Isso me irrita

 

Nada me irrita mais do que ler em uma publicação algo como “Diabetes affects millions of americans every year”..   Bem, não existe apenas estadunidenses no mundo, (o GENTÍLICO referente aos Estados Unidos é “Estadunidenses” ou em inglês “the Staters” ou se quiserem,  “the US people, the US residents, the US citizens”, e não “Americans”) ou seja, não existe apenas um país nas Américas, os Estados Unidos.   Um importante website como por exemplo o Science Daily, presumo que não irá publicar algo dirigido apenas à eles, porque o alcance da internet como todos sabem é GLOBAL, e uma doença como o diabetes atinge o mundo todo. Sempre que topo com isso eu retiro essa anormalidade.  Estamos todos no mesmo barco.  Se um site quer que apenas os estadunidenses tomem conhecimento de um artigo, basta usar uma criptografia que seja decodificada apenas pelos residentes dos Estados Unidos, e assim o resto do mundo não tomará conhecimento.  Como isso não é possível, convém lembrar que todos dependem uns dos outros, em todos os sentidos.  A Internet é uma entidade GLOBAL, não pertence apenas aos Estados Unidos. Já existe o equívoco de usar “americans” para o povo estadunidense. Tampouco existe o termo “North americans” designando exclusivamente os habitantes da terra do Tio Sam. Eles são óbviamente “Norte-Americanos”, porém há mais países na América do Norte.      Dizer que o diabetes afeta milhões de americanos todos os anos tem um duplo sentido. Na verdade ele afeta centenas de milhões de pessoas no mundo todo, e não apenas pessoas residentes nos “States” Fica aqui registrada a minha indignação. Divulgue-se e cumpra-se de acordo com as normas éticas vigentes na Web. JS Melo

'Crosstalk' gives clues to diabetes

 

Sugar levels are managed by interactions between cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The hormone urocortin (green) is produced and stored in the same cells as insulin in the islets. Cells that make glucagon, which works to raise blood sugar, are stained red. Credit: Mark Huising, UC Davis Sometimes, listening in on a conversation can tell you a lot. For Mark Huising, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences, that crosstalk is between the cells that control your body's response to sugar, and understanding the conversation can help us understand, and perhaps ultimately treat, diabetes. Huising's lab has now identified a key part of the conversation going on between cells in the pancreas. A hormone called urocortin 3, they found, is released at the same time as insulin and acts to damp down insulin production. A paper describing the work appears online on June 15 in the journal Nature Medicine. "It's a beautiful system," Huising said. "It turns out that there is a lot of crosstalk going on in the islets to balance insulin and glucagon secretion. The negative feedback that urocortin 3 provides is necessary to tightly control blood sugar levels at all times." Both forms of the disease -- type 1, "juvenile" or "insulin-dependent" diabetes, and type 2 or "adult-onset" diabetes -- occur when the body fails to regulate the level of sugar properly. Diabetes is tied to structures called the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Within the islets, beta cells make insulin. Increasing blood sugar stimulates insulin production, which causes the body's cells to pull sugar out of circulation. The islets also house alpha cells, which make another hormone, glucagon, which acts on the liver to release more glucose into the bloodstream. An islet of Langerhans with urocortin stained green in beta cells. Glucagon-making cells are stained red. Credit: Mark Huising. An islet of Langerhans with urocortin stained green in beta cells. Glucagon-making cells are stained red. Credit: Mark Huising. Urocortin 3 was originally identified as a hormone that is related to the signal in our brain that kick-starts our stress response. Instead, urocortin 3 is produced by islet beta cells and stored and released alongside insulin. In a series of experiments, Huising's group showed that urocortin 3 causes another cell type in the islets, delta cells, to release somatostatin, which turns down insulin production and acts as a natural brake on the release of insulin. Urocortin 3 is reduced in laboratory animal models of diabetes and in beta cells from diabetic patients. Without urocortin 3, islets produce more insulin, but at the same time lose control over how much insulin they release. By understanding how different cells and systems communicate to regulate blood sugar, Huising hopes to get a better understanding of what happens when this regulation goes wrong, leading to the different forms diabetes. Eventually this approach could lead to new ways to treat or prevent the disease. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Talitha van der Meulen, Cynthia J Donaldson, Elena Cáceres, Anna E Hunter, Christopher Cowing-Zitron, Lynley D Pound, Michael W Adams, Andreas Zembrzycki, Kevin L Grove, Mark O Huising. Urocortin3 mediates somatostatin-dependent negative feedback control of insulin secretion. Nature Medicine, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nm.3872

Graphene quantum dot LEDs

 

A schematic illustration of the preparation method of highly efficient GQDs (left) and an image of GQDs dispersed in water (right). Credit: KAIST The first graphene quantum dot light-emitting diodes (GQD-LEDs), fabricated by using high-quantum-yield graphene quantum dots through graphite intercalation compounds, exhibit luminance in excess of 1,000 cd/m2. Graphene is a 2D carbon nanomaterial with many fascinating properties that can enable to creation of next-generation electronics. However, it is known that graphene is not applicable to optical devices due to its lack of an electronic band gap. On the other hand, graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which are merely a few nanometers large in the lateral dimension, are shown to emit light upon excitation in the visible spectral range. The GQDs have attracted a great deal of attention as a next-generation luminescent material for their outstanding properties: tunable luminescence, superior photostability, low toxicity, and chemical resistance. Recently, Prof. Seokwoo Jeon (Material Science and Engineering), Prof. Yong-Hoon Cho (Physics), and Prof. Seunghyup Yoo (Electrical Engineering) have succeeded in developing LEDs based on graphene quantum dots. Highly pure GQDs were synthesized by an environmentally-friendly method designed by Prof. Jeon's group, their light-emitting mechanisms were carefully studied by Prof. Cho's group with their transient spectroscopic technique, and finally Prof. Yoo's group brought their OLED expertise to create GQD-based LEDs. The GQDs with high luminance tunability and efficiency were synthesized by a route based on graphite intercalation compounds (GICs). The proposed method is cost-effective, eco-friendly, and scalable, as it allows direct fabrication of GQDs using water without surfactant or chemical solvent. GQDs were then used as emitters in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in order to identify the GQD's key optical properties. After carefully designing the layer configuration so that electron and hole injection could be balanced, the constructed GQD LEDs exhibited luminance of 1,000 cd/m2, which is well over the typical brightness levels of the portable displays used in smartphones. Considering how thin GQDs are, a foldable paper-like display could soon become a reality. The present work, for the first time, demonstrated that GQDs can be applied to optical devices by fabricating GQD-based LEDs with meaningful brightness. Although, the efficiency of GQD-based LEDs is currently less than those of conventional LEDs, they are expected to improve in the near future with an optimized material process and device structure. This research was published as a cover article in Advanced Optical Materials (Vol.2, 1016-1023 (2014)). Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Pieces of Colored German Architecture

 

 

 

Pieces of Colored German Architecture

Posted: 13 Jun 2015 08:51 AM PDT

Dans sa série « Systems / Layers III » le photographe allemand Matthias Heiderich, vu précédemment, nous présente les petits détails de l’architecture allemande colorée dans des villes comme Hambourg, Berlin, Essen, Bochum ou encore Luckenwalde. Une série acidulée et géométrique.

22 Amazing Quotes from The Master of Sarcasm: George Carlin

 

Comedy can often be a sword and a shield. George Carlin is one of the few comics that comes to mind when I think of a comedian who could make a point about a touchy subject, and make you laugh at the same time. Carlin had the verbal skill to have you laughing one minute, and the next minute drop an insightful message. George Carlin was a comedian who practically defined the word “edgy”. His material was often political and he was well known for pointing out hypocrisies which earned him the title “Master of Sociological Comedy”. Very few people have had the ability to say the things that need to be said in a way that makes you think and laugh like Carlin could. Carlin’s observations on life, people, politics, and religion will certainly be missed. 22 Brilliant Quotes from George Carlin: “But when you’re in front of an audience and you make them laugh at a new idea, you’re guiding the whole being for the moment. No one is ever more him/herself than when they really laugh. Their defenses are down. It’s very Zen-like, that moment. They are completely open, completely themselves when that message hits the brain and the laugh begins. That’s when new ideas can be implanted. If a new idea slips in at that moment, it has a chance to grow.” “If a man smiles all the time, he’s probably selling something that doesn’t work.” “I don’t like ass kissers, flag wavers or team players. I like people who buck the system. Individualists. I often warn people: “Somewhere along the way, someone is going to tell you: ‘There is no “I” in team.’ What you should tell them is: ‘Maybe not. But there is an “I” in independence, individuality, and integrity.'” “I do this real moron thing, and it’s called thinking. And apparently I’m not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions.” “I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. … These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.” “May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.” “The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death! What’s that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first; get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you’re too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating …and you finish off as an orgasm.” “I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It’s so fuckin’ heroic.” “Religion is like a pair of shoes…..Find one that fits for you, but don’t make me wear your shoes.” “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” “Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money!” “Life gets really simple once you cut out all the bull shit they teach you in school.” “How come when it’s us, it’s an abortion, and when it’s a chicken, it’s an omelette?” “Now, there’s one thing you might have noticed I don’t complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. “ “Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car.” “People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point.” “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” “Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticide grain, for strip-mined mountain’s majesty above the asphalt plain. America, America, man sheds his waste on thee, and hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.” “Everyone smiles in the same language.” “We are a nation of sheep, and someone else owns the grass.” “There’s a humorous side to every situation. The challenge is to find it.” “This is a little prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight’s last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ”   Monique Abrams Author at IheartIntelligence.com Monique Abrams is an eternal student of all branches of philosophy with a preference of study towards metaphysics and epistemology. Natural Healing, Taoism and Astrology are long-time interests of practice.She lives in Texas with her 2 daughters where they spend most their days goofing around and eating healthy with regularly scheduled chocolate breaks. Owner of The Spiritual Intellect

Willpower: The Key to Success? –republishing-

If only you could control yourself. If you had more willpower, you could finally lose those last 10 pounds. If you had more self-control, you could finally stop procrastinating, save for retirement, stick to an exercise routine, and avoid various vices such as alcohol and cigarettes. That's a lot riding on mere force of will. As the American Psychological Association notes, people allover the world  tend to place a lot of stock in the power of willpower. According to their annual Stress in America Survey, people identified a lack of willpower as the number one factor holding them back from achieving their goals. Change can be difficult and a large portion of people believe that one of the biggest obstacles preventing them from making a change is this seemingly elusive power of will. However, some of the most popular theories of behavior change suggest that willpower alone is not always enough to make a real and lasting change. According to the Stages of Change model, it is important to first recognize that there is a need to change, identify possible barriers to change, come up with a plan of action, monitor progress, maintain and manage the change, and cope with any possible relapses. Willpower plays a role, certainly, but it is not the only factor that impacts success. While many of us struggle with willpower and self-control, most people also seem to believe that this is a skill that can be learned and strengthened. Fortunately, researchers have also come to similar conclusions and suggest that there are a number of things that you can do to improve your self-control.   Photo Credit: Cultura/Edwin Jimenez / Riser / Getty Images source : www.about.com

Wearable airbag designed to protect seniors when they fall–republishing

 

The ActiveProtective airbag (pictured undeployed) reportedly reduces impact to the hip bones by 90 percent For anyone who uses a car, collisions are an ever-present danger – that's why vehicles are equipped with safety features such as airbags. For senior citizens, however, simply falling down can also result in life-changing injuries. With that in mind, Pennsylvania-based company ActiveProtective is developing a wearable airbag that deploys in the event of a fall, to protect seniors' hip bones. ActiveProtective's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Robert Buckman, first came up with the idea when working as a trauma surgeon. He noticed how many elderly people were being brought into hospitals with broken hips due to falls, and how they often never entirely recovered from the injuries. The resulting airbag is designed to be worn like a belt, either on top of or beneath the clothing. When its onboard 3D motion sensors detect atypical motion that's unique to falling, it uses a cold gas inflator (the same type used in seatbelt-mounted airbags) to deploy a slab-like airbag that runs down the sides of the hips. When the wearer hits the ground, the bag reduces impact force to the hip bones by a claimed 90 percent. Functional testing of the device is taking place at Operative Experience, a Maryland-based business also owned by Buckman that builds human cadaver simulators used for teaching combat casualty and emergency trauma surgery. Testing of the airbag has already begun, using a replica of a 90 year-old woman. So far, the results have reportedly been very promising. The company tells us that human trials are scheduled to begin this year, with commercialization planned for the end of 2016. Source: ActiveProtective via Free Enterprise

5 Ways to Improve Your Attention

 

Things You Can Do to Minimize Distraction and Increase Concentration It happens to the best of us. You're sitting in class or in a meeting and you suddenly find yourself daydreaming, losing focus, and not paying attention. In one study of over 2,000 adults, people reported that their minds weren't really on the task at hand almost 50 percent of the time. Perhaps even more importantly, people report feeling less happy when they are distracted. So what can you do to improve your attention, increase your focus, and prevent your mind from wandering? Researchers have discovered a few different things that might help: suedhang/Image Source/Getty Images 1. Stop Multitasking Trying to do many different things at once makes it more difficult to concentrate on any one thing. While it might seem like multitasking can help you accomplish more, research has shown that juggling multiple tasks actually reduces both productivity and accuracy. If you want to make the most out of your attentional resources, try focusing on just one task at a time. Thomas Barwick / Getty Images 2. Practice Mindfulness Mindfulness involves purposely paying attention to things in a particular way, and new research suggests that practicing mindfulness might actually help improve your ability to concentrate. According to research presented at an annual conference held by the British Psychological Society (BPS), children who took a short training course in mindfulness were better able to concentrate and ignore distractions. Juzant / Getty Images 3. Meditate Researchers have found that those experienced in meditation are better at focusing their attention on a single item and ignoring irrelevant items. What about people new to meditation? Can practicing this skill help you better focus your attentional spotlight? The research indicates that the answer is yes. Participants in one study who learned to meditate and practiced for approximately 30 minutes per day were quicker to notice new stimuli, indicating that they had improved their attention. So why exactly does meditation help? One suggestion is that it decreases the attentional blink that we all experience. Attentional blink is a brief period of time after we focus on one item, about half a second, where we are unreceptive to secondary stimuli. Essentially, focusing on one thing makes us briefly blind to other things. One study found that participants who received meditation training demonstrated a marked reduction in attentional blink. Tetra Images / Getty Images 4. Turn Off the Technology From smart phones to video games to online video, it seems like we spend a huge chunk of our day absorbed by various forms of technology. Unfortunately, research has demonstrated that the constant distraction presented by such technology can actually make it more difficult for young children to focus on activities such as reading for an extended period of time. If you want to focus your attention and fully devote yourself to a task, turn off the technology - at least for long enough to let you finish the job. Zakaria Wakrim / Getty Images 5. Practice Makes Perfect Meditation can help you learn to improve your focus, but it takes practice to learn how to bring your bring your attention back to the task at hand. Researcher Wendy Hasenkamp suggests that becoming aware of when your mind has wandered, actively disengaging from the distraction, and bringing your focus back to the task at hand can help make people more mindful of how they utilize their attention. The more you notice that your mind has wandered, and thus the more you actively bring yourself back to a state of attention, the better you will become at maintaining your focus on a single task. "Understanding the way the brain alternates between focused and distracted states has implications for a wide variety of everyday tasks," Hasenkamp explains. "For example, when your mind wandered off in that meeting, it might help to know you’re slipping into default mode—and you can deliberately bring yourself back to the moment. That’s an ability that can improve with training." Final Thoughts If you've ever felt like you have a "short attention span" or if you often catch your mind wandering when you should be focusing on a task, you might be able to benefit from some of these "attention boosting" activities. Eliminating distractions, putting an end to multitasking, meditating, and actively practicing these skills are just a few of the things that researchers believe can have a beneficial influence on attention. Think of attention as a muscle – the more you work with it, the stronger it will be.

22 Simple And Creative Ways to Earn Money

 

Money by Dianna Labrien Money, you always wish you had a bit more, right? To buy that fancy dress or a new gadget, to save more for your vacation or a cool dinner date, to pay off your debt faster or just feel more laid back about your whole personal finance situation. This list features some simple, yet effective ways to earn a few extra hundreds each month without spending neither much time, nor efforts!   1. Recycle your old phone(s) Bet you got a few ancient Nokia’s hidden somewhere around the house. You’d be surprised to know that you can actually get some cash if you decide to sell them. A lot of companies offer compensation for recycling old phones which are shipped somewhere to Asia and getting dismantled there. You can check the list of companies and possible earnings here. Ask your family and friends if they’d like to give away their old phones too for a bigger bucks.   2. Invite people for dinner If you have relatively impressive cooking skills and some room to host guests, sign up for Eat With – a cool new service connecting travellers with hosts around the world, who invite them to a small dinner party for a fixed fee. As a host, you can set a rate per guest, choose the time and dates when you are available to throw a feast and indicate the max amount of people you are ready to invite (usually less than 6). To become a host fill in an application form where you tell about yourself, your cooking talents and your place. Currently, the service is available in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and some major cities in Europe, Middle East and South America. The money you can earn for a small party are more than decent.   3. Become a part-time mover This option is more suitable for guys, but girls are often accepted too to move around fragile stuff and do some minor cleaning. Moving jobs are typically per request and you can always choose a suitable time for you to do them. A lot of moving companies allow you to create an account with them for a fee, list your services, rates, working hours etc and get hired for temporary jobs. Check out this list of moving jobs to get a better idea of how things work and how much you can actually earn for lifting someone’s sofa.   4. Get paid 35$/hour to drive people around Yes, that’s exactly how much you can make with Lyft – a cool app and service eliminating the need to use taxis. Users can just login from their phone and request a drive in all major cities in US. It’s faster and at least twice cheaper than calling the typical cab. You, as a driver, will get a notification and can take a lift request. You set your own working hours and earn 35$ per hour as the site says. Obviously, you’ll need your own car to earn with them and some initial money to pay for the gas.   5. Review music for cash All music lovers gonna love this job – all you need to do is listen to and review unsigned bands and artists online at Slicethepie. It may take a while to build up your reputation, but you can earn extra $50+ per month for spending 5-10 min a day listening to some aspiring music talents (or not so talents).   6. Distribute leaflets It sounds like a bit of a lame job, but some companies can offer you good money for giving away promotional staff or doing door drops. For say working 4-5 hours on the weekends, you can expect to earn somewhere between $40-$60 per 1.000 distributed leaflets.   7. Get cash rebates for scanning your receipts You do buy groceries, cosmetics and other staff monthly, do you?, Why don’t you earn some extra bucks for that? Download a free Ibotta app, browse around and see what rebates their are offering if you scan and upload your recipient for a certain product they request. For instance, they offer 50 cents if you upload a picture of a recipient where you bought milk and offer $10 for a picture of a Best Buy receipt. Of course, it makes no sense going out and purposefully buying products with the highest rebate, yet it won’t take much of your time taking and uploading pictures of things you typically buy and stash some extra cash by the end of the month.   8. Sell your wardrobe Girls, that’s a perfect option for you! How many dresses do you have that you wore like 3 times and now they’re hidden somewhere deep in your closet? Clothes you no longer wear shouldn’t pile up around the house, when they can be turned into cash asserts. You can either organise a yard sale yourself (which is kind of a hassle), or better sell the items through ThredUp, which will pay somewhere around $2-$25 for staff from Gap, Banana Republic, H&M, etc. You can browse around to see how much different items are worth. The best thing about ThredUp is that all you need to do is pack your clothes in a box and then just ship it to them (shipping costs are covered by the company).   9. Test websites for money A lot of big companies look for feedback on the usability of their websites and you can get paid doing that. Expect to earn somewhere from 10 cents for an assignment taking less than a minute, to $10-$15 when it comes to larger questionnaires requesting more of your time. Here’s a big list of sites where you can create an account and start earning cash. All the payments are typically made via PayPal either at the end of the month or when you have earned a certain sum.   10. Get paid for being someone’s friend Rent a Friend is an absolutely legit US service where people offer their friendship (and nothing more!) starting from $10 and up to $50 per hour. As Scott Rosenbaum, the creator of the service says: “Just to hang out with, go to a movie or restaurant with or find someone to show you around an unfamiliar town”. As current users say you can get invited to be someone’s +1 on a VIP event, wine tasting tour, concert or some other cool activity that will cost you nothing to attend! If you are easygoing and communicative, that’s might be the best job for you. Some users claim to do it full-time and earn over $50.000 per year! To become a friend, you’ll need to fill in an application form describing your personality and send it to the community manager.   11. Earn by tweeting If you have a relatively large following on Twitter you can get paid somewhere from $.50 to $20 for tweeting sponsored tweets and content to your audience. The rate depends of the amount of followers you have and some other factors e.g. the age of your account. You can earn with SponsoredTweets; PaidPerTweet and some other services alike.   12. Try match betting It’s an absolutely legit, risk and tax free technique. The system works by taking advantage of free bets vastly offered by online betting sites through ‘matching’ them at a betting exchange. Matched betting eliminates the risk as you are betting both for and against a certain result at the same time! Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you get started with this. Don’t forget you have to be over 21 (18) to bet!   13. Do odd jobs at Fiverr At Fiverr you can offer any kind of service starting from $5. Register an account, browse around the gigs and offer something similar. Seriously, at this online marketplace you can sell and buy all sort of things from voiceovers to logo design to things like “I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend on Facebook for 2 days”. Write an attractive gig description clearly outlining what you’ll do for 5 bucks e.g. translate 200 words from French to English; add extras e.g. translated 300 words more for $5; deliver the order in just one day etc; add a payment method – Paypal or Payoneer and start promoting your gig and earning money!   14. Sell your notes If you are good at writing notes and attended all lectures, you can sell your asserts to less committed students via NoteSale. You can create a listing for free, but the site will take a per cent from each of your sales. Typed notes in PDF/Text format sell best, yet it’s worth trying with scanned handwritten notes too if you have nice clear writing.   15. Sell old books the smart way Instead of just taking them to the thrift shop and receiving peanuts, try using BooksCounter app instead. Scan the book barcode, upload it to the app’s system and see which of 20+ different buyback companies offers the highest payout. Once you found the right company, all you have to do is fill in some basic information of how you’d like to get paid, download a free shipping label and pack up all the books to dispatch.   16. Do data entry jobs This may include mere copy-pasting, minor text editing, data categorisation, translations and staff alike. You can work a few hours a day and earn some hundred bucks by the end of the month. Obviously, the total payout depends on how fast/good you are. Sign up to ClickWorker if you can tolerate handling some boring, routine tasks in exchange for cash injections.   17. Become a mystery shopper Go undercover to local stores, look around, take notes and sneaky pictures of stuff doing nothing, fill in the questionnaire afterwards and get your cash. You can get mystery shopping assignments via Mobee app (typically the payments are not that big, yet the tasks you need to do are simple too) or get an account with Marketforce - a more established website where you’ll need to carefully fill in an application form and pass a review process. The potential earning are much bigger.   18. Sell out your old CDs, movies and games Again you might be surprised to know that some companies pay cash for your old compact discs. Music Magpie will pay you somewhere between a few cents to over ten bucks for all your old staff. It’s a nice way to finally de-clutter your home too!   19. Teach classes online If you are particularly good at somethings, say map design, capable of creating a series of video lessons, you can become a tutor at SkillShare. You’ll be in good company with folks like Seth Godin and James Franco among others. You don’t need to have prior teaching experience, just skills and passion about what you do. SkillShare tutorials and 30 days teaching challenge will help you create a winning video tutorial. Your earnings will depend on the popularity of your course, but even low attendance will let you earn some decent money. Sign up here.   20. Sell handmade and vintage items on Etsy Found some retro clothes in your grandma’s chest or made a few cool brooches your friends admire? Become an Etsy seller to earn money for your crafts. Opening your shop, listing products and prices takes less than 30 minutes. It costs 0.20$ to list one item in your shop for 4 month (or till it sales) and Etsy takes 3.5% commission from each sale you make. Mind that fact when setting up the prices. Shipping costs are either to be covered by you or by the buyer (you can set the rates depending on the buyer’s’ location e.g. free shipping around US; $10.99 shipping to Europe). 21. Become a field agent Sign up for an account with Field Agent and get paid to do small tasks around town for different clients. Those usually involve scanning barcodes with your Phone, checking prices at your local drug store and conducting field surveys. Your earnings vary from assignment to assignment and depend on the area you are based in. For example, one listing offers $9 for 4 pictures of any products in the toothbrush section of the local Target in Mission Viejo, CA; while taking one picture of $19.99 & under video game display taken in any Toys “R” in NYC will earn you $5.50.   22. Become a language tutor online Did you know that English language practice is in high demand in Asia? Sites like Italki.com allows teachers to list their rates and services, schedule classes and provide you with tools to conduct them in real time. You can expect to make $15-20 per hour which isn’t that shabby, right? If English isn’t your first language, no worries, Italiki also invites French, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Russian and more native speakers to join. You’ll have to fill in a detailed application form, get it approved and afterwards create a professional looking profile, suitable schedule for you and different courses you offer. The service will handle the rest – scheduling, marketing payments and so on. Featured photo credit: Newton Free Library via flickr.com Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook Dianna Labrien Dianna is a former ESL teacher and World Teach volunteer, currently living in France. She's a passionate traveler, slightly addicted to apps and always in search of new ways to make her life simpler. You can tweet her at @dilabrien Write For Us!

Window Socket: energia sustentável e criativa

 

A busca por explorar de forma eficaz as fontes renováveis de energia é um dos grandes esforços da sociedade atualmente, e é aí que entra o design, para desenvolver soluções criativas para determinado problema. Pensando em energia sustentável, os designers Kyuho Song e Boa Oh desenvolveram o Window Socket, um gadget muito simples e usual para transformar a energia solar em elétrica. Se trata de um painel solar equipado com ventosas e acoplado em uma tomada convencional. Para usá-lo, basta grudar o equipamento em alguma janela de frente pro sol esperar alguns minutos e plugar a tomada. O Window Socket suporta 1000 mAh, demora de 5 a 8 horas pra ser carregado totalmente e dura cerca de 10 horas após carregado. www.sala7design.com.br