Tips on Pumping Gas

With gas prices nearing record highs this summer, people across the country are looking for ways to ease the pain at the pump. Everyone knows about filling your tires to capacity, changing your air filter, and getting a tune-up, but these are some non-conventional ways to save money on gas. Follow this simple steps to ensure you get the most out of your gallon at the pump:

Try to fill up your vehicle in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. This is because all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground, and the colder the ground the more dense the gasoline. When gasoline gets warmer it expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening... your gallon is not exactly a gallon.





You probably noticed that most pump nozzles have three speed stages you can set the trigger at the pump gas - low, middle and high. When you fill up, do not squeeze the trigger all the way to fast or high. Stick with low, because at this speed the vapors that care created when pumping are minimized. This is important because all hoses have a vapor return, and if you pump at a fast rate, some of the gas that goes into your tank becomes vapors. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tanks, giving you less gas for your money.

ALWAYS fill up with gas when your tank is at half capacity. This is because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is taking up space, and gasoline evaporates faster than you think. Gas tanks have an internal floating roof, which serves as a zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, therefore minimizing evaporation.

One last tip is to NEVER pump gas when there is a gasoline truck filling up storage tanks at the station. More likely than not, the new gas he is pouring in is stirring up all of the old gas and any dirt that may have settled at the bottom of the tanks. When you fill your tank, this dirt may be in the gas that you are pumping, and go into your tank.

What? Really...?

• The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every
  year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into
  account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

• If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you
  have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money
  in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

• It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time
  that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In
  Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and
  the 46th word from the last word is spear.

• The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile
  in every five must be straight. These straight sections are
  usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

• 1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue.

• The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet (9 m).

• There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people. The kangaroo population is estimated at about 40 million.

• You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

• Flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.

• The fist product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

• The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.

• Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down -- hence the expression "to get fired"

• The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

• The elephant is the only animal with 4 knees and the only mammal that can't jump.

• "Goodbye" came from "God bye" which came from "God be with you." .

Thinking New? Think Refurbished

Many people cannot afford brand new products, especially electronics. One option for consumers is to wait a couple of years for the current model to go on sale or clearance and take the back seat to a newer one. For me, I know that I can’t afford the newest or trendiest product and usually have to wait before I can buy a new toy to play with.




Luckily, there is another option, but many don’t know about it or are afraid to take a chance with it. Buy refurbished. Yes, refurbished, reconditioned products. The first thought that probably comes to mind is that this is was a broken product and I am going to buy a broken, scratched, or non-working item. That’s not the case.

For a number of reasons, a refurbished product is the way to go to if you want a newer, trendier product for a fraction of the cost.

First, the quality of most refurbished products is as good, if not better, than their original, new counterparts. Often times they are just returned products that a previous buyer did not like and cannot be sold as new, so they are labeled as ‘refurbished’ upon resale. The biggest difference will be a different, ‘refurbished specific’ box you receive the item in.

Second, if they are returned because of a defect, the problem is located and fixed. This means that the problem has already been addressed by a previous owner and will be repaired by the original manufacturer, not a 3rd party repair shop. It will be given a thorough look over and inspection. Also, many times newer parts will be put into the system. Newer more improved versions of the broken part may even be used, benefiting you. Plus, you are buying directly from the manufacturer, so there is a higher standard they abide by, in order to retain their reputation.

Last, is the thing we all want to hear, price. Refurbished products can be bought for 25-35 % off of MSRP, sometimes even more. That’s a rather substantial discount for a basically new product.

So next time you think that you cannot afford the newest laptop or flat screen television, think again and think refurbished!

20 Minutes of Cardio in Two Easy Steps

The reason that most people don't workout is because they think there isn't enough time during the day. Their excuse is "I can't go the the gym after work for an hour everyday..." To get an effective workout, you don't need to spend hours a day in the gym hopping from bike to treadmill to elliptical. 20 minutes of moderate to intensecardio a day is all that is recommended to help maintain health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

20 minutes of daily exercise can be broken into two 10-minute bouts throughout the day. The first one can be done after you wake up in the morning. If you normally wake up at 7am, set your alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier, and you can get your first part of the workout done before work. If you have a stationary bike of treadmill, take 1-2 minutes to warm up, and then for the next 10 minutes, continue at your desired intensity. Preferably in your target heart rate zone. Don't have a treadmill or bike? Walk up and down your stairs for 10 minutes. Don't have stairs in your house you say? You can take a brisk walk around the block, or jump rope for the 10 minutes. Not only will you have half of your workout for the day completed, you will also feel more energized as you take on the work day.

The next half of your workout can be done upon returning home from work. I know most people are exhausted after 8-10 hours of work a day, and the last thing they want to think about is working out, but it's only 10 minutes of running or biking. You want to take care of this right away, because then you might become too comfortable on the couch or at your computer. So do a quick, good 10 minutes of sweating, and you are done for the day. That's it, that's a workout. It's barely invasive to your normal schedule and the results will last you a lifetime.

A third option is if you don't want to exercise in the morning, which is understandable because many people can't think straight let alone run for 10 minutes at 7am, is use your lunch break. You can take an extra 10 minutes for lunch and before you eat, take a walk around the building or up and down 5-10 flights of stairs. When you drive to work, take the furthest parking spot and walking to and from your car each day provides benefits as well.

Make your workout enjoyable and fresh each day. You can out on your favorite radio station or television show when you are working out. Have the family join you on your walk or bike ride. The key is the make sure you keep it interesting. If you do bike in the morning, run in the afternoon. If you jump rope at lunch, take a walk with your wife after dinner. You don't want to get bored with the same thing every day.

There is no excuse for you to not get in a workout. Now get out there and stay healthy.

April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day, celebrated in many countries, is one of the more light hearted days of the year. A time when pranks, hoaxes and practical jokes are not frowned upon but accepted and encouraged. Some involve such extremes as telling your partner that you are pregnant or filling a bottle of shampoo with hair dye. Where others take are a little more placid approach such as hiding ones reading glasses or car keys. Some view the holiday as a celebration of the turn of the seasons, where others believe it comes from the adoption of the new calendar. Regardless of it's origin, the 1st of April is a time of fun and mischief. Below are some famous well-known pranks pulled throughout history, some performed by television stations, and others by fast food restuarant chains. Enjoy!

Left Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side. Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger.

Change of Drinking Age: On the Gold Coast, Australia's biggest tourist destination (particularly amongst schoolies), radio station Sea FM announced the drinking age would be changed from 18 to 21. This left a huge number of under-21s angry and frustrated, and incited protests. It was later announced at the Sea FM dance party that it was a hoax.

In April 2006, the "Best Damn Sports Show Period" staged a fight between Tom Arnold and Michael Strahan. On Friday March 31st the show went off the air as Tom Arnold was wrestling NY Giant's defensive end Michael Strahan to the ground over comments Tom made in a tell-all book. Strahan pretended to be very hurt by screaming and clutching his shoulder as the cameras cut to black. It fooled cast members Rodney Peete and Rob Dibble enough to have them intervene in the fight. Rodney Peete went so far as to give Tom rabbit punches while he broke up what he thought was a real fight. It also worked enough to fool the popular internet site "deadspin.com" into reporting it as a real event.

Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi to the "Biblical value" of 3.0. This claim originally appeared as a news story in the 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.

Google Hoaxes:
gDay
Google announces gDay in Australia (http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/gday/press.html), a new beta search technology that will search web pages 24 hours before they are created.

Dajare
Google launches Dajare in Japan (google.co.jp), with the mission of "organizing the world’s laughter."

Google Summer of Code Licenses
Google changed the licenses on the SoC pages to all be "WTF Public License, Version 2"

source: Wikipedia

Don't Waste Time

One year ago yesterday, my friends and I lost a dear friend of our's to leukemia. Before Gaetano (Guy) passed away, my brother would call me constantly asking to go home with him and visit Guy in the hospital. At the time, Guy had gone in and out of remission many times. It seemed like his cancer would come back for a few months, and then go away. My brother would leave on Wednesdays and Thursdays to go home and return to school Monday. I guess I figured he would fight throught it and get better like he always has. Plus, I was in my last two semesters of school and had lab on Mondays, and I couldn't afford to miss those kind of days... or so I thought.

The last time he called me, was the last time any one of us saw Guy take a breath.

My brother had left for home on a Tuesday and called me to see if I was going to go up to Milwaukee and visit with him. Sadly enough, I was already on my way back home with two friends to attend the wake of my best friend's father. I was going to be home and figured I would drive up there tomorrow to meet them and pay Guy a visit.

I get a call later in the day saying that any efforts of mine to make it to the hospital for a visit, would now be in vain. Guy had closed his eyes for the last time and went forever to sleep.

We had known Guy for 10 years, ever since he moved into the area, and have been friends with him. Now, I didn't even get the chance to say a last goodbye, or crack a typical joke with him. Although I do find comfort in knowing that he is not suffering anymore and has a much better life now.

His funeral was a beautiful one. Friends attended that I hadn't seen since high school. I hate for these to be the circumstances under which to be reunited with them, but it was good seeing everyone again. Some of these people were my BEST friends in high school, and for whatever reason we lost contact over the years.

The next weekend was Easter, and to everyone's shock, there was yet another funeral to attend. Another one of my friend's fathers had passed away. I wasn't sure what was going on. Three funerals in 10 days?!

Don't Waste Time
I have learned more in the past year, or at least in that span of 10 days, than I have in all my years of school. More about life, love, friendship, family, and cherishing time, that is. As I said earlier, I was reunited with good high school friends at Guy's funeral. It took my four years to rekindle friendships with these wonderful people. Why? I wish I knew. That's four years of memories, experiences, laughs, tears, that I will never get back. These people are my best friends once again, and for the past year we have spent every weekend together because we now know how much we mean to one another.

Don't waste time. You can't waste this time with the people you love. You never know when God is going to want your father or best friend to hang out with Him in Heaven, instead of here on Earth. I have realized that you have to go out on a Tuesday if you work on Wednesday. Take a three hour car ride to visit your friend at school. Send them a random call or email, I promise they won't think you are weird and will enjoy it. Don't hold grudges, life is too short and has too much meaning for that, especially if you are good friends. Tell people you love them. I know this is all very cliche, but it is true. We all had to learn the hard way.

I think Ferris Bueller said it best, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I'm not listening...

I don't understand why some people don't get the fact that you are not, have no intention, of listening to them?

I have a colleague at work who has this problem. First, she proceeds to come up to me at my computer and start talking about how some guy invited her to dinner on her birthday, yet it is only a "friendly dinner." She doesn't want him to think that if she goes to eat with him, it means something more. Can she not see that I am busy working and don't have time to stop and give her a response to a question that I don't know how to answer?! So I take a few seconds before I mumble some crappy advice, while I am still typing, in hopes she will get the idea that I am not interested. Nope, doesn't work. She goes on and continues about how they went out once before and she wasn't dressed appropriately to get into the club, but did so because she knows the doorman. Again, I nod and pretend to acknowledge her statement, in hopes she will find her way away from my desk. Nothing. She goes on again, and this time I ignore her completely , pretending to be deeply concentrated on my task at hand. Finally she gets it and says "I don't know what to do and walks away."

Phew she's gone. I can get back to my work and not pretend I am suffering through an episode of Dr. Phil. Ha, do you think my luck would last that long? 20 minutes later she comes back with news that he sent her an email saying that he understands the dinner is completely mutual and there are no feelings involved. Once again, she sticks around for 10-15 minutes sharing details and stories that I have no interest in before departing to annoy someone else for the day.

I have no problem giving advice and helping someone with a problem, but it's all about timing. Come find me at lunch, or in the gym and we can talk for two hours for all I care. It's just when I am doing my thing, in my zone, I don't want to be distracted.

New blog idea... "Tips on How to Tell if Someone is Ignoring You Because They Are Not Interested in What You Have to Say..."