Why are horseshoes considered lucky?

The belief comes from a sixteenth century idea that iron horse-shoes were a protection against witches and evil.

Antiquarian John Aubrey wrote in his 1696 book Miscellanies that the reasoning was that Mars (the Roman god of war and associated with the metal iron) was the enemy of Saturn (ruler of the witches).

A less pagan interpretation of the superstition is that a horseshoe held on its side makes a "C" for Christ. » Continue reading

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What causes the jerking sensation sometimes felt while falling asleep?

As the brain gradually slips into unconsciousness it loses control over the muscles, says Dr John Shneerson, director of The Sleep Centre at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England.

In this relaxed state, muscles spasm in reaction to thoughts passing through the mind. These sometimes take the form of loud noises or a feeling of falling that can seem very real and may even wake you up. But "sleep starts," as the spasms are often called, are completely harmless. » Continue reading

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Walk your way to health at work

A sedentary lifestyle coupled with erratic eating habits has resulted in an increasing amount of obese professionals. This is why two researchers in the Mayo Clinic in the US have devised a 'vertical workstation'. This is a desk fitted over a standard treadmill. And you can work out while you work.

The researchers -- James Levine and Jennifer Miller -- persuaded 15 obese people to work at the treadmill-desk and measured how many calories they burned. If an overweight office worker used this vertical workstation all day, every day for a year, he or she could lose up to 66 pounds, the researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. On average, the overweight volunteers burned 100 calories more every hour while walkinig slowly, at 1 mile per hour, than while sitting in a chair.

The researchers said their desk costs approximately $1,600. Fancy buying one for your office? » Continue reading

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Think smart, work smart and rest smart

Once there was a group of men, chopping down timber in a jungle. The group comprised a young hot-blooded man and a number of older folks. This young chap was very hard working. He always worked through his break time and complained that the older folks were wasting time, taking breaks four times a day to drink and chat.

As times went by, this young guy noticed that even though he worked through his break time and harldy took rest, the older folks were chopping the same amount of trees as he was. In fact, there were times when they cut more trees than he did. It was almost as if these people were working through the break time as he did. So he decided to work harder the next day. Unfortunately, the results were even worse.


One day, one of the older folks invited him for a drink during their break time. The young man refused and said he had no extra time to waste! Then the old man smiled to him and said, "It is just a waste of effort to keep chopping trees without re-sharpening your knife. Sooner or later you will give up or be very exhausted as you have spent too much energy."

Suddenly the young man realized that actually during their tea breaks, while those old folks were having a chat, they were also resharpening their knives at the same time! And that's how they could chop faster than him spending lesser time in the bargain!

The old man then said, "What we need is efficiency by making use of our skill and ability intelligently. Only then can we have a lot more time to do other things."

The morale of the story:

Taking a short break during work makes you feel fresher, helps you think well and work better after the break. Unless you are simply finding an excuse to take a break!

Taking a break does not mean stopping work. It means that you just take some time to rest and re-think your strategy or go about it from another angle. » Continue reading

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Games women and men play

Next time a woman says she can't leave her computer it may be because it's her turn to deal. Women have edged out men when it comes to playing online games -- 50.4% vs 49.6%, according to a study by PC Data Online. While Nielsen NetRatings says men like sites that feature action games, women favour tamer dotcom fare at the following free internet game sites:

• Bingo.com: Players vie for prizes.
  
• JigZone.com: Features hundreds of jigsaw puzzles.
  
• Boxerjam.com: Compete on inetractive game shows.

» Continue reading

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How are old black and white films converted into colour?

The film is transferred to digital tape. Then, the first time each shade of grey appears, it is coloured manually on a graphics computer and given an identification code. Every time the grey reappears the computer colours it automatically. The process was first used in 1985 on the James Cagney classic Yankee Doodle Dandy. Though the technique was successful for video, the results were not good enough for big-screen projection. Today's advanced film scanners and recorders mean this is now possible, but colorization has largely died out following film industry complaints that the process distorts the original intentions of filmmakers. » Continue reading

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The formula for Happiness

Surely life would be easier if an equation for happiness existed. UK psychologists say they've found it: P + (5 x E) + (3 x H). Clear? Substitute P for "personal characteristics" (eg, outlook, adaptability), E for "existence" (health, money, friends) and H for "higher order" (self-esteem, ambitions, sense of humour).

Researchers interviewed some 1000 people to arrive at the formula. Each participant received a rating out of 100 by answering a questionnaire -- the higher the score, the happier the individual. » Continue reading

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