thorne

Have you read any of Michael Pollan's books? I read The Omnivore's Dilemma and it was really interesting...he creates four different meals and talks about the history and such behind them. You really see how food comes from the earth and gets onto your plate. In some cases, it makes you want to stop eating crap! But he argues that we have come to the point where we are no longer eating food but rather nutrients. We buy processed products meant to deliver protein or vitamins or whatever instead of eating whole foods, the way they were meant to be consumed. This is where our nutritional imbalances begin; if we simply stuck to eating a variety of nutritious, whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, we would get most of the nutrients we needed without supplementation.

I've been aware that I was dreaming at times; usually it happens when something really absurd or strange happens in a dream and I question whether it's really possible or not. Then I realize that I'm only dreaming. I haven't really learned how to control it yet, so I can't say if there are any real techniques for accomplishing it. I read somewhere that one thing you can do is concentrate on the fact that you want to be aware of your dream before you go to bed. If you keep doing this, eventually, during one of your dreams, you may realize that you're only dreaming.

"Don't Make Me Think!" by Steve Krug is an excellent book about creating well-designed user interfaces. It doesn't cover pretty design so much as functionality, but you really should be considering the latter before you make it fancy. Once you know how you want things laid out, organized, etc., it becomes easier to focus on the design. Plus, the book is heavy on illustrations, so you can get some inspiration looking at how other pages are set up.When I first started learning web design, I studied other pages and noted what things looked good (simplicity, cleanness, etc.) and what things didn't. Then I made a bunch of design templates in photoshop and set them to code. I am not an artist, and I don't have any formal training in photoshop or digital art. But there are several tricks you can learn which allow even someone like me to create a decent looking site that clearly wasn't built from someone else's template.

Very good tips! I find that keeping busy so that your mind is not on food makes it easier to prevent overeating. And when you start to feel hungry, having a good, nutritious meal or snack is a good way to prevent the hunger from building until you can't control it. Sometimes too, you aren't really hungry; just a glass of cold water will make the "hunger" go away. I also like to brush my teeth after eating; that keeps me from putting anything in my mouth until it's time for the next meal.

I don't know if you can "become" Hindu; from what I've heard, you have to be born into the caste system. I agree though that it seems bery interesting, and I like the idea of karma in both religions. I love Buddhism's emphasis on simplicity and freeing oneself from pain/desire. I think that in today's hectic world, that sort of attitude could be of huge benefit to many people.Have you read Herman Hesse's book Siddhartha? It's quite interesting, and will give you some insight on Buddhism.

I view creationaism as ancient people's attempt to explain how we got here, something we've always wanted to know. But we never can truly know how everything came to be the way it is, because we weren't there to see it happen. Instead, all we can do is use the evidence around us and create theories of how it might have all come to be. I view Darwinism as kind of a modern creationism in the sense that it is a more modern way of understanding the beginning of things. It is what I believe because currently, that is what the evidence seems to support. But this does not mean that it is correct, and another theory may come in the future which better explains the things that Darwinism tries to explain. I am not adverse to any such theory; if it is well substiated, it may seem plausible.Considering this, creationsim is not as plausible given what we know. The earth was created in 6 days...why 6? How do we know this? Where is the evidence? In ancient times, people had only their myths to explain things; science was not evolved yet. But now that we have more objective scientific methods, it would be absurd to ignore them on the basis that it goes against a tradition. It is only in breaking traditions and customs that we can advance.

I've also used w3schools a lot...my friend recommended it to me when I was first learning PHP. For that language though, I find the php.net site is much more comprehensive (of course). I also like the site htmlgoodies.com as a reference for html/css/basic cgi related stuff.In terms of books offering good web building information, I like anything published by O'Reilly. The cookbooks are particularly interesting; it was how I got into Perl.

I read that early puberty could be caused by the fact that the average weight has dramatically increased. A girl won't hit puberty if her body doesn't think she can handle carrying a child; its first priority is itself. Hence, starving women can lose their periods, etc. If a girl is overweight, then clearly resources are available for her to support a fetus, so her body may be triggered into beginning puberty earlier than it otherwise would have.

I find running is a great stress reliever as well. It's not exactly relaxing, but it lets you vent your stress, and then if you take some quiet time to sit and think afterward, it's quite wonderful.I like a good, hot cup of tea when I'm stressed. Or I meditate if I'm at home. The dorm is usually too loud, plus I can't relax well in the presence of my high-strung roommate :-/ There, I just read.

Being sick makes me really irritable...it's as if all my senses are amplified and the slightest annoyance registers as some huge occurance. It's annoying, and I also like to stay away from people when I'm sick, both because I want to keep it confined and because I treat others like crap at the slightest irritation. It makes sense though that we should be more irritable when ill, since we need to take really good care of ourselves in order to get better. The irritability will make us more likely not to do anything that will make the illnes worse.I find that some hot tea or a nice nap do wonders, and I use sickness as an excuse to kick back with a good book, something I would definitely like to do more often.

Now that magazines offer so much online content, I don't purchase them anymore. But I used to subscribe to Popular Science and Science News.

I use a Google product search to find my textbooks...I've gotten most of them for less than half the cover price. I've also just discovered paperbackswap.com where you can request books that other members have posted and receive them in the mail for free (you also post your books, and when members request them, you mail them out and receive credits to get books). Not everything is there, but they have a huge selection which you can search and see if someone has what you need.I had a friend who would check the textbook out of the library all semester. This wouldn't work if someone else reserved it, and it's probably an old edition of the book, but I find that the previous edition is pretty close to the current one anyway usually.

Recently, my favorite books have been non-fiction, particularly in psychology. Ever since I took a course in this subject, I've been fascinated by it. In terms of fiction, I like anything that allows you to really get to know and "befriend" the main character(s). I like to see how people change during certain events.I agree with "everything" though. All types of books are good

In terms of cookbooks, I don't read them cover to cover but I occasionally read about a certain technique or type of food if I'm interested. I like to read pop non-fiction like Freakonomics and The Tipping Point...they deliver information but are not nearly as dry as a textbook. Any book that covers some area I'm at least mildly interested in, I'll usually at least try to read.

I can't seem to ever read enough! It's hard to choose just 5 books as my favorites, but I'd say it would be these:1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ the whole series, but that would be more than 5 books)3. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman4. The Atoms of Language by Mark Baker5. Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstader (still working on this one, but it has me quite entranced so I'm including it anyway)I guess it's quite an eclectic list.

EditPlus is a really good free text editor; it colors the code as you write it so you can easily see if you've made a mistake. Same with my favorite text editor, Vim. It's a UNIX program but I think it's available for Windows and Mac also. It has a steep learning curve but once you get used to it, it's quite powerful and fast.

I like them with tomatoes, red peppers, onions, and spinach. Sometimes I add a little feta or blue cheese if it's lying around.

Studies never "prove" anything...they just offer evidence which supports certain claims. While there are studies that suggest that artificial sweetners may cause cancer, there are others that suggest they do not. So there is not definite answer. Common sense supports what ckcomputerstallahassee was saying: artifical things probably aren't that good for us. From a biological standpoint, we evolved to deal with/thrive on the natural elements around us, we are built for them. But these new, artifical things are something we may not be equipped for, and our bodies don't know how to react. We can't predict what will happen, we can only wait and see.I think of artificial sweetners as almost equivalent to sugar in the sense that they are probably harmless in moderation, but overdoing it will have consequences. Too much sugar puts you at risk for obesity related illnesses (one of which, they are finding out, is a higher risk of cancer), and too much diet soda might cause cancer.Just drink water. Water's good for you. And it's refreshing

The thing with high intensity exercise is that you have to be extra careful not to overdo it. It's much easier to overtax your body doing higher intensity than at a more mediocre pace. I think interval training is great for people who know what they are doing and are serious about getting fit. Those who are still in the beginning stages of an exercise plan should be careful though and probably stick to one of the "boring" cardio routines until they are more experienced.

I agree sleeping pills should always be a last resort...I find that when I take them, I'm so groggy and out of it the next day that it's almost as if I had just spent the night awake. For me, what helps me get to sleep is a little high carb snack: usually a bowl of air-popped popcorn, and a nice, relaxing book. I also like to keep the temperature in my room down to just below comfortable because it slows my body down and makes it easier to fall asleep. I avoid computer/television screen light; I don't like the stimulus of tv anyway right before I go to bed.

I definitely need 7-8 hours a night; even losing one or two hours makes me zombie-like. I'm pretty active though and run every day, so my body needs all the rest it can get

Good tips! Going along with number 8, foods high in "good" starch like popcorn or potatoes are said to help too, and even turkey (haven't tried that one...) Also, I find that a cool temperature slows my body down and helps me fall asleep faster. It also helps to avoid bright lights and screen light from computers or television about an hour or so before going to sleep.

Yikes...what a sticky issue!I definitely see abortion as one of those case-by-case things; that you cannot label is bad or good unless you are judging it in context. People who sleep around carelessly and then just go have abortions to undo their behavior: this I don't agree with. But a woman who is not financially, emotionally, or physically able to carry, give birth to, and raise a child, who knows this and takes precautions but still finds herself pregnant, should be allowed the option to abort it if that's really what she believes is best. It's not fair to the child to say "you have to live in a world where you won't be wanted," and it's not fair to the mother to force her into such a dramatically altered life.Everyone has their own vision of whether abortion is ethical or not, and I think everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion. It's not "wrong" or "bad" to believe one way or the other if you can thoroughly justify it in a way that lines up with your beliefs. What is wrong, however, is to force your beliefs on other people who may not agree with you. This is the problem that I have with many of the "pro-life" people. If you think abortion is wrong, fine. But that doesn't mean that you have the right to tell another woman, who feels she needs an abortion, that she cannot have one. In most cases, when you try to force your beliefs on others, it's accepted as inappropriate and out of line. I don't see why abortion would be any different; yes, it's controversial, but I still think the option should always remain open. Whether you think abortion is ethical or not will govern YOUR choice, should you need to make it, of whether to have one or not.

Indeed, you can't really generalize based on what school a person goes to. It's not really the student's choice; the parents are the ones paying for it, they decide. For awhile I too thought I hated private school people because I was jealous and didn't want to go to my crappy school, but when high school came around, many of my friends went off to private school. And they were still the same people.(But I remained jealous)

I think it's because Windows machines are more widely used, and people just like what they're familiar with. It's like how some people hate Linux; it's just different for them. I agree Macs have some nice things going for them, especially the interfaces; however, I have a PC because it makes my life easier; this way my work is more likely to be compatible with commonly used applications. The type of computer/operating system one uses just depends on the type of tasks they're doing and the work they need to complete.