As the year draws to a close, the holiday season is upon us once again. Although we still have two months until Christmas, studies have shown decorating early is actually good for your mood. The vibrant colors and twinkling lights simply trigger the release feel-good dopamine, which in turn, boosts happiness and energy. I must admit, Christmas decor makes me grin like a kid with ice-cream, until I look at the price tag of tinsel and garlands and baubles. Yikes! […]

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Many people are concerned that they are specifically targeted by hackers, advertisers, and others. Nope.

Why I Keep Saying You’re Just Not That Interesting from Ask Leo!.
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Here are my latest recommendations for specific security software and techniques.

What Security Software Do You Recommend? (2024 Q4 update) from Ask Leo!.
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Client: “So you got everything you need? Take all the time you want. We really believe we understand the mind of the creative individual. We know it takes time to create a powerful ad.”

Me: “Yeah. It does. Thanks.”

Client: “But it’s urgent. Just imagine that it should have been done as of yesterday.”

Me: “But no deadline?”

Client: “Right. Well, I mean, we need it for four days, but otherwise, yeah; no deadline.”

My boss is a seventy-something-year-old man with barely a clue on how to get a computer to boot. He gave me an old book and wanted me to convert it into an ebook to sell. And mind, this was a thick, large-format book chock-full of maps and other illustrations with tiny blackletter script.

Me: “Sure, I can do it, but I’d have to scan it in a massive resolution so the detail isn’t lost. The final file would be massive; it wouldn’t be practical to download it, and a normal ebook reader wouldn’t be able to display it correctly.”

Boss: “So, we’d have to make it less detailed.”

Me: “How do you mean?”

Boss: “It wouldn’t be possible with the illustrations; you’ll just have to make the writing bigger on all the pages.”

Me: “…”

Boss: “As for the pages with only text on them, you will just convert them into a Word document.”

Me: “That’s not how that works.”

Boss: “Why not?”

Me: “It’s just straight-up not possible, at least not with the software we have.”

Boss: “Can you do it on the Internet?”

Me: “No.”

Boss: “How do you know?”

Me: “I know.”

Boss: “Show me.”

I showed him that it’s not possible to convert a scanned book page into a text document on some random converter found on page one on Google.

Boss: “Okay, so you will instead cut the text out in Photoshop, make it larger, and arrange it on a new Photoshop file the same size, with less of a rim around it so the number of pages doesn’t get much higher.”

I flat-out refused, telling him it would be months of absolutely pointless work. He didn’t believe any of my claims, anyway, so I just converted the whole d*** thing into an ebook, which, in the end, was like 8GB in size. Since our server had 10TB, he also didn’t believe me when I tried to tell him that it was an absurdly massive file that few people would want to buy on that account.

Ah, well. At least I didn’t have to rearrange like 300 pages of text.

I am a freelance writer with particular academic expertise. My work is becoming more well-known and widespread, so my profile is rising somewhat. As a result, I am emailed out of the blue by an old acquaintance whom I’d worked with previously on a media project. He works in the media himself, and it shows.

Client: “Hi, mate. Long time no see. So, I’m putting together a new site, all about [subject]. I reckon it’ll be a really great resource, but I’m trying to get it off the ground. Would you be willing to write a piece for it? With your profile, it would really help get it noticed.”

I realise it will be a very quick job, and I bear the guy no ill will, so I am fine to do him a favour.

Me: “Yeah, okay. Sounds doable. I’ll send something over in a couple of days.”

Client: “Great, thanks. I’m afraid there’s no budget, so I can’t pay you, but it will be great exposure for you.”

Me: “So, you’ll get exposure because it’s me writing for you, and that exposure will be how I’m paid?”

Client: “Yeah. That all okay?”

I just sent him a quick piece in the end, seemed easier. Never saw the eventual site; presumably, it didn’t happen because his “pay me to work for me” strategy didn’t pan out.

I do in-house design work for my boss. I’ve worked with her for ten years and she swings wildly back and forth from being surprisingly design-savvy (not for a literal decade of trying on my part) and being a client from Hell. Today, she swung somewhere in the middle.

I have spent the entire time I’ve known her explaining how you cannot just pull photos from Google; I’ve explained copyright, public domain, etc. She refuses to buy photos 99% of the time, so I usually use free stock photos when possible. When she absolutely needs to buy a photo, she emails our web guy and has him buy one for her and add it to her next bill.

Me: “I see you got [Web Guy] to purchase the photo for the ad and forwarded me the email with the file. Unfortunately, the file is too small. Unless he sent you a separate email with a larger file, I will just email him for the correct one.”

Boss: “Maybe it’s how I sent it. I’ll try again.”

She forwards me the same email.

Me: “No, no, it’s not you. The file he sent you is labelled “thumbnail,” which is a preview file. He probably just sent the wrong one by accident. I have emailed him.”

Boss: “What about this one?”

She sends an email with the same photo attached.

Me: “That’s the same one. I have emailed [Web Guy]. Don’t worry about it. You don’t have the correct file.”

She forwards the same original email from [Web Guy].

Boss: “What about now?”

Me: “No, boss, I’ll get it from [Web Guy].”

She forwards the individual email she sent me.

Boss: “How about now?”

Me: “Boss, no.”

Closure: She now has a stock photo account that I have access to.

Plant walls, also known as green walls, vertical gardens, green facades or living walls are structures that allow for vertical plant growth on structures like walls or trellises. These can be found in various spaces, including commercial buildings, residences and public areas. Vertical gardens can be found in both interior and exterior environments. Based on the project's design requirements, different systems can be used to set up a plant wall. Besides the aesthetic appeal they provide, green walls also come with many benefits, particularly for those that inhabit the surrounding space.[...]

Camping is one of the greatest joys of summer. With warmer weather, you do not have to be the most experienced camper or have the best gear to survive cold nights. Even amateur camping trips have bug repellent, shelter and s’mores. Stepping up your camping game includes being more sustainable, and many of the ways to do that are easier than you think.[...]

You probably haven’t given a lot of thought to the damaging effects of tire wear, at least when it comes to our food supply. But a study out of the University of Vienna (UV) will likely change your perspective on that. [...]

If you live in an urban area with cars, industry and unpleasant city smells, you might retreat to your house for safety from environmental pollutants. But how good is your air quality at home?[...]

You shop local and buy organic when you can, but how can you tell if your farmers market produce is really organic? There have been a few scandals in recent years where farmers market vendors were found to be purchasing and reselling grocery store produce labeled as locally grown. So how can you tell? Here's how to find a great farmers market vendor or food co-op for organic produce.[...]

Have you gotten into gardening recently and want to learn how to make your own compost? Compost is a great resource for home gardens because it puts minerals back in the soil for peak production of flowers and veggies, plus you can make it out of things you already have around. Here is how to make your own clean compost, with a few tips on avoiding common problems. [...]

Do you know how much energy each appliance takes in your home? If you're like me, you get confused by the math on voltage because it doesn't account for use over time, but you do understand that EnergyStar rated appliances and LEED-certified efficient systems in your home are a good thing. If you haven't done a recent energy audit, here are some ideas for finding the energy vampires lurking in your home. [...]

From cows to goats to sheep, the availability of dairy is ubiquitous. But with copious environmental and health issues around traditional dairy products, alternatives are in the spotlight more than ever. Now there’s a way to enjoy yogurt, cheese and ice cream without a heavy reliance on animals or nuts. It’s called Precision Fermentation, and it puts an old technology to new use. [...]

The weather blocking patterns created by climate change have caused increasing challenges for home gardeners. They have to deal with drought for extended periods even if they don't live in a traditionally dry climate, and then flooding next. Moreover, the pest pressure alone can be frustrating in these situations. But you can do quite a few things to save water when taking care of your home garden, even when the weather is extreme. Here are some tips on how to save water on your home garden, year round and in all climates.[...]

Gardening is one of the most ecologically conscious projects that most people can practice. With concepts such as net-zero gardening taking shape, gardeners go to unimaginable lengths to avoid harming the environment. The one aspect most gardeners never consider is that a garden fence can have negative environmental effects and must be installed with consciousness. Creating a sustainable garden only to install an unsustainable fence negates the entire purpose of your project. Interestingly, installing a sustainable fence is easy and often more affordable than traditional options. [...]

You probably spend more time at work than you spend at home. When you consider the amount of time you spend just sleeping when you're at home, you really do spend more quality time in the workplace on a lot of days. So shouldn't you be working in a healthy, beautiful and inspiring workspace?[...]

How do you find clean makeup when you have allergies? Truth is, cleaning your makeup routine can be pretty hit or miss. This is because a lot of people aren't aware of what their allergies are until they run into a problem. [...]

The Casitas at The Halles by Hive 3D and Eco Material Technologies are a new project to create sustainable, 3D-printed homes for vacation rentals near Austin, Texas. These unique low-profile homes use a technology that creates 92% less emissions than traditional concrete. Round Top, Texas, 80 miles east of Austin, will now be home to the world's first near zero-carbon, 3D-printed neighborhood.[...]

Solar panels are by far the best applicable technology for converting solar energy to usable electricity today. With the sun available to us around the year, it is only reasonable to consider taping its energy for domestic use. Even so, the currently available photovoltaic solar cell technology is still not as efficient as desired. The cells used in most solar panels have an efficiency of about 15% to 20%. This means that only about 20% of the sun rays that reach the panel are converted to electricity.[...]

If you've grown a garden for a while, you may have noticed that the last few years have been brutal due to climate change-related patterns. One month it's drought and the next it's flooding. What is the best watering system for your home garden and can it help you navigate the climate ups and downs? Here are some great options with the pros and cons so you can decide the right garden irrigation system for your micro climate.[...]

The dream of every gardener is to see endless fields of green grass in their backyard. With determination, most gardeners manage to attain this dream, but at a cost. Within no time, there is a need to mow and control weeds. After mowing, it needs watering to grow again. This cycle continues for as long as the gardener wants to enjoy the beauty of green turf.[...]

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has been available for commercial use since 1986. Early on, 3D printing took on a hobbyist role. Now, however, industries have begun using additive manufacturing to their advantage.[...]

Green roofed structures date back thousands of years, even before the concept of housing as it is known today was birthed. The earliest green roofs came in the form of sod roofs above caves. Plants were used on top of the caves for ceremonial and agricultural purposes. Over time, sod roofs lost their value due to natural disasters and borrowing by animals. [...]

I'm dreading the day when I have to explain to my children what a LOLcat was.

My Love, my Darling I want to kiss you hard right now...but you've got a bat hanging out of the cave.

Thou dost appear quite the jester... ...with thine trousers upon the floor

In this episode I'm joined by Andrew Allen to discuss last night's 5-1 win over Bolton in the Carabao Cup. There's spotlight on the youngsters after we started 16 year old Jack Porter in goal, Josh Nichols at right-back as well as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. There's some focus on those two after a couple of goals from the former, and an impressive performance at left-back from the latter, as well as a mention for the other Hale End debuts, and an interesting 90 minutes from Raheem Sterling who got his first Arsenal goal. We also reflect on the start to the season with all the challenges we've faced, the so-called 'dark arts' and lots more.

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(Image credit: catcurio)

There exists a delightful subreddit called Council of Cats. This is where you'll find groups of cats having important discussions of matters both urgent and mundane. I have four cats, and I find it difficult to get all of them in one picture if they aren't asleep, so seeing many cats getting along is really nice. You can often guess what they are discussing at their council meeting, or they might be enjoying some group activity like birdwatching or annoying their human. They often get together to make demands on your time, or in other words, they gang up to get what they want.  

(Image source: reddit)

But there are also pictures that show cats just like each other's company. Bored Panda has collected 50 of the most amusing photographs from Council of Cats to give us a taste of a cat colony's strength in numbers, presented in a ranked list for your amusement.

Car manufacturers have made great strides in automobile safety in the last few decades. When I was a child, my family drove everywhere in a Volkswagen Beetle or a Microbus that didn't have seatbelts. Nor did they have crumple zones, antilock brakes, or airbags. Riding in the bed of a pickup truck was a regular experience. Fifty years later, my oldest child wanted to get a classic Beetle, but was dissuaded when my brother called them "death traps." Now she has children, and purchased an SUV the size of a tank to keep the kids safe.

The newer a car is, the safer it will be, but when does that become overkill? We know large SUVs are safer for the occupants, yet more dangerous for others around them. We also know that accidents can happen anywhere, but deadly accidents are more likely at high speeds on highways than a short trip to school. And we know that children learn situational awareness and how to test their limits and manage their fears by being in slightly unsafe situations, such as old-fashioned playgrounds. Today, we have young adults who are terrified at the idea of learning to drive.

Jason Torchinsky at Autopian asked reader's opinions on letting their child ride in a classic car such as the original Volkswagen Beetle, and got plenty of replies about how much automotive safety is enough, from farm kids who drove tractors at a young age to ultimate safety advocates. The best comment: "Being unsafe in a car was how I got kids in the first place."

Science experiments are not considered completely valid unless they can be replicated. Replicating an experiment is pretty much impossible unless you've been steeped in the various factors of scientific theory. And even if you are thoroughly trained in those factors, it's easy to lose track when you're doing a casual experiment at home. That goes double when your aim is to debunk something that you find obviously wrong.

Sage the Bad Naturalist jumped into such a debunking experiment with both feet, and then got entangled in them. She spent an entire year trying to replicate a dubious TikTok, which turned into an embarrassing adventure in how not to do science. But negative results are still results, and the goal of science is always to learn something. She bravely admits all the things she did wrong, because scientists have to have humility to be accepted. What's funniest is how many things went wrong, and how they all piled up to the end. What she ended up with is an amusing and rather charming video on the dangers of throwing your heart (and time) into debunking something you saw on the internet. -via Metafilter

This is the time of year we think about overindulging on rich and elaborate foods. We also open our doors to family and friends to celebrate winter holidays. That's why you've always wanted to impress them with a delicious home made cheese cake. There are plenty of classic recipes on the internet that involve cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and flavoring, but the process is rather delicate. If you've tried before and had a less-then-perfect result, The Takeout will troubleshoot for you with the 12 most common mistakes in baking cheesecake. If you've never made a cheesecake before, so many possible mistakes may intimidate you. Relax, I've made cheesecake a few times and it's not as difficult as you might be led to believe. Even when it isn't perfect, it's still cheesecake, and that's a wonderful thing.

But if you have perfected the art of baking a cheesecake, you might want to take it up a notch and make Japanese cheesecake, which is the light and airy soufflé version. The Takeout has you covered with instructions for that, too. Now you'll be ready to really impress your holiday guests.   

(Image credit: Alice Wiegand)

Guess the prep books didn't help much...