INTERESTING SNIPPETS
- 4/6/2005 <--Prev : Next-->
SNIPPETS
Sending SMS messages and responding to e mails can knock ten percent
off your IQ, making it twice as bad as smoking cannabis, according to
scientists.
The effect is most noticeable among office workers, who are so
distracted by "always on" technology that they cannot concentrate on
the work at hand.
In a study of 1100 workers 62% admitted that they were so addicted to
checking e mails that they even checked their work accounts at home !
To make matters worse 50% said they felt compelled to respond to each
e mail immediately or as soon as possible. The lack of discipline in
the handling of e mails is particularly damaging because it means
that instead of working through their tasks systematically, people
are constantly hopping from one to another. The combined effect is a
recipe for poor performance and muddled thinking.
TOO MUCH WATER !!
For years long distance runners have been encouraged to drink plenty
of water but a new study has confirmed fears that some athletes are
overdoing it and diluting their blood.
In a study of 488 Boston marathon runners 13% were found to be
suffering from Hyponatremia a condition in which blood-sodium levels
become dangerously low, and which, in extreme cases, can lead to
brain damage or even death.
BEWARE INTRUDER IN THE HOME !!
A very weird thing has happened. A strange old lady has moved
into my house.
I have no idea where she came from, or how she got in. I
certainly did not invite her. All I know is that one day she wasn't
there, and the next day, she was.
She is a clever old lady, and manages to keep out of sight for
the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of
her. And whenever I look in the mirror to check my appearance, there
she is hogging the whole thing, completely obliterating my gorgeous
face and body. This is very rude. I have tried screaming at her, but
she just screams back.
If she insists on hanging around, the least she could do is offer
to pay part of the rent, but no. Every once in a while, I find a
dollar bill stuck in a coat pocket, or some loose change under a sofa
cushion, but it is not nearly enough.
I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think she is stealing
money from me. I go to the ATM and withdraw $100, and a few days
later it's all gone. I certainly don't spend money THAT fast, so I
can only conclude the old lady is pilfering from me. You'd think she
would spend some of that money to buy wrinkle cream. She needs it.
And money isn't the only thing I think she is stealing. Food seems to
disappear at an alarming rate - especially the good stuff like ice
cream, cookies, and candy. I can't seem to keep that stuff in the
house anymore. She must have a real sweet tooth, but she'd better
watch it, because she is really packing on the pounds. I suspect she
realises this, and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with
my scale to make me think I am putting on weight, too.
For an old lady, she is quite childish. She likes to play nasty
games, like going into my closets when I'm not home and altering my
clothes so they don't fit. And she messes with my files and papers
so I can't find anything. This is particularly annoying since I am
extremely neat and organised. She also fiddles with my VCR so it does
not record what I have carefully and correctly programmed.
She has found other imaginative ways to annoy me. She gets into my
mail, newspapers, and magazines before I do, and blurs the print so
I can't read it. And she has done something really sinister to the
volume controls on my TV, radio and telephone. Now, all I hear are
mumbles and whispers.
She has done other things - like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum
cleaner heavier and all my knobs and faucets harder to turn. She even
made my bed higher so that getting into and out of it is a real
challenge. Lately, she has been fooling with my groceries before I
put them away, applying glue to the lids, making it almost impossible
for me to open the jars. Is this any way to repay my hospitality?
