Saturday Night Classic Music Video

I nearly forgot about this one:

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Friday Fast Facts

I'm not going to be doing this EVERY Friday....

But this week I am.


Via: Online Schools


Oh and let me be the last to wish you a Happy Friday the 13th, which isn't really scary, unless you are a pig.

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Thanks to Bob who pointed me to this yesterday. Your suggestions are always welcome. Contact me via email, twitter or facebook.

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What Women REALLY Want in the Bedroom

At least those between the ages of 46 and 64.

These are the Boomers, and according to Mediapost:

I Want My HGTV

What do sex, independence, tech savviness and HGTV have in common? All scored big in our new survey on mature consumer behavior and decision-making, as it relates to purchasing personal technology and consumer electronics.

Among the findings, Boomers report more independent purchase behavior than previous generations, many mature consumers self-identify as being tech-savvy, and Boomer women report the important role technology plays in their lives.

Several compelling lifestyle findings have emerged, among them:

• A TV in the bedroom is more important than regular sex for Boomer women: Women's interest in sex is linked to and parallels their feelings about their relationship. Sex was ranked more important to men regardless of how they ranked their feelings of closeness toward their partner. In response to the question, "What would you not be willing to give up?," both Boomer and Generation Ike female respondents said it was "television in the bedroom" versus the males' top response that it was "sex on a regular basis."

This finding comes on the heels of a new report by vibrantnation.com, challenging the stereotypes of sex and the older woman, and showing women taking control of their sexual lives. Arianna Huffington has said, "Sleep is the new sex," and has asserted, "Simply getting more sleep was the one thing that could improve the status of all women in [America]." Just last week, in a joint report by The New York Times and the "Today" show, we learned that 25% of couples sleep in separate bedrooms or beds; the National Association of Home Builders expects that by 2015 60% of custom homes will have dual master bedrooms. It seems like the sexual revolution has run headlong into "I Love Lucy."

• • Boomers report more independent purchase behavior: Boomers within a couple/spousal relationship report more independent purchase behavior, which is much different from mature consumers of the past -- the Ike and WWII generational cohorts. The more independent acting (with separate bank and retirement accounts) the Boomer partners are, the more money they spend without consulting each other. This is notable in product categories such as electronics.

Ten years ago, when we were targeting the WWII cohort for financial services products and housing, we talked to couples as a unit, frequently talking to the male head of household with a nod to the wife's influence. Part of this shift is due to the financial power of Boomer women. They have something their foremothers didn't have -- access to education, opportunities and careers. The balance of household power has shifted.

These results help us understand whether couples are really shopping for big-ticket items together or acting as individual consumers, particularly in categories traditionally considered male-dominated such as gaming and electronics. Consider that not that long ago, a family purchased a desktop computer to be shared by a household. Now individual family members control their own decisions regarding smartphones, laptops and tablet computers.

Markets must recognize the opportunity they may be missing by not speaking to women, or by assuming "household behavior" versus individual spending.

Our survey report, "Mature Consumer Behavior and Purchase Decisions on Consumer Electronics and Personal Technology Products," is available for download at the blog, Boomers in the Wild.

Lori Bitter is president of Continuum Crew, an integrated communications firm focused on engaging mature consumers, which she launched following the closure of JWT BOOM, a leading mature market advertising and marketing company.

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Caffeine Free?

I remember when I had my first drink of coffee as an adult. I was 21 years old, working an overnight shift at a radio station and I was beat.

The guy working on another station in the building would drink a pot of coffee every night by himself, while I was a Pepsi guy.

That first cup, led to another the next time I needed a boost, and I've had caffeine in my blood stream ever since!

These days, Diet Mt. Dew is my usual source, and I have around 24 cans left, but I think I'll start this plan I found on the DLM Blog recently:

How to Give Up Coffee and Caffeine Altogether

Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:03 PM PDT

A few of the original readers of DLM may remember my article about quitting smoking. Well, after hearing that my father-in-law gave up coffee and caffeine 8 months ago and how it's impacted him, I decided to do the same.

Exactly 60 days ago I began the quest and for the last 30 days I have been caffeine-free. To put this into context a little, you should know that I drank at least a full pot (12 cups) of coffee per day. I never drank soda; for me it was coffee and I have been slurping it down for over 15 years. Oh yeah, the bean hooked me...bad.

Many may think that this addiction was a side effect from my abnormal but productive sleep schedule. I thought the same, however I was proven wrong. If anything, I am WAY more productive without the highs and lows that caffeine brings.

So here is how I did it, step-by-step.

HOW TO QUIT CAFFEINE
Before you really make the choice to quit an addiction, you must first understand the reasoning. If you are simply doing it because DLM said it works, you are going to fail.

In humans, caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks enjoy great popularity; caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but unlike most other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions. In North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine daily. - Wikipedia

So we already get a glimpse into the fact that caffeine messes with you. Are there any naysayers? My personal choice to quit was because I hated the constant need for a pick-me-up. I wasn't twitching each time I passed a Starbucks or anything crazy like that, however, I honestly felt a major energy drain as the hours passed by each day. Grabbing some coffee was always the quick fix. In my opinion, any time you need to consume something as a quick fix, you have a problem.

So, let's wean ourselves off. These steps will get you off coffee, Mountain Dew, or any caffeine-laden drink that you are hooked on.

• Reasons: What are the reasons? I explained mine but really what are the reasons you want to quit? Are your teeth brown as bark, do you have coffee breath? Your reasons are personal so don't rely on me to tell you what to do and why.


• The count: As a baseline, you have to identify how much caffeine you are drinking today. Is it 9 Mountain Dews, a pot of coffee, or 16 Cokes? This baseline count will be your indicator of improvement.


• The Wean: If you are drinking 5 cups of coffee per day, start by replacing 1 cup with a caffeinated tea. Yes, you read that right. I am all for slow transitions and the taste alone is enough of a change in the beginning. I did this for 3 days and then each day after, I replaced another cup of coffee for a cup of caffeinated tea. It took a while, but soon I was drinking all tea.
  
  There are 90 different teas on the market so experiment a little and find something you really like. The key is to find a brand or flavor that comes in decaffeinated and caffeinated varieties. This process will be SO much easier if you actually like the taste of the replacement. You should also be aware of the varying health benefits of tea as you choose a replacement beverage.
  


• The De-Caffeinization: Yes, I made up that word but this is where we really start making some chemical changes. Using the process I mentioned above, start replacing the caffeinated tea with decaf tea. This is why I told you to pick a brand with both varieties. The taste will remain the same, but the caffeine is obviously going to decrease.


• DON'T Change your sleep: During this entire process, it is critical that you don't make changes to your sleep schedule. If you currently take power naps at 1:00, keep doing it. You don't want to replace caffeine with sleep, you want to get rid of the need for a supplement altogether.

As mentioned, this approach can be used with any caffeine drink you are hooked on and it doesn't have to be replaced with tea. Drink water, flavored water, or anything with a 0% caffeine content.

So that is how I did it. Now I will mention the effects:

• I am never groggy. I have the same energy at 1:00PM as I do at 6AM or 4PM. This is THE largest benefit by far.


• I don't have coffee breath and I can actually still taste my toothpaste at 11AM when I brushed at 6.


• Stress and anxiety have plummeted although I took on more assignments at work. I am simply not as edgy.
  


• I am asleep within 5 minutes each night


• My blood pressure is perfect now. It had previously been a little high.


• I don't seem to get as many headaches. In the past, I would get 2-3 headaches per week and take some Advil. Now, it's down to 2 times per month.

So that's my story. I am caffeine-free and yes it was difficult. I think the toughest thing was making the tea and finding a flavor that I liked. However, once I got over those hurdles it was simple and I am glad that I did it. The key is planning.

- Jay

Originally written in 2007 by me, Jay White, the founder of Dumb Little Man and an all around average guy. Republished in 2010 because I'm craving caffeine!!

Photo Credit: emdot

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Tech Tuesday Tip

I have a co-worker who is pretty tech-savvy, however yesterday I discovered that they were using Microsoft's Internet Explorer as their one and only web-browser.

So, let's get down to basics here.

Unless your computer is an Apple brand, or a Mac, you probably were told to click on the blue icon and you could visit the World Wide Web.

That's because Internet Explorer is pre-loaded on nearly all computers that are Windows based.

The problem with being so popular is that there are others who are trying to take you down.

There are hackers and other "bad guys" who are looking for vulnerabilities in Microsoft programs that they can exploit, and since Internet Explorer is the most commonly used program to go online, that's where they focus their activities.

Every Tuesday Microsoft issues "Patches" or fixes to their programs which you should download and install in most cases to keep your computer safe and secure.

However, I have noticed that these are less frequent than they used to be. Maybe it's because I am one step behind Microsoft. I have Windows Vista on my laptop not their latest version which is called Windows 7.

There are several alternative ways to go online, and these alternative browsers are free.

FireFox is my default browser. That's the second icon. Click here to go to their website and install it on your computer.

Another popular newcomer is from the folks at Google. They call it Chrome. That's the third icon. Click here to go to their website and install it on your computer.

Generally speaking, Firefox and Chrome are safer to use than Internet Explorer and they have all the bells and whistles, sometimes more, than Explorer.

I have all three installed on my laptop. The only time I use Explorer is when a website that I'm visiting does not function properly in Firefox, which these days is very rare.

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Video Time: Don't Text & Drive

I admit, I'll catch a NASCAR race on a Sunday afternoon every once in awhile.

Here's why:

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7 from Dale

A few years ago, I took the 13 week Dale Carnegie course that was offered in our town as did most of our sales and management staff at the time.

One thing about it though, you have to be committed to following what you learn, which will pay off in all of your relationships.

This is from the DLM Blog:

7 Must Read Success Lessons from Dale Carnegie

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 05:11 AM PDT

Dale Carnegie was a famous lecturer and writer as well as the developer of very popular courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, interpersonal skills, and public speaking.

Dale wrote the first book I ever read (that I wasn’t required to read). The book was titled “How to Win Friends & Influence People.” I read the book when I was about 11 years old; this book was an incredible bestseller, and an amazing read.

Although born in poverty on a farm in Missouri, Dale Carnegie managed to become quite successful.

Dale authored popular books such as “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” and “Lincoln the Unknown,” as well as several other books.

One of my favorite principles that he taught was that it’s possible to change other people’s behavior towards you by changing your reaction towards them. Give that some deep thought , apply it, and it alone can change your life. But there's more to consider.

With that, let’s look at seven success lessons from Dale Carnegie.

7 Must Read Success Lessons from Dale Carnegie:

1. Inaction Breeds Fear
   
   

   "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

   
   Get busy today! If you have a good idea, put it to the test. Inaction breeds further inaction, and action breeds further action. One thing is sure: if you’re going to succeed, you’re going to have to take massive action, so get busy today!


2. Make Good Use of Your Time
   
   

   "Instead of worrying about what people say of you; why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.”

   
   Spending time thinking about how people perceive you is a vast waste of valuable time. Concentrate your time in making a difference, and people will surely admire you.


3. Failure is the Stepping Stone to Success
   
   

   “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

   
   Often those with the greatest defeats also have the greatest victories. You must use discouragement and failure as tools to move you from the pit to the palace.


4. We Determine Our Happiness
   
   

   "Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions; it is governed by our mental attitude.”

   
   Happiness is a decision; it is not based on what’s going on around us. It’s based solely on what’s going on inside of us. Our happiness is based on the thoughts that we choose to give our attention to; the thoughts that we choose to harbor. Dale Carnegie said, “It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”


5. Remember That Everything You Do Sends a Message
   
   

   "There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.”

   
   Everything you do sends a message. The way you dress sends a message, the way you comb your hair sends a message.
   
   Determine the message you want to send to the world, and then package yourself to ensure that message is being sent. Send a message of success and the world will receive it.


6. Do What You Enjoy
   
   

   "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”

   
   If you want to succeed, don’t do it for the money. Money is not a sufficient enough motivation to pull you over the many hurdles that are requisite for you to achieve success. If you want to succeed, spend your time doing what you enjoy. This way, when you succeed, you will enjoy your success.


7. Take a Chance
   
   

   "The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.”

   
   You have to take chances! You have to sometimes risk being embarrassed or risk failure in order to succeed.
   
   Success requires everything that you are; you have to put it all out there. Dare to be different, dare to succeed. Carnegie said, “We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do.” But if you never dare, you will never know your potential.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Written on 8/2/2010 by Mr. Self Development who is a motivational author that offers a practical guide to success and wealth; support him by visiting his blog at mrselfdevelopment.com or by subscribing to his feed.

Photo Credit: Life

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