Still going strong without smoking!

Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times (with apologies to Mark Twain). This time it has been several months and we are still going strong. 

There are two keys that have helped make quitting a success this time. 

1. This time two of us quit together. For the first time, my wife decided to quit. 

2. The electric cigarette. We used two types - the Puffaway first, later the Twisp. Both are overpriced in South Africa. Both are good. The Twisp is better. The batteries and atomisers on either are not very robust. 

We have now reached the point where we can go without anything for many hours and probably indefinitely. I, for one, am too scared to go back to smoking. The cardiologist warned me that most of his patients were smokers. The other scary factor was seeing an x-ray of my lungs. 

I have seen too many people suffering and dying as a result of smoking. 

At long last we are no longer slaves to tobacco!

On the cloud computing - advantages, risks and issues

The advantages
On the cloud computing simply means computing on the Internet. For a small to medium sized enterprise, cloud computing presents a wonderful hassle free alternative. Cloud computing can also represent a great opportunity for personal computing.
The big advantage of cloud computing is that you don't need to maintain your own server or network. All that you really need is good fast broadband access to the Internet. The hosting service provider will do everything else.
It doesn't matter where you are. You simply need to log onto the Internet to access your data and your systems. You don't even need a laptop when you travel.
The hosting service takes over all your computing needs. It hosts your systems and stores your data. It takes care of backups and security.
This idyllic solution to your computing needs does of course depend on the quality of your service provider and that is where the risks and problems begin.
The risks
The first issue is security. Hackers have managed to hack their way through the most formidable firewalls. They have broken into the computer systems of major banks and even the Department of Defence.
A Web hosted service is just that much more at risk. What kind of security does your service provider offer? Is the data encrypted? Are all your staff using strong passwords?
The next question is reliability. Even Google has been known to have down-time. A Microsoft server failed while being upgraded and data was lost. How good are the backups? If the system crashes during the day, will you be able to recover the work saved since the last back-up?
Finally, you should ensure that the hosting service will be able to provide for growth. Is the service able to cope on your busy days? Many businesses experience peaks of demand for a few days every month. Your hosting service must be able to cope comfortably with these.
What should I do?
Cloud computing is a viable solution for many types of business. Storing data centrally - whether personal of for business - makes a lot of sense. It means that your data is always secure and available.
But before you embark on a service for your business, find out exactly what is offered and what is not. How secure is your data, and what happens when there is a system failure? If the hosting service is unable to provide satisfactory answers, then it is time to look elsewhere.

Competitive parenting

Competitive parenting is similar to keeping up with the Jones's. Perhaps it can even be seen as keeping ahead of them. The children of the family play a part in building the parents' self-esteem and social standing. Perhaps the parents themselves have not been as successful as they would have hoped. The children can help make up for that. 
Read More ...

There are three major differences between renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources are free, they do not deplete the earth's resources and they do not contribute to the pollution of the planet. By contrast, non-renewable resources cost money and are becoming increasingly expensive. Non-renewable resources use-up the the earth's resources and are major contributors to pollution and global warming. Read more ...

The Great Depression II

Forget about all the talk of recession. According to a number of the world's leading economists, we are now living through the second Great Depression. After a brief respite, the world's economies are set to plummet.

As long ago as 1997, British economist Fred Harrison predicted the current crisis. He places the blame on the prevalence of land and property speculation. The scenario painted in The Fred Harrison Blog is not a pretty one, but is one that must be taken seriously. Governments could fall, unemployment could rise dramatically and a depression could ultimately lead to World War III. Unfortunately, governments are not listening.

David Rosenberg has already declared that the US economy is in a state of depression. Rather than improve, the situation is likely to get worse. Already, the July 2010 statistics show a 27% fall in the sale of real estate in the US - the worst fall ever recorded. Rosenberg believes that there has not been a recovery at all and that the worst is still to come.

Arthur Laffer, well known for the "Laffer Curve" that illustrates that lower tax rates can produce more revenue than higher tax rates, believes that the US will head into full scale depression once the Bush tax cuts expire in 2011. He cites the record and unsustainable levels of debt as being central to the collapse of the great economies of the world.

Other economists have joined the trend, naming the current crisis as The Great Depression II.

There can be little doubt that the policies being followed in the UK and Europe are likely to cause hige increases in unemployment and possibly even deflation. By the same token, the US fiscal rescue package is not being put to use or is being used in ways that will not stimulate the economy or produce jobs.

In the meantime, it seems that we are all aboard a sinking ship that is sinking fast.

Smoking - a real killer & how to quit

I went for a general check-up yesterday morning. I was sent for chest xrays because I had been a smoker for so long. The xrays show very dark areas that should be my lungs. It reveals obstructed airways and the possible beginnings of emphysema. 

The doctor was not totally happy with the ECG, so this morning involved a journey to the cardiologist. Electrodes were placed all over me and my blood pressure was taken as ECG readings were taken. An ECG or electro-cardiogram measures the electrical impulses of the heart. These are placed in all sorts of positions surrounding the heart so that any damage can be detected. 

The next step was to get onto the treadmill. It started out as a fast stride. Every few minutes the speed increased until it was just too fast to walk and I had to break into a jog. I watched as the lines on the graph became more and more hectic. Eventually, I began to run out of breath. I found that I was less fit than I had thought. 

I was asked about chest pains and other signs that could indicate a problem. 

Next can an ultrasound scan. I saw my heart beating away. The scan showed the four chambers. 

Eventually, I was allowed to dress and speak to the cardiologist. Much to my relief, my heart is fine. The cardiologist told me to stick with the non-smoking. He told me that smokers are the people that keep him in business, and that it is not only heart problems that are caused by smoking. 

It is now close on two weeks since I had my last real cigarette. I have been smoking an e-cigarette for about a month and this has been the most amazing way to stop smoking. 

Like Mark Twain, I have given up smoking hundreds of times. I have tried nicotine chewing gums, Wellbutrin, and other methods. The big difference now is that my wife was also willing to quit using the e-cigarettes. 

I purchased one of these as a major pharmacy chain. It worked. Then a colleague introduced me to the Twisp. This is an e-cigarette made by a European company called Janty. It produces a far superior smoke with a smooth and rich taste. 

The e-cigarettes consist of three parts - a battery, an atomiser and a cartridge that holds the liquid. The atomiser transforms the liquid into vapour. The e-cigarette does not produce smoke or secondary smoke. It does have some nicotine, but not the thousands of other chemicals and tar contained in normal cigarettes. 

Seeing the xrays of my lungs has reinforced the decision to quit. Now that both my wife and I have quit, it will be for good. The secret is to do it one day at a time. 

I must return for more tests in about six weeks - to see the difference after being free of cigarettes for that time. 

Materialism

The western obsession with materialism has led to the raw display of greed on an unprecedented scale. It was greed on a vast scale that precipitated the sub-prime crisis and subsequent collapse of banks, insurance and investment companies. This financial misadventure has now led the world into a deep recession. All of this has happened in the unrestrained pursuit of wealth. This is materialism in its most vulgar form. Investment bankers pursued quick money without regard for the underlying value of the investments. No-one noticed that the underlying value of these investments was a mere fraction of the prices at which they had been trading.

The only way that such a catastrophe can occur is through the unleashing of pure naked greed. Many people trying to enrich themselves. The investment had been producing unbelievable returns. A real get rich quick scheme and who cares why the performance is so good. The investment could be leveraged to the bulk of its value. It became possible to earn phenomenal returns with virtually no investment of your own.

The stock exchange boom leading to the 1929 crash has some remarkable similarities. Shares were trading at values that bore no relation to the underlying values. Prices were increasing merely because of the massive demand. Banks jumped on the bandwagon and were quick to lend money to finance these investments. Many grew rich very quickly, often with other people's money.

In either case the bubble had to burst sooner or later. In both cases it was later. The fundamental problem was that assets were being traded at many times their underlying value. No-one looked at the fundamentals. The dream was the reality.

Materialism in its purest form is the pursuit of wealth and material goods above all else. Spiritual, philosophical and other values fall by the wayside in the pursuit of material goods.

In the western economies of the 1950's a middle-class family could live quite comfortably on a single income. Not so in the nineties and the first few years of the twenty-first century. Maintaining their standard of living often came to mean a two income family with the frequent addition of a second job by one of the primary bread winners. Feeding the family had become much more difficult than it was for the equivalent fifties family.

One of the main differences is that the modern family has much more in terms of material goods. During the fifties one television per household was enough. Only a minority of families had more than one car. IPods, cell phones, computers were not household items. People saved for expensive items and used credit much more sparingly.

Many of the items that have become today's necessities were luxury items in the past. The modern world demands one cell phone per person, one car per driver, a television set for each room, the latest in kitchen and bathroom design - the list goes on.

Unlike spiritual wealth, the novelty of material wealth wears off very quickly. No sooner has the latest gadget, accessory or appliance been acquired that the excitement and interest wanes and another new item is sought. The purpose of materialism is simply the accumulation of more and more goods.

The reasons for a materialistic outlook are frequently competitive, a question of keeping up with the Joneses. People evaluate their financial and material status based on what they don't have. The absence of a plasma TV or spa bath causes a sense of inferiority and low self-worth. Many materialistic individuals may see things very differently if they simply compared themselves to those that are worse off.

One definition of a person that is wealthy is one that is content with what he has. In this definition, a truly materialistic person will never be wealthy. There is always the lack of something that must be pursued.

Unfettered materialism can be quite destructive at a personal level. Many work for twelve or more hours per day. They spend many months away from their families. They subject themselves to huge amounts of stress.

The basic material needs of Homo sapiens are really quite modest - food, shelter clothing, education and healthcare. Anything else is a bonus. But few realise just how much they actually have. If they did, then there would be many more wealthy people populating the world.