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00602J27E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also ordered a pole saw, to cut limbs, and bushes.  This time I chose GreenWorks, a new brand to me, but highly recommended on various websites.  It uses a much larger, heavier and more powerful battery.  40 Volt.  It is beautiful to look at, and I am sure will be very powerful based on many reviews on Amazon and other sites.  Take a look if you need a trimming tool, 10 inch chain saw at the end of an adjustable length stick, should be safe and easy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AW72WR0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BOTTOM LINE --  battery powered lawn equipment has come a long way, and I will probably never buy one with a cord or a gas engine again.

Identifying Photos in Emails

Have you ever gotten an email with some beautiful photos of places in the world, but no description to tell you where it was taken?  I have, many times.  A friend offers this tip today:

“A computer expert gave me a tip.  If you right click on the image then choose "Search Google for this image" it will get info on the picture."

Give it a try and comment if you find it works.

BPA Health Hazzard Chemical -- New Research

BPA has been banned in Canada (I think) at least in water bottles, and in 12 states here, but is still in wide use in other things, particularly in cash register receipts – a very obscure place to find it.  This was a topic of NPR “Science Friday” (see link below).  It is also in Forbes Magazine in the last 10 days (see link below)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/10/22/cash-register-receipts-may-be-a-source-of-bpa-study-suggests/   FORBES story

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/10/24/2014/hand-sanitizer-may-increase-bpa-absorption.html     Click on the “Listen Button”.

BPA causes, or makes worse, more than ? 50 diseases ?.  But the focus at the moment is a fairly new discovery.  Using hand sanitizer before touching a typical “thermal” printed cash register receipt (which are quite common) can release a major shot of BNP into your system.

Seems impossible, but listen to the audio above.  I could elaborate but the bottom line is

1.    There is No safe chemical for coating thermal type paper

2.    Stores and restaurants should quit using it and go to normal printing methods

3.    YOU can just say “no” to taking receipts that are thermal printed.  They fade anyway, and thus are not worth much.   

Recyle Clothes And Help The Environment

Consider these facts (partially taken from Sierra Magazine):

The average American throws away 68 lbs of textiles each year.

A single cotton T-shirt takes 700 gallons of water to produce.

And 80 % of items American's own get used less than once a month.

So, why not recycle?  Buy and sell second hand garments?  Recently a few online sources are promoting the sale of used clothing in new ways.  EBay has done that for years (and I have been a customer several times), but these new sites have new ideas to make it easier to sell, or rent.  They should have a bright future, not only to save or make money for normal folks, but also to help the environment. 

One of these is  www.thredup.com   You get a bag in the mail, fill it with your unused (nicer) clothing, and mail it to them.  They sell what they can on their website, and mail you a check. 

Also a big new trend is renting dresses for special occasions, on line, and returning them when your special event is over.  https://www.renttherunway.com/rtr_home  is booming, and does a great job, sizes and cleaning, you can wear a $700 dress for a few days, and return it for a rental that is a tiny fraction of owning it.  And better for the environment as well.   I believe Rent The Runway has well over a million dresses in stock, and they have many sizes and styles. They have perfected the art of fast cleaning and turn-around, it is a logistical nightmare, but they have solved it, and thus own the “first mover” position in the market.

Flu Shots 2014 Update

Made my annual trip to Walgreens today for my Flu shot.  Takes only 6 seconds after you get paperwork done (answering 6 questions) and they are ready for you.  Painless, small needle, and it must be short.  I don’t look.

My local Walgreens is having trouble getting the senior grade of vaccine  so I had to take the normal grade.   Better to have the double-strength if you can get it.

Note that your body starts building immunities immediately after the shot. But you don't get the full immunization  benefit for two weeks.  So it's not wise to wait till flu season to get it because you would need at least two weeks head start.

My Walgreens location has already seen several flu cases but they expect the number of cases to pop up dramatically in the next three or four weeks, so don’t wait.  

My nurse said she hears people say  "well, I got a flu shot, but I got a cold or I got the flu"   She says that could well be because they got the shot and were exposed to flu virus or cold virus in the two weeks following.   

The shot will not make you more susceptible to a cold or flu, so that's nothing to worry about, but it starts protection immediately, but won't fully protect you for two weeks.

Of course the shot is free for all senior citizens under Medicare or maybe just free because we are seniors. Or it might be free to all people with insurance. 

Acandescent™ technology

First there was incandescent, then CFL (spiral), then LED,  now something new Acandescent. TM.    

http://finallybulbs.com/

Replicating the incandescent bulb but claiming to offer

1.     15 X the life of incandescent

2.     lower operating costs

3.     instant on

4.     15,000 hours life

5.     recyclable

6.     shaped like the old incandescent

7.     sends light in all directions like the old incandescent (something I found my latest LED purchase does not do, it throws light only up .. or if you put it in an upside down fixture, mostly down)

Haven’t studied or used this product yet, just saw a news story on it.  It is supposed to sell for $10 retail, for a 60 watt equivalent.  

GoTenna new Smart Phone Product

GoTenna  a new product, about to be released

1.     each person going out in the wilderness carries a stick device about the size of flat carpenters pencil

2.     these “sticks” connect with your smart phones via BlueTooth

3.     the “stick” has a long range radio signal that then connects you with other “sticks” …   so, while you can’t communicate with the broader world, but you can connect with your fellow hikers or adventure friends in the same wilderness (who have sticks).  Range:  About 50 miles in ideal conditions, doesn’t work if you are behind a rock or a mountain from the fellow hiker.

4.     bonus idea, works in foreign countries where you don’t have access to the cell signals --  lets you stay in touch with your friends if you get separated by accident or something

5.     works when all cell towers are out – like in tornado emergencies or whatever

Pre orders now accepted $150 per “stick”….

http://www.gotenna.com/s

Nice video --- shows how easy this might be -- just hook it on your back pack, and suddenly your smart phone (in your pocket?) is now connected with your other hiking friends.  Pretty clever.  You can send text messages via the sticks and yet it seems as if you are just using your smart phone in the normal way.

Call Your Mom !!

http://www.springwise.com/app-moms-power-lock-kids-phones-screen-calls/

Call your mom !  App that allows parents to remotely shut down their child’s phone until they call home (or mom).  That gets their attention, I would bet. 

Someone joked, and it isn’t funny, that the best way to have a family meeting these days, is to go to the room with the wi-fi modem and unplug it, and in 5 minutes every kid in the house will be in that room to see what happened to the signal.

New Tech News Phones and Phone Payment Systems

The largest Chinese cell phone manufacturer has a new phone out ($215) that runs on Android, and mimics the iPhone 5-s to a very large degree.  Very thin, very well made, fabulous screen definition, and icons that mimic the iPhone.  So say the reviews.  This phone will not be available in the USA for now, of course, but it probably is telling about the future -- which could be price drops on all smart phones.  Smart phones, in total, now outnumber humans on the planet, so I have read. So they are everywhere.  Many people in Africa use them in lieu of bank accounts -- they can exchange money via their smart phone to pay bills, buy things and repay loans.

Chick Fil A just announced they will take smart phone payments (soon ?) at their counter.  I asked how, and they didn't know for sure, but they think a patron will pre-pay $30 or more to Chick Fil A and they will keep the cash (no interest paid on this pre-pay) and then allow the patron to pay using the smart phone at the cash register.  Just how that will take place I am not sure.  But why would a patron do it?  Well, the employee told me that by paying in this manner, Chick Fil A will reward a patron (customer) with one free sandwich with ever 5 purchased, or something like that.  It could also be useful for teenagers, who don't carry much cash, don't have credit cards, and whose parents might pre-load their smart phone with $100 so they can buy food for a month at Chick Fil A --- but not other things a credit card might be used for.  Parents might like that restriction.

I know some health related credit cards are restricted, and you can only pay for certain SKU's at places like Walgreens and Wal-Mart with that card.  Such as over the counter medicine or drugs from the pharmacy.  Chick Fil A is just expanding on that idea and removing the plastic altogether.  Word on the street is that people will give up wallets in the future to pay everything (or most everything) with one device.  That would be, of course, the one device everyone has - a smart phone. Not everyone has a drivers license or a wallet with cash in it.

Shout Out -- Audiable (now an Amazon Company)

First, after a considerable absence I re-joined Amazon's Audible.  As you may know, it has a fabulous APP now for smart phones, and iPod Touch devices.  The experience now is vastly better than when I didn't have those apps, and Amazon was not the owner of the company.  Audible still has an amazing array of audio books, even the Wall Street Journal is available, you choose the articles.  With cell phone use on the highways coming to an end soon, I think being able to listen to New York Times, or Wall Street Journal in your car, on the way to work might become more popular than in the past. 

Last night I downloaded a Bill Bryson book I wanted to read (listen to).  A Walk In The Woods.  I have listened to 3 other of his books, and loved them.  I pay $7 a month for Audible, and gain "credits", I can use to purchase audio books.  This one was $20 to non members, but only 1 credit for me, and I had 3 credits in my credit-bank.  What a nice system.  Whether walking for exercise, or riding distances, or even in town, I enjoy the extra knowledge and enjoyment I receive from this system.

$3 A Month Cell Phone Service ?

A French company, Iliad, has cracked a big market in France with the equivalent of a $3 a month cell phone service.  Competitors are scrambling, many have met the price.   Now they are seeking to buy part or all of T-Mobile in the USA to expand here.  Already T-Mobile is the leading price cutter here, and Verizon has lowered some prices to stay competitive.

Illiad thinks the US cell phone monthly pricing is way too high; I couldn’t agree more.  Illiad would like to cut costs and do away with paper monthly statements and things like that to get the price down.  I am not sure that appeals to me, but certainly my total cell-data package is too pricey for what it must cost Verizon to service my device(s).  And I don’t even get cell signal in every room in my house, only near some windows. 

Average costs of USA cell phones today is $47 a month, compared to about $30 average in France. Sprint is talking with T-Mobile about merger, and is thus not showing much interest in Illiad’s idea to buy a big percentage of the company. “Start small and disrupt something big” is Illiad’s philosophy.  Source  Wall Street Journal  

Uber Strikes Columbia

Usually Columbia is not on the leading edge of things, and Uber is well established Nationally, but it did open in Columbia yesterday morning (July 10, 2014).  As you know it works from an APP on your phone, and you don’t pay the car driver, it auto charges your credit card including tip, if appropriate.  Easy.  A little cheaper than cabs, perhaps and more up to date.

Uber shows you a photo of the car that will pick you up and a photo of the driver, who has been pre-screened for background and safety.  Also you rate each car and driver after you ride, and bad experiences eliminate drivers from the system (they say).  The APP shows you on a moving map the car that will be picking you up, so you know where it is by looking at your phone.

Uber says that soon it will be dispatching these  cars (cars owned by the drivers, but not officially city registered cabs) for pickup within 5 minutes.  Many drivers are part time, but they work in peak hours to give customers better service (theory, anyway).

There’s Uber and UberX  the latter is cheaper, not sure of the exact difference.  One big thing, you can add riders, there’s no up charge for other riders, and split the fare.  But it has to go on one person’s credit card of course. 

The news is your first 5 rides are FREE … but you have to use them by July 24, 2014 (Columbia, SC only)  Cab owners and operators say the insurance is not as up to date as cabs, Uber says it has a $1 million policy on each car being used, no cost to the driver, and no deductible (to driver?).  Check all the details if you are interested, possibly on their website.  The local Uber manager says “response to the new service has been tremendous” (State Paper).    

I have read that Uber might use "demand pricing", so that, in a rain storm in a busy city, they might charge more for a ride than other times.  The company says this motivates drivers to work in rain storms and times they might otherwise slack off.  Riders pay the premium.

First Hand Report LED BR-30 Flood Bulb by Philips

I just received, by mail, 2 Philips BR 30 flood bulbs which are LED  “90 degree Flood”, long life, 25,000 hours, energy saving  10.5 watts for 60 watts equivalent light.  Warm White Light,  730 lumens, 2700 K.  Information written on the box:

1.     offers superior life, and low energy consumption

2.     supplies warm white light

3.     provides a wide beam for flood light applications

4.     emits virtually NO HEAT and will NOT FADE COLORS

5.     discharges virtually no UV/IR light in the beam

6.     contains no mercury

7.     dimmable when using leading and trailing edge dimmers, see website for compatible dimmers  www.phillips.com/ledtechguide

I purchased these for some old track lights (which have frosted glass shades) to light a bookcase wall in one of my home offices.  I have had the track lights for 25 years, starting with 60 watt bulbs, normal type, which put out minimal light, generated heat, and had to be changed often.  I replaced them a few years ago with miniature incandescent flood bulbs, also 60 watt, that had a long neck to work in the fixture.  They did better, but were normal type bulbs, and thus generated some heat, but burned longer before burn-out (perhaps because they ran cooler).

Tonight, I put in a pair of the new Philips LED bulbs described above. Spectacular difference! Much more light, still in the warm range, but much like real light bulbs, not the warm white you often see from CFL spiral type fluorescents.  They are obviously a huge improvement over conventional bulbs in just about every way.  They are well made and look better than normal LED floods as well. I can highly recommend them. 

I got them at a large discount from a special source, $16.50 each.  So the price was less than Staples store (they were $24 there on sale).  AirFlux is the technology,  logo printed on the box. 

Help Stop Spam And Other Useful Advice

If you receive unsolicited e-mail offers or spam, you can forward the messages to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.

Bonus advice of the day --- A friend told me he decided to photograph all of his credit cards (using a smart phone camera, I presume).  While typing all that information into a data base is good, photography was so quick and easy and he said it was amazingly clear.

An alternative use:  I photograph business cards, and could probably photograph credit cards as well, using the camera function in Evernote (one of my most used Apps on my PC and my mobile devices).  Evernote uses OCR (optical character recognition) to allow you to then search any photograph that has text or numbers in it, and it will retrieve it instantly, highlighting the requested text or number in yellow. Don’t ask me how it works, it is a miracle.

Graze – Gourmet snacks in a box. Once a week.

A new company on the web  http://www.graze.com/us has stepped on the scene.  A friend showed the system to me, and I signed up.  I get one box of snacks every week, or every two weeks (you choose frequency) for $6 a box, shipping included.  It fits in your mail box.  But the 1^st  and 5^th. weeks are free, so the net cost is lower.  And you can elect to have $1 given to charity if you like.

At first I thought it was just a gimmick, but I am surprised I actually like the things in my first box -- which arrived today. The food items are either unique, or a great take on an old item. The quantity of each is small, so it would push this box to last me a week.  I am about 25 % into my first box and it is day-one. You can browse the website, and select from a huge list of options to mark as “favorites”  I suppose they plan your surprise box each week based on those preferences.

One of the four choices in my first box, which I just tried, is “bonnie wee oakbakes”, little cookies with a sauce to dip them in.  The sauce is onion and orange, something like that, a new taste altogether. Not bad.  The concept is to give you an attractive way to snack that is more healthy – and likely would draw much attention if you put it on your desk at work.  I an in for 6 more weeks, maybe.  Will evaluate the happiness factor after that.  It certainly is better tasting that similar snacks that sell for about $1 to $2 a package in health food stores.   

They either advertise in Men's Health or they have had a story therein.  Other magazines as well.  

Tech to the rescure: Home Doctor

Tyto Care is the subject of a brief innovation story in this week’s Businessweek magazine.   http://tytocare.com/

The concept is to allow everyone to do a small personal physical exam, and eliminate or reduce some doctor’s office visits.  The results can be seen by the patient – and can be e-mailed to the doctor’s office for filing and to keep a chart to see if there are changes that warrant an office visit.

The device checks

Temperature

Basic self exam of heart, lungs, throat, ears, eyes, and skin.

Not yet on the market, but coming.  Note the website is cleverly designed, as you scroll down, the hand held device moves with you and appears in photos that show it at various angles and “in use”.  Very clever website design.

What Plane Is Flying Over Your House?

http://www.flightradar24.com/

This website is quite amazing: world radar map of all planes in the sky, real-time, updated every 10 seconds (wait for the planes to move) and with all the technical details of plane, airline & flight and even a picture of the aircraft itself (stock file photo).

It tells you where the plane came from, where is it going, what altitude, what speed, What airline, etc.. There are many aircraft in the sky over every town I think you will be surprised. t

Here are some notes to help you get more out of your visit to this site. These are all the aircraft in the air right now. In the left hand Column, there is a box called "planes". The number in the box is the Number of aircraft airborne. This view is what the various airport air Traffic management people see for planning purposes.

Some additional tricks:

1. You can drag the map to move it to another city or State.

2.  When you Click on an airplane, the left screen you will get all the Information related to; airline, plane type, air speed, altitude in Real time that is re-calculated every 10 seconds. On some you can also Click on view from the cockpit.

3.  If you have someone you want to pickup from the airport, it shows the expected landing time.

4.  I like the fact that when you click on a plane, you see a blue line suddenly appear to tell you where the plane came from – a nice feedback.

As you find things I haven’t discovered, please comment.  I think this site will be a great deal of fun.  It must be the same information that the aircraft controllers see, or at least the commercial flights.  Someone, somewhere, working for the airlines themselves probably use this site.