It's Good/Fun to Know


How Teen Video Gamers Try to Justify Their Addiction
by ETR (10/11/2008)

“Playing video games causes teens to withdraw from their communities.” This basic assumption was the hypothesis of a recent survey of teen gamers by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Not surprisingly, the teens who responded to the survey insisted that the opposite is true.

A Scientific Use for Rubber Duckies
by ETR (10/10/2008)

If you see a yellow rubber ducky floating in the ocean, call NASA. 90 rubber ducks were launched inside a glacier recently to help scientists track the flow of the melting ice. Labeled “science experiment” ...

The Cleanest Clean
by ETR (10/09/2008)

It may seem obvious, but one fact bears repeating: Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean “best,” and cheap doesn’t necessarily mean “worst.” In fact, there is often little or no difference between best and worst… other than a name and fancy packaging.

Honda’s Failed Marketing Ploy
by ETR (10/08/2008)

Honda finished engineering a musical road this month as part of an advertising campaign for the Civic. A quarter-mile stretch of road in northern LA plays “The Lone Ranger” theme every time someone drives over it.

Dear ETR: “How can I cut back on Gmail spam?”
by David Cross (10/07/2008)

“In your article about getting rid of excess spam, you stated that Google’s e-mail service has excellent spam filtering. I disagree with that. I use Google’s Gmail. I receive between 200 and 500 spam messages per day, and several arrive in my inbox. I am very careful what I click into, and certainly never spam, yet I get an irritating amount of Gmail spam.

Don’t Search for These Celebrities
by ETR (10/07/2008)

In case you're thinking of doing a Google search on Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, or George Clooney - don't. Same goes for Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and Heidi Montag. These are the top male and female celebrity names that are likely to lead you to malware (malicious software that can damage your computer), according to a recent McAfee study. A Brad Pitt search, for example, has an 18 percent chance of encountering malware.

I think your ETR e-mail is well done.
by ETR (10/06/2008)

“I’d like to thank you for the Michael Masterson article entitled ‘How Much Are You Worth? Figure It Out and Make Your Life Much, Much Richer.‘

Getting Your Inventions Patented and Sold
by Michael Masterson (10/06/2008)

Protecting your idea or invention - We got a letter from “Kellen,” who has invented something he thinks can change the world and make him a lot of money. Kellen is currently a business owner and founder of a men’s fitness franchise. He said he had tried to be the “Curves for men,” but is finding out that “men don’t take to fitness like women do.”

But Wikipedia Said So
by Jason Holland (10/06/2008)

We’ve written in ETR many times about the dangers of relying on websites when doing research. As a sports reporter from the UK tabloid The Daily Mirror recently found out, Wikipedia is one you really have to watch out for.

A $5 Trick for Collecting What You’re Owed
by Paul Lawrence (10/04/2008)

There’s a way to increase your chances of collecting from a delinquent customer - or anyone else who owes you money - without worrying about a potentially nasty confrontation. Here’s how…

Transportation Security Administration Making Travel Easier?
by Lori Allen (10/03/2008)

You know the airport-security drill. Take off your shoes. Empty your pockets. Off with your belt and metal jewelry. But now there’s one less hassle at American checkpoints. As of this past August 16, you can leave your laptop in its bag. If, that is, the bag is "checkpoint-friendly" and TSA-approved.

Weird Scholarships
by ETR (10/03/2008)

Most scholarships are given out to the most talented, hardest working, and most deserving students. But not all. Here are a few of the weirdest:

Unspeakable Actions, Unspeakable Consequences
by Robert Ringer (10/01/2008)

The media had a field day stripping John Edwards of his “two-Americas” robe, but I’d rather focus on the Greek tragedy Edwards now finds himself starring in. There are a number of insights we can derive from it… especially when we examine the plight of Edwards’s wife, Elizabeth.

Financial Word of the Week: Bailout
by Charles Delvalle (10/01/2008)

With all of the turmoil in the financial industry, one word that keeps making the rounds is “bailout.” So here’s what you need to know...

Why Yellow Journalism?
by ETR (10/01/2008)

How did yellow become associated with trashy newspapers? Here’s the “colorful” history.

A Different Kind of Dictionary
by ETR (09/30/2008)

What does it means to be janky? What’s politiclone… desk rage… frack… elecoustic… gaybie? You can learn the definitions of these - and more than 3 million other modern slang terms - at UrbanDictionary.com.

Which End of the Text-Messaging Debate Are You on?
by ETR (09/29/2008)

You may think that text messaging, which has its own grammar and spelling rules, is keeping young people from learning good language skills - and here at ETR, we would agree with you. But not according to British linguist David Crystal. Among other hard-to-believe claims

Beating the Weather
by ETR (09/27/2008)

Delayed flights waste time for the flyer, and time and money for the airline. Happily for both, a new computerized tool could get many weather-delayed flights off the ground.

Bird Trivia
by ETR (09/26/2008)

In the Middle Ages, peacocks and swans were sometimes served at Christmas dinner...

How to Pronounce the Nearly Unpronounceable Names of 6 Famous Composers
by ETR (09/25/2008)

Figure out how to work the names of the following composers into the conversation, and you’ll impress even the most erudite folks at your next cocktail party:

Whats the difference between Advertisement and Highly Recommended?
by Jessica Kurrle (09/25/2008)

We go through the vigorous process of physically reviewing every product that we recommend or advertise in ETR. In order for a product to be sold in ETR, it has to meet two primary criteria:

A Number Trick to Amaze Your Friends
by ETR (09/24/2008)

A good numbers trick to play on your friend.

An Old-Fashioned Low-Tech Way to Conserve Water
by ETR (09/20/2008)

Years ago, people collected excess rainwater in “rain barrels,” and then used it to water their gardens, flush their toilets, wash their clothes, and so on. The practice is becoming popular once again in places that have a rainy season - like the southeastern U.S. The water is usually harvested from gutter runoff and stored in underground tanks.

What Happens Online Stays Online
by Suzanne Richardson (09/20/2008)

You finish a fantastic book, and post a review of it on Amazon… Your favorite blogger posts a blog entry that you disagree with, so you write a rebuttal in the comments section…

The Best-Mannered City
by ETR (09/19/2008)

Charleston, SC has been named the nation’s #1 Best-Mannered City for 11 years in a row on an unofficial list compiled by etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart. The good manners of this city don’t stop with the genteel behavior of its citizens… you can see it even in the city’s architecture. Decorative pineapples - the Southern symbol of hospitality - appear everywhere.

How do you get rid of excess spam?
by David Cross (09/16/2008)

I get tons of unsolicited e-mail, often the same message from many (20-25) people. Most of these are sex-related, with NO unsubscribe link. There are also lots of other e-mails that are not similar, but mostly sex-related (although there are a few about real estate, vitamins, software, and anything else you can think of). I get between 200 and 400 a day, which makes it difficult to conduct my business...

Reader Feedback:I have tried to incorporate Ready, Fire, Aim into everything I do
by ETR (09/15/2008)

I have a tendency to spend far too much time getting ready to get ready. After reading Michael’s ‘Ready, Fire, Aim‘ advice over and over, I have tried to incorporate it into everything I do. Rather than waiting for perfection or an epiphany, I now keep trying to move forward...

Putting Viruses to Work
by ETR (09/15/2008)

Viruses have taken thousands upon thousands of lives. But now they are being put to good use.

A Business Idea With a Humanitarian Purpose
by ETR (09/13/2008)

A group of students from the Michigan Institute of Technology came up with a business idea to help people in Third World countries. Many live under roofs made of thin metal. The metal roofs are cheap, fireproof, and fairly sturdy. However, they let out heat when it’s cold outside, increase heat when it’s hot outside, and cause a racket when it’s raining....

Who Makes the U.S. Budget Deficit Worse - Democrats or Republicans?
by Charlie Byrne (09/13/2008)

Republicans like to call themselves the party of fiscal discipline. But if you dig into the numbers, you might find some surprises...
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