Mindconnection eNL, 2018-02-04

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In this issue:
Good News | Product Highlight | Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Thought 4 the Day

Item 1. LG is building an appliance factory in Clarksville, TN. I don't know how big it will be, but I used to work in an appliance factory not far from there and that factory had three shifts of 1200 people each.

Item 2. The good news about the economy just keeps coming. The shift from a socialist dictatorship to a system that's more conducive to economic prosperity has increased -- surprise -- economic prosperity. There is still much to be done, such as ending the military-spending-corporate welfare-system.

My feline companion enjoys using hers to Skype people; it's right at her eye level when set on the floor. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate Cat-onese.

But it has over 30 common languages (people languages). It's very easy to use.

We have it on sale now in our Amazon store. Just click the picture at right for more information or to buy. See below for feature highlights.

• Speech to speech translation (no Internet required) for over 30 common languages; Language learning programs for most of them.
• Photo translator. Quickly snap a picture of any text you see and have it translated instantly, no Internet connection required.
  Extensive talking dictionary and phrasebook with human pronunciation; Talking picture dictionary with pronunciation for all words.
• Compatibility with Android OS; Hi-res screen
• Wi-Fi.
• Smart QWERTY physical and virtual keyboards.
• Speech input.
• Video player with AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP support.
• Voice Recorder; SDHC card support of up to 32 GB.

Available now, in our Amazon store.

Thinking is like that. Not just fear, but any kind of negative stimulus will fog your mind, slow down your thinking, and make it easier for you to be confused. Many people encounter this when confronted with something new. Instead of calmly looking at what's there and making sense of it, they panic. Two areas where I have seen this often happen are computer applications and assembly instructions.

Of course, the confidence must be earned. This is where many people go wrong. When the confidence is not earned, that's called hubris. And it's dangerous. Confidence must be based on a high level of competence, not self-delusion.

In martial arts, you learn techniques and sequences of techniques. You drill so that you can execute them flawlessly and reflexively. Then you drill so you can unleash the correct technique sequence in a given situation flawlessly and reflexively. By the time you're on your second or third black belt, you have earned the confidence that allows you to flawlessly perform in real-life situations.

With thinking, there are several approaches. You can (for example) embark on a study of logic and critical thinking, learning specific analysis techniques and practicing their application. That's a classic route taken by quants (people who work in quantitative fields). Another approach is to simply practice problem-solving (preferably in a guided manner, so you learn good habits instead of bad ones).

However you might earn the confidence to have no fear when thinking, earn it. Then when confronted with something novel or difficult, remember that you are trained for this.

I don't panic when I am confronted with a new system. And I have to learn new systems all the time, due to the complexity of my work. People who are supposed to train me in some system or another always remark how quickly I learn and how little input they had to give me. But that's because the typical trainee is panicking instead of confidently executing.

Sometimes when I am confronted with a new system, someone is assigned to walk me through it. I can see how this can make a person panic, as I feel pressured by this person. It's as if this person expects me to be thoroughly familiar with the system the first time I see it. I need a little time to orient myself. I actually prefer to figure out the system myself, because I gain understanding rather than memorize steps.

For example, an audio book site I was using went through a total redesign. I found it confusing. I could not figure out how to filter by genre and rights, or how to sort by title. The controls simply were not there. Fortunately, nobody was "guiding" me through this. So I wrote a whining complaint in Notepad, just to get all the angst out of my system. Then I went back into that site and calmly thought about where these clever site designers hide controls these days. Everything seemed so logical from that point forward. I was able to do what I needed to do, with no difficulty. Of course, I deleted my Notepad "pressure relief rant". Its only purpose was to get my negative emotions expressed and over with.

If something you normally use is on sale at 10% off and you buy a one year supply of it, this is like investing that same money in the stock market and making 10% profit except you don't pay 1040-system taxes on it. You still pay taxes, and not just sales tax. Most of the price of a product in the USA consists of embedded taxes.

Gee, if you make 10% with a one-year supply why not buy a 10 year supply to lock in that 10%? Many reasons, for example:

• The time value of money. Basically, the dollar, which is constantly being debauched, loses value over time.
• The cost of capital. This is something every MBA student studies. If you draw out the cash flows and then run an MIRR on the purchase, you'll find a very low rate of return for that 10 year period.
• You're locking up cash in an illiquid asset.
• Storage costs. For most people as consumers, this translates into clutter. In business, it's excess inventory and it's a recognized financial drain that sink a company.
• Durability of goods. Some things don't last long enough to justify a multi-year advance purchase. Buy a tube of grease and check it after 5 years, it's probably all leaked out.
• Storage requirements. You need to store these discount goods so that they don't rot or get eaten by varmints.
• Obsolescence danger. I bought 50 blank CDs many years ago, because the price had really come down. I still had about 40 of them until realizing I was better off throwing them away or donating them to charity (the charity may have thrown them away, anyhow). People have stocked up on 8 track tapes, VHS tapes, and all sorts of technology that soon went extinct.
• Really deep discounts tell you something about the product, and what you should be hearing is "Save some money, but do not stock up." Maybe the product is becoming obsolete, or maybe it's reaching its expiration date, or maybe it's so lousy nobody really wants it.
• Sales come along all the time! There's no reason to fear that this opportunity is your last chance ever to save money.

So don't stock up for more than the moderately foreseeable future. For example, if engine oil is on sale and you change oil twice a year then buying enough for two or three oil changes is probably right for you. Take advantage of sales, but don't let them take advantage of you.

Changing a secure password to a different password doesn't make you more secure. It just means you have a different password.

Here's another thing to think about. Why is the password such a big deal and the user name is not? You need both of them to log in. So your username can be something easily guessed, but your password must be at least 12 digits with an upper case letter, a special character, two numbers, and no keyboard sequences such as "1234" in them. But your user ID can be your name. That just makes no sense.

If these "experts" had actually done any thinking about this issue, they would have come up with something other than "change your password until it's one that has been hacked already".

Why not have a third authentication? For example, require two passwords. Or "double verification." Amazon Seller Central has "double verification" wherein they send a text to a number you have on file and it has a 6 digit code you must enter.

Why are the "experts" so fixated on changing passwords? They  believe the are addressing the "social engineering" problem. The theory is you've given it to someone else or someone else has watched you type it in. This person could eventually have evil thoughts toward you and decide to hack into your account. But if you change your password every six months you will thwart them! Yay!

Yet if you have an ATM card that 4 digit PIN may remain the same for 20 years or more. Has anyone's ATM account been password-hacked? Apparently not, because all  banks still use this 4-digit system. The same banks require a ridiculously complex password (simply user name is OK) that must be changed regularly.

So far, I haven't given you a tip. I've just exposed the irrationality of the password changing fixation. But the reason for it, the social engineering, is where a good tip comes in. Protect that password:

• Do not write it on Post-it notes. Those can make their way to other places, quite easily.
• Keep a log of passwords either on your passworded computer (or similar device) or in a locked diary-style notebook or similar paper repository.
• Use complex passwords. You could use the same one for non-critical things. But don't use the same password on, for example, all of your financial accounts (mutual funds, checking, credit cards). If one is compromised, they all are.
• Suggest to your bank or other institutions that they use something meaningful and effective, and explain to them why changing passwords is neither.

Question: How can you sort it all out?  

Answer: Why bother?

Much of this new stuff contradicts basic physiology. For example, the big thing right now seems to be "full body workouts." Those can only retard your progress. Why? If you need this explained, then you have never really trained.

The human body has not evolved to some new state over the past few decades, which is why "old school" works just as well today as it always has. The "old school" methods underlie the training programs of professional sports teams, Olympic gold medalists, and many other successful athletes.

Yes, there are some innovations. Old school does not mean fossilized. Old school means the principles of diet, training, and rest that not only are proven by a study of the physiology but are also proven by a study of the results its adherents achieve.

I watched "I Am Bolt", a documentary about a man who is widely recognized as not only the greatest living athlete but also as the greatest athlete who ever lived. His coach is old school. His training is old school.

If old school works so well, why do people seek some other way? One reason is all of the "experts" trying to stand out from the crowd by peddling some system that they've dreamed up or that they've gotten from someone else without questioning whether it will be safe, effective, and efficient.

Note those three attributes. All three must be present for a training system to be acceptable. Most training systems lack at least two of these attributes.

Examples:

• Momentum training (very fast movements) is unsafe. Bouncing the weight puts enormous force on the ligaments and other connective tissue. It also produces muscle tears, leaving you with weakened muscle.
• Low-weight, high-rep training is ineffective for producing strength and lowering body fat. Why? Because it trains your body to "go the distance," which means store fat and reduce muscle. It stimulates the endocrine system in the wrong direction.
• Lengthy training sessions are inefficient. People do them because they believe doing more of what's not working will work.

Top photo taken 16SEP2016, just days before 56th birthday; bottom photo taken 3 days after 56th birthday

• Eat foods that are nutrient-dense and calorie-sparse.
   
• Have a consistent bed time.
   
• Control the weight when lifting. Training is not something the weights do to you. It's something you do, using weights.
   
• Maximize muscle tension. Use your mind to squeeze the muscle(s) you're working, instead of relying on the weight to work them. If you don't do this, you are wasting your time.
   
• Break the range of motion into component exercises. Why? Gravity pulls in only one direction. You have to reposition the joint in relation to the earth. The rule is to work mid-range first (about 70% of arc, usually), then the full contraction position (about 15% of arc, usually), then the full contraction position (about 15% of arc, usually).
   
• Don't overtrain. More isn't better. Just right is just right, and exceeding this will start undoing your previous effort. People read about these "killer" workouts in muscle magazines and don't realize that the steroid users have actually shut off most of their endocrine system so they aren't stimulating any sort of adaptive response much less the negative one such workouts produce in the non-drugged. Unless you have a big drug budget, a 30 to 45 minute workout is the limit.
   
• Devote different training days to different muscle groups, allowing several days for a given group to rest before being subjected to more intense training. Some people argue about this concept, stating that since you're using some muscles in just about any workout the "rest them up" part makes no sense. It's relative. You rest them from the intense training you subjected them to. It doesn't mean don't use them.
   

FAQs:

• Do I need preworkout supplements? Answer: No. Almost none of them have anything in them to actually aid your workout, and most will actually impede your workout. Consume Beta-Alinine throughout the day and consume L-Arginine at most a few hours before your workout. Anything else is just a stimulant or a placebo or  it works against you.
   
• Do I need a post-workout shake? Answer: That's not a bad idea, but count it as one of your six daily small meals unless it's just an amino complex.
   
• Should I do cardio before weights or after weights? Answer: No. The best time to do cardio is absolutely never. Doing cardio at any other time will work against you. Note that so-called cardio does not strengthen your cardiovascular system but old school weight training does.
   
• Should I stretch before weights or after weights? Answer: Stretching means lengthening. When you lengthen a muscle, you weaken it (including stabilizer muscles). Doing this before engaging in a bout of contracting does not make sense, does it? If you are especially tight somewhere and need to realign your shoulders or something, you may need a little light stretching to achieve that. But reserve any serious stretching for after your workout.
   
• How can I tell if I'm getting a good whey protein? Answer: As long as the tub is completely empty, you're fine. Don't use whey, because it's about the worst thing going. But if you're out to gain massive amounts of body fat, consider whey your weapon of choice. An average size male can metabolize about 20g of whey, and the rest gets turned to fat. Aren't those 40g scoops wonderful?
   
• What's the best energy drink? Answer: Water. The so-called "energy drinks" overstimulate your adrenal glands, rot your teeth, depress your testosterone, and cost too much money.

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

Most supplements marketed as testosterone boosters do not include a single ingredient that does anything to boost testosterone. And most such supplements do contain ingredients that have a reductive effect on testosterone. Don't read the hype, read the ingredients panel and understand what's in there.