Lifestyle is a KILLER

In addition to our research, the landmark INTERHEART study, led by Canadian scientists, followed 30,000 men and women in fifty-two countries on six continents. It found that nine factors related to nutrition and lifestyle accounted for almost 95 percent of the risk of a heart attack in men and women in almost every geographic region and in every racial and ethnic group worldwide. These factors were: smoking, cholesterol level, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and psychosocial issues such as emotional stress and depression.

95% of Heart Attack risk is due to lifestyle issues = 95% of Heart Attack risk is LEARNED!

What the story needed to change the lifestyle learning? Death, Grieving Family, Incapacitation?

Lifestyle issues – coming to a Death Panel near you.

Tradition. Respect and Simple Courtesies

Passing through the “small” Alabama town of Eufaula , I was stopped for a few minutes by a multitude of flashing blue lights. It was the police escort for a funeral procession.

For those not familiar with the procedure in these areas, the police escorts allow the funeral procession to remain together and cross intersections without regard to traffic or traffic lights.

It's also a tradition, that all traffic stop both ways for the procession whether the deceased were known to you or not. Four lanes on a busy state highway going through a small Southern town came to a complete stop for a few minutes out of respect for not only the deceased but their family.

The family in their grieving may or may not have noticed that the world literally did stop for them for a few moments. However it did remind me of the necessity of simple courtesies in life.

Some gestures may be tradition, but still provide respect to a stranger as a simple courtesy.

Hold the door open for someone the next time you go shopping.

Little Things

It is the little things that matter

I've always heard, “Pennies, make nickels, nickels make dime...”

In many things, it is the little steps and things we do that really matter. Knowing that the simple act of brushing our teeth not only keeps our teeth and gums healthy, also helps prevent other health issues.

Years ago, a journalist/sports writer/columnist/comedy actor in Atlanta, Lewis Grizzard, died from his congenital heart condition brought on by his gum disease. Simple preventative dental care could have extended his life.

It is the simple things that do make a difference. Somewhere in your life is some simple act that you know you need to do, but don't follow through.

Just Do It (especially the little things)

iBooks Author vs ???

iBooks Author vs?

The buzz over the last several weeks has been on Apple's new multimedia authoring program for iPads.

There has been a minor firestorm over the license restrictions, i.e.; if you sell the product created with Apple's software, it HAS to go through the iTunes store. If you give it away (free), you can distribute it anywhere. The initial reactions intimated that if you created your product and HAD to sell it only through the Apple store meant Apple owned the rights to the text. As it turns out, Apple's restriction applied only to the output of its software. Not as draconian as it was first thought.

As an aside, for those of you using Microsoft Office Student Home Edition, note that it cannot be used for commercial use. At least one business has been turned in by a former employee and had to pay fines. Pay attention to the EULA, you might really be selling your soul.

But now from the shadows, a competitor has emerged. Atavist! 

Atavist? Who are they?

“The Atavist publishes bestselling nonfiction stories that are longer than typical magazine articles but shorter than books for digital devices like the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, and Nook. In our app publication for the iPad/iPhone, each story is laced with video, audiobooks, additional layers of information, and a host of other features."

A boutique publisher with its own software package developed for internal use, Periodic Technology, which has one click creation for almost all devices. Right now it can be licensed through the company, but they have announced a FREE beta test program. To quote:

“We will soon be launching a free version of our platform for everyone: authors, photographers, creators, small publications. To join the list for our private beta please enter your email below, and we’ll be in touch.”

I've signed up for to be a beta tester (masochist that I am) and received the email below



Hello from Atavist, and thanks so much for signing up for our free-version beta. We've been overwhelmed by the response! It's only reconfirmed our suspicion that there are a huge number of talented people who could use our platform for creative projects. So...now we're rushing to get it to you. Our current plans are to let a small number of people into an initial beta on March 1, with everyone else to follow about four weeks later. We may be in touch between now and then if the schedule shifts at all, as these things sometimes do...

In the meantime, we greatly appreciate your interest, we're extremely excited at what people have planned, and we're working overtime to get started helping you produce it.

Thanks,

Evan Ratliff
Atavist
www.atavist.com



As the testers get their hands on it, we'll see how it plays out. Since they're already publishing for all of the platforms, the output should be fine. It depends on how complex it is to prepare the input files (the requirements for iBooks is very specific and not always easy to follow).

A viable competitor in the public market. So all those textbooks won't necessarily have to be on an Apple product.

If it works, how long before Google or Amazon moves in on them?

Time + Execution = Success

Fram the Atlanta Bloggers Meetup last night at Manuel's Tavern:

John Saddington of Tentblogger

Time + Execution = Success

In other words, SHIPIT or go, Go, GO

The slides for his presentation which will also be repeated at the upcomng Atlanta Wordpress Camp can be found here:     Can’t Wait for WordCamp Atlanta!

One of the best parts of the talk:

Cool Asian Hair

Before

(OK you had to have been at the Bloggers Meeting to get the joke)

After