The power of the people’s internet

In November 2006, the UK Government launched the “e-petitions” system, which allows people to create petitions online and submit them to Downing Street without having to deliver them in person.

Want your kids to behave? Maybe Derren Brown can help…

Before you get worried, I’m not suggesting that you hypnotise your little angels in order to teach them good behaviour! This is something I came across a few weeks ago, discovered that it seems to work, and thought I’d share with you other mums and dads who may be interested too.

On Derren Brown’s website, I came across a section about the power of suggestion (for those of you unfamiliar with Derren Brown, he is a “magician” of sorts, mostly interested in psychology and misdirection, and very entertaining!). Derren explains that all suggestions to a person’s behaviour should be positive in order to be successful: negative suggestions simply do not work on the subconscious mind.

IE: if I were to say “Don’t think about butterflies”, what would be the first insect which popped into your head? On the other hand, if I were to say “Think about bumble bees” instead, you would probably not think of butterflies at all.

Are you with me so far?

Well, going on from this, my thoughts strayed to the kids, and how they almost always do the opposite of what I say to them. Especially Little Angel! When I say “don’t touch that!”, she invariably does so anyway. Highly frustrating! So I decided to do a little experiment: as often as I could remember to do so, I changed the phrases I use when chastising the kids, some examples being:

• Instead of “don’t touch that”, try “leave it alone”
• Rather than “don’t go into the busy road”, I’d say “stay on the pavement”.

I made a mental note each time as to whether or not it worked. I didn’t expect it to, kids being kids and all, but you know what? It worked more often then not. Which is a big difference, considering my “suggestions” previously had caused such endless frustration at the lack of accomplishment!

So perhaps kids are more susceptible to the power of suggestion than we adults feel we are. Any more childcare tips Derren?

Technorati Tags: derren+brown kids behaviour children psychology mind+control parenting

How big is your carbon footprint?

After the recent TV advertisements about CO2 emissions, I decided to try and work out just how big our family’s carbon footprint is. Despite the recent shock at the costs of our gas and electricity bills, I’m pleased to say that our family’s footprint is slightly below the UK average: 7612kg per person, compared to the UK average of 10963kg. Hopefully our recent clampdown on the cost of bills will help to reduce this even more.

I also made an interesting discovery: BioDiesel.

Biodiesel is a fuel that can be used in any diesel powered vehicle. It is
biodegradable and non-toxic. Biodiesel is a fantastic way of reducing your
carbon footprint as it only releases the carbon dioxide that the plants absorbed
whilst growing, therefore there is no negative impact on the carbon cycle.

Mum actually mentioned a while ago that her friend had set up a Biodiesel distribution company; cheap, clean fuel I can use in my car without having to make any modifications to the engine. Now that I know more about it, I’d certainly like to give it a try. It’s a pity Biodiesel isn’t sold in petrol stations yet…

For more information about your CO2 emissions, or to work out your family’s carbon footprint, try these links:

• jointhebiggerpicture.co.uk
• CO2 calculator
• Act on CO2

Related posts:

• Save money on your amenity bills (and be more environmentally friendly!)
• Green cleaning really can save you money!

Technorati Tags: climate+challenge co2 carbon footprint saving+energy environment going+green

Save money on your amenity bills (and be more environmentally friendly!)

Hubby was rather wild when we received the electric bill a few weeks ago. He wasn’t impressed yesterday when we had the gas bill…

“We always use more heating/lighting/gas for the cooker/etc in winter,” I tried to explain. But still, our monthly payments have increased by more than 100%.

It’s time to cut down on our use of these facilities. So I’ve been reading up lots about how to use less energy in the home. Not only does this cut down on bills, but it also helps the environment as we use less fossil fuels! So here’s a few of the best tips I’ve found. I hope they help you reduce your costs and environment bill too:

• Use low energy light bulbs. Many companies offer these for free to help reduce the cost to the environment. We were actually given a pack for free by our local housing authority; you can also buy packs of 2-3 from “Poundland” stores.
• Turn the washing machine temperature down to 30 degrees as much as possible. You’ll save 25% of the electricity cost for heating the water, and most coloured washes are still cleaned just as well.
• Switch off appliances at the wall plug, or unplug them altogether. Appliances such as TV’s and DVD players still use energy when on standby mode. So when not in use, make sure they’re not eating into your bills!
• Invest in double glazing if you can. Okay, I know this is an expensive job, but you’ll really notice a difference. Our old apartment had double glazing, and it cost so much less to keep warm than it did at our new house (until we had the new windows installed). In the long run, you’ll save a lot of money!
• Draftproof your home: letterboxes, ill fitting doors and windows can all become more efficient by installing draft-proof fuzzy tape. Many local authorities in the UK will do this as a free service (or very cheaply) if you make an application; in many cases, this includes cavity wall and water heater installation.
• Invest in a washing line and some pegs! Tumble dryers use up so much electricity to get clothes dry. I’ve barely used mine at all these past few weeks. In fact, only once because it rained solid for three days…

When I discover some more tips I’ll be sure to post them here. In the meantime, you should also check out these websites for more information on reducing your bills/making your home a more environmentally friendly place:

• Energy Saving Trust
• Free energy efficiency advice for your home
• The Energy Partnership

Technorati Tags: energy efficiency low+energy light+bulbs saving+money electricity gas bills environment

Unlock your car using a tennis ball??

I found this great video on the Crooked Brains blog which shows how to recover keys locked in a car using only a tennis ball!

The Hole – video powered by Metacafe

It seems to work by forcing air into the lock mechanism, which in turn releases the catch within. I have to say, this doesn’t work on all cars, and obviously won’t stop an alarm going off, but it is handy for incidents of accidental key loss!

Kunoichi Tags: information, cars, tips+and, tricks

Technorati Tags: unlock+car, recover+keys, tennis+ball

A very brief guide to password cracking

We all understand the need to protect our private documents, accounts and files with strong passwords. But what can you do if you forget your pass phrase and can’t decrypt the file? Or perhaps your friend needs your expertise to crack that password for them…

In this brief guide, I’ll explain the concepts of password cracking and point you in the direction of sites and downloads which may be of help in such situations.

Keyloggers: install, detect and remove

A keylogger is a computer program or hardware device that has the ability to record your keystrokes. It can record anything that you type, including your passwords, emails, credit card number, personal information, etc. Most keyloggers are invisible, so you won’t know if they are running on your system. In this post, I will briefly describe the two types of keyloggers, point you in the direction of free downloads, and explain how keyloggers can be detected and removed.

Get Smarter in a Week!

The BBC have created an interesting online programme called “Get Smarter in a Week“. Followers of this programme can expect to improve concentration and brain power by practising brain exercises, increasing physical activity and improving diet.

Police Stop and Search-Know Your Rights!

Over the past couple of years in the UK, laws have been introduced which allow the Police to stop and search anyone in a public place if they believe there is good reason to do so. They can also search your car, wether or not you are in it! Many believe this is a huge invasion of privacy and civil rights. The police and government state that it is in the interests of national security.

Intercepting SMS/Text messages

I recently came across a company which claims to be able to provide a service to intercept text mesages from a specified number and pass on the details to a subscriber’s handset: