Nobrainer’s Think Tank

I’m becoming a bit hesitant to upgrade my versions of Firefox and Thunderbird. It seems with each new version there is some little change that really throws me off (or it has my add-ons disabled for bit to throw me off). My upgrade to Thunderbird 8 was no exception. In the new version I was having problems finding the quick filter functionality. Turns out there was a good reason: one of the stupid old additions was fixed:

There are also new Search and Find keyboard shortcuts alongside numerous security patches and bug fixes.

The new keyboard shortcuts have come about due to an ambiguity between using the [Ctrl] + [F] shortcut to both search using the Quick Filter and within individual messages depending on what was selected. Now [Ctrl] + [F] is used specifically to search within selected messages; to search using the Quick Filter bar, use the brand new [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [K] shortcut instead.

It always bugged me that [Ctrl] + [F] did different things. I think the search functions in Thunderbird still need a lot of help, but this is a god start.

Thanks to BetaNews for having the scoop.

I read this AP article this morning, and it brought to mind an exchange from the movie Trainspotting. In it Sick Boy details his grand theory. The exchange ends thusly:

Renton: So we all get old and then we can’t hack it anymore. Is that it?
Sick Boy: Yeah.
Renton: That’s your theory?

So the article was about health care.

The budget office concluded that premiums for people buying their own coverage would go up by an average of 10 percent to 13 percent, compared with the levels they’d reach without the legislation. That’s mainly because policies in the individual insurance market would provide more comprehensive benefits than they do today.

For most households, those added costs would be more than offset by the tax credits provided under the bill, and they would pay significantly less than they have to now.

That’s the fucking plan? That’s the savings? The savings plan is to force prices higher and say they’re lower by adding further complication to the tax code via new credits? Brilliant!

Geezus. It’s 9AM and I’m so ready for a Guinness.

While washing my hands in a McDonald’s restroom the other day, it dawned on me why so many places are switching to foamy hand soap. I reckoned it isn’t happening because the foamy soap is generally nicer, it’s that it induces people to use less soap and thus saves companies money. And as a google search revealed, I was correct, but the advantages don’t stop there.

From WiseGeek

For manufacturers, the advantage of foam soap is that they do not need to make as much soap. They argue that foam soap is also easier to lather, encouraging people to use soap properly, and that since many people overuse soap, foam soap dispenses a more appropriate amount of soap for basic hand washing needs. Foam soap is also thinner, making the dispensers less prone to clogging.

From Parrish-Supply

You’ll get significantly more Handwashings out of the Foam Soap System than traditional liquid soap dispensers. Foam Soap combined with the dispenser will create a powerful cleaning system. Air is infused into the soap as it’s dispensed creating a rich, luxurious lather. Just ONE push delivers a generous portion of foam. The volume of lather feels so satisfying in users’ hands that they don’t need a second push.

As the chart shows, you actually get more than two-times as many pushes per unit volume with foam soap. So you not only end up with a product that’s more appealing to the customer, but one that uses less to begin with and encourages still encourages people to be less wasteful. What an invention!

We’ve all seen the NBC public service announcements, the more you know…. Motivated by Bad Science, I think there should be a blog (if there isn’t one already), perhaps titled “The More You Know Blog” that posts once per day and primarily refutes the media’s bullshit du jour. And it would be even better if skewered only news/scare stories from NBC. Sure it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen with that title, but it’s an otherwise Genius (yes, with a capital G) idea.