Zip Code
| Summary:How does the mail reach over 141 million homes and businesses each day? What is your 9 digit zip code and what does it mean? |
A lot of people complain when, every year or so, the price of postage goes up three or four cents, but I for one think it’s pretty cool that you can slap the representation of 39 cents on an envelope and have it appear in whatever city you’d like it to go in just a few days. Sure, our letter carriers are awesome and the sorting machines can do more and do it faster than ever, but what it really comes down to is five little numbers: our Zoning Improvement Plan – or ZIP – codes.
Despite the advancement of airline transport, in the 1930s the bulk of our mail was still moved primarily by rail. While it wasn’t especially speedy or efficient, it didn’t really have to be as during that time mail was used primarily for social purposes. By the early 1960s the process had been refined considerably, using significantly fewer trains and taking far less time than it had in the past. The mid 60s mail gave way to the birth of the computers and businesses and government comprised over 80% of our mail with centralized billing, banking, social security checks, magazine subscriptions, and other mail – some good, some bad – that our boxes are now flooded with on a daily basis.
Enter the Presidential appointed Advisory Board of the Post Office Department.
In 1962, after a detailed study of the mechanization problems of our mail system it was decided that a coding system was desperately needed to handle the huge increase in volume the postal system had undergone in the previous 30 years. After several attempts, on April 30, 1963 the system that we know today as the five-digit United States zip code was born. In an unusual demonstration of speed and efficiency, by July of that same year the U.S. government was able to assign every address in the country their own numbers.
The U.S. Postal Service works roughly like this: you drop your mail, it goes to a regional center. It then goes to one of the 85 urban transportation centers set up just outside of our major cities (so as not to congest nor get delayed by traffic). These offices act as a hub for 522 satellite centers that then serve anywhere from 40 to 150 smaller offices. Zip codes get assigned according to what is called the “Metro System.” The first digit representing the region, with “0” starting in the Northeast and “9” in the West. The next two digits are associated with the urban transportation center, and the final two digits pinpoint the exact post office or zones.
But this is the federal government we’re talking about here. Could it really be this easy? Well, yes and no. For a while.
According to the USPS, hundreds of millions of pieces of mail reach over 141 million homes and businesses each day – which is a lot of mail relying on five little numbers. To make mail faster to sort, face, and cancel, four more numbers following a hyphen were added to the already existing five. These digit zip codes have reduced the number of times a piece of mail has to be handled by a human being, thus reducing the chance of errors during delivery and enabling us all to get our mail faster.
Even so, ask someone their nine digit zip code and they’ll probably laugh a little – at least they did when I asked. But if you like to be the epitome of efficiency, or you just have nothing to do, then you can go to the USPS website and look up your 9 digit zip at www.usps.com.
www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub100/pub100
inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmailus4
www.ischool.utexas.edu/~jpwms/mixednumbers/zip
Sports Betting
| Summary: Think you will win the bet if your team wins? You better check the point spread first. |
Former Playboy columnist Cynthia Heimel once wrote that there’s not a guy in the world who doesn’t have his own theories on the subject of point spreads. Whether you believe her or no, it is true whenever you get a bunch of guys together to watch a game – any game – someone immediately asks, “What’s the spread?” and for each one who walks through the door and grabs a handful of Doritos, this question is asked again. So what is a “point spread,” anyway?
The point spread (as it is referred to in football, the “money line” or “line” in baseball) is similar to a handicap in golf: it’s simply meant to level the playing field (and, of course, make it tougher to predict the money winner). So if Team Red is playing Team Blue and you place your money on Team Red and they win by one point that may not be enough to win you any dough. In fact, you might even lose your initial bet.
It works like this: Team Red’s having a great season. Every time they hit the field it’s magic; giant holes seem to open up enabling their quarterback to fly through, passes seem to seek out receivers’ hands as if they had homing devices. So here they are going up against the Blues, whose season hasn’t been quite so hot. So in order to even things out a bit, odds makers in Vegas give Team Blue some advantage. Say the spread is Team Red looks like this:
Team Red -10; TEAM BLUE.
This means that if you put your money on Team Red, it isn’t enough for them to simply win, in order for you to collect they’ll have to win by at least 10 points.
So what do the odds makers look at when determining point spreads? Mostly they look at the turf (Houston often gets home team advantage for being the only team in the league who’s optionally enclosed stadium field is made of astroturf), the condition of the playing field (rainy and wet, dusy and dry), home team advantage (having most of the fans on your side can do tons for a team’s morale), and injuries. Even a personal problems with a star quarterback can subtly make it’s way into the odds
Now you probably think, as many do, that overall you just can’t beat Vegas, and you’d pretty much be right. In the 1979 Superbowl when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Dallas Cowboys, it was a huge exception to this rule and huge sums of money were lost. Pittsburgh was initially given -3.5, but later went into the game at -4.5. When the Steelers won 35-31 anyone who took Pittsburgh at -3.5 or Dallas at +4.5 could collect. It’s no wonder why this particular day is still referred to as Black Friday.
Citations:
money.howstuffworks.com/sports-betting1
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_betting
Cholesterol
| Summary: What is your cholesterol? What does that number mean and what can you do to lower it? |
Once a year we go to our doctors’ office, roll up our sleeves, and allow our blood to be drawn. What is contained in those vials can tell an awful lot about us: how our thyroid is functioning, whether or not we’re producing enough red blood cells, if we’re sporting an otherwise unnoticed infection, how our liver’s holding up, and the ever popular cholesterol count.
Maybe you’ve been eating a lot of red meat, sucking up the creamy desserts, or overloading on the yummy breakfasts laden with bacon and sausage, but that number might make you a little nervous. Especially if it comes in at over 200, where your cholesterol level should top out if you’re a healthy individual. But what does that number mean and what can you do to lower it?
Cholesterol is a fatty molecule 80% of which manufactured by the liver (the remaining 20% we get through our diets) and is used for cell strength and shape. It also regulates our secondary sex hormones and provides an important lining to our nerve fibers. The good thing is that we need very little cholesterol to maintain these functions. Unfortunately, many of us have far more than we need. When this happens it can lead to heart disease, so it’s very important that you know what is bad cholesterol, what is good cholesterol (yes, there is such a thing!), and how to lower and maintain proper cholesterol levels.
First of all, your cholesterol level is comprised of your level of lipoproteins, which are a combination of fats and proteins. What makes them different is their densities. Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) are the ones to watch out for. These lipoproteins are the ones responsible for atheroscerotic plaque, or to put it more simply, the artery cloggers. These lipoproteins cling to the walls of the arteries and then cling to each other until the arteries are blocked and blood can no longer pass though. When your doctor talks to you about lowering your cholesterol what she’s really talking about is lowering your “bad” cholesterol, or your LDL.
High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are what is commonly referred to as “good” cholesterol. HDLs are responsible for removing cholesterol – good and bad – from the arteries and returning to the liver where it can be used to perform its proper functions. Think of HDLs as a flush: they move through the arteries and sweep out all the cholesterol they can. So if your HDL is very high it can counter balance a slightly high LDL. In fact, some doctors say that if your cholesterol is slightly over 200, yet you have an inordinately high HDL that lowering your cholesterol would actually cause harm because most likely all you would lower is your HDL.
So what do you do if you have to lower your cholesterol? Well, there are medications, but unless your cholesterol level is high enough to be life threatening your doctor will probably want you to try a more conventional approach. You’ll want to start a diet of whole grains, fruits and veggies, cut out saturated and hydrogenated fats, cheeses, and of course you should start an exercise routine if you don’t have one already. If after six months your cholesterol hasn’t budged, then you and your doctor may decide that one of the many cholesterol-lowering medications might be right for you.
cholesterol.about.com/cs/aboutcholestero1/a/cholesdef
diabetes.about.com/od/mealplanning/a/goodbadfats
www.txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/lipitor
Allergy Pollen Counts
Depending on where you live, every spring or summer – or perhaps all year round – you leave your house and head to your car to see it covered in a fine layer of yellow powder. Most of us may not think much of this yellow dust (unless, of course, we just washed our cars), but to the 67 million with pollen allergies in the U.S., this is the signifies the onset of months of sneezing, watering and itchy eyes, sinus congestion and headaches, itchy skin, coughing, wheezing, and even stomach aches. So what does one with pollen allergies do?
The pollens that most are allergic to are produced by plain-looking trees, shrubs, grasses, and weeds that usually don’t flower or have rather plain-looking flowers. The male cells that fall from these plants drift to fertilize other plants, but most don’t reach their destination and it’s these that end up being responsible for rhinitis, or hay fever. Since the only way to entirely avoid pollen is to stay indoors, finding out the day’s pollen count is the best place to start. Most television weather reports give the local pollen count as part of the day’s forecast in the first news reports of the morning or online at websites like The Weather Channel’s. But what does it all mean?
First off, pollen levels differ greatly from city to city, which is why it is so important to get your pollen count from a local forecast. It’s also important to take into consideration that even if you can actually see pollen it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be part of the overall pollen count. For instance, pine trees can produce an enormous amount of pollen, but are not usually part of the pollen count as most people with pollen allergies are not allergic to pine pollen.
It’s also extremely important that you get your pollen count information from a reputable source that has the equipment and resources to give accurate measurements as counts can fluctuate throughout the day. Since pollen concentrations, which are measured by grains per square meter over the course of 24 hours, it’s possible for a pollen count in the morning on temperate, breezy days to be higher than in the afternoon or in humid weather. As some resources only update their information every 48 to 72, you really can’t rely on that forecast when your allergies are at stake.
Discount Oil Changes
In March, 2007, Ford became the latest auto manufacturer to recommend that you change oil every 7,500 miles instead of every 5,000 on their latest model automobiles.
According to Peter Lord, executive director of GM’s service operations, motor oil can generally last 12,000 miles or even more if you don’t run your vehicle in extreme heat or cold or tow heavy loads
The reason for recommended increase in oil change intervals is that engines are designed better and today’s motor oil is higher quality than just a few years ago.
Dennis Bachelder, senior engineer for the American Petroleum Institute agrees. He said, “The oils have advanced a lot since the days when 3,000 miles were the typical oil drains.”
Take note: This recommendations by Ford, General Motors, and an Oil expert are well beyond the oil change intervals that auto manufacturers and quick lube shops recommend.
The truth is that car manufacturers can’t accurately recommend your oil change intervals because they don’t know the conditions in which you drive or the quality of oil that you use. For that reason, it’s probably a better idea to follow the recommendations of the oil manufacturers instead of the auto manufacturers.
Quick Tip: Most Oil Change light on vehicle dashboards are only a mileage counter. Most Oil change dashboard indicator lights do NOT check your engine to tell you that your oil is dirty and you need to change it. The oil change light on your dashboard tells you only that a certain number of miles have passed on your odometer since the oil change reset button was last pressed. If you’re annoyed by the the oil change light
In fact, the Mobil Oil website recommends different oil change intervals, for the same vehicle, depending on the quality of the Mobil oil you choose. According to the Mobil Website:
- Recommended oil change frequency for Mobil 5000 oil is every 5,000 miles
- Recommended oil change frequency for Mobil 7500 oil is every 7,500 miles
- Mobil 1 Extended performance Oil is guaranteed for oil changes every 15,000 miles
Of course, the better oils are more expensive. However, more expensive motor oil could be a bargain when you consider the time and expense required if you have it changed by the quick lube shop. Time is money, and if you only have to change your oil once each year instead of two or three times, it means you have time to enjoy other things.
The average cost of a full service oil change can be as much as $30. If you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, you’ll change your oil about six times or twice each year for a total cost of $180 over three years. Instead, if you follow oil manufacturer’s recommendations and use higher quality oil for longer oil change intervals, you can cut your cost of oil changes in half. You’ll save $90 over three years for a single vehicle. Multiply that times two or three cars in your household and you can save hundreds of dollars on oil changes each year.
Quick lube shops have good reason to put a sticker on your windshield and remind you to return often — because the more often you return the more money they make. Today’s oils are better and the engines are better. So while your local Jiffy lube may still use scare tactics to get you to change your oil every few thousand miles, ignore the oil change guys, follow the better recommendations of the OIL manufacturers, and you’ll save money on oil changes as a result.
Citation: “Automakers lengthen intervals between oil changes,” By Tom Krishner, Associated Press, 03/22/07
Citation: Mobil Web Site, “Oil Change Intervals”
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