Today I learned how taste is transferred and I thought of an interesting application to social interaction.  I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

In Jewish law ...
    Taste is transferred through heat.  Two foods will exchange tastes when put under the right temperature.  A cold piece of chicken sitting in cold water will not transfer its taste into the water. (Unless it remains there for a long time, which is another point not for now)  In order for the water to acquire the taste of the chicken you need to turn on the stove and apply heat.  Once the mixture is hot enough they will exchange tastes. 

In physics ...
    When heat is applied to an object it causes the molecules to separate, and if enough heat is applied the object will turn into a gas.  Think water into a vapor.  When cold is applied to an object the molecules get tighter and the object is made more solid.  Think water into ice. 

The rule:
    Heat spreads things out.  Heat transfers tastes.  Heat spreads out molecules.  Cold brings things tighter.  Cold doesn't allow transfer of taste.  Cold tightens molecules.

In communities ...
    Hot places will breed social circles where people are spread out.  Social circles where people are in general very amiable and friendly.  However, people in hot places don't develop CLOSE relationships. Cold places will breed social circles where people are more insular, keep to themselves.  Social circles where people are curt and bordering on rude.  However, the people within their social circles will be very tight, they will have close and meaningful relationships.

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Recently I was looking for a new way of keeping track of all of my to-dos.  Until now I was using something called a pocket mod which was very useful, but I figured I would try going high-tech so I wouldn't have to rewrite all of my to-dos every week.

One of the beauties of a pocket mod are that it has one of the most important things which you need in a personal organization tool, namely accessibility.  It is absolutely critical that you can access your personal organizer -- anywhere and everywhere.  You need to be able to input item and export items as quickly as possible.  That is why the pocket mod was so good.

So I recently came across a personal productivity tool called "Remember The Milk".  It also has the accessibility trait, so long as you have Internet on your mobile.  It gives you so many ways that you can input tasks and export tasks that accessibility is never far away.

Here are all of the addons I am using, I hope you find this helpful.  Shout out in the comments for anything that was useful or for any things which I may have missed.


www.rememberthemilk.com -- you have to create an account, its pretty self explanatory.
http://is.gd/b0RC --  A must have for gmail users
http://is.gd/p9w -- A fantastic post as per how to set up your Remember the Milk with GTD
http://is.gd/10e -- Greasemonkey which enables you to change the setup of RTM with addons
http://is.gd/c9pF -- A greasemonkey userscript which I find useful
http://is.gd/eRGM -- Instructions on how to send a task through email, very useful as I am always at email

If you want to see what a pocketmod is: www.pocketmod.com

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People don't like changing the status quo.  There is something about the status quo that makes people feel comfortable.  They may not be in a great situation but at least they know what it is.

The status quo is a very dangerous place to be.  You can get locked into things which aren't good.  It is a pair of brakes on change, movement, and growth.

I have been putting off changing my cell plan for a couple of weeks now just because it is at a status quo and I am being lazy to change it.

Challenge your status quo.  Challenge your companies status quo.  Challenge the worlds status quo.

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http://is.gd/eHif

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Earlier this week I was wondering what was so difficult about interpreting Pharaohs dream the way that Joseph did, see previous post. 

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When looking over the parsha it struck me how simple Yosefs dream interpretation was.  Fat and robust cows for fat and robust economic production, which results in fatter cows.  Lean cows for lean years.  Which leads me to wonder what was so brilliant about Yosefs interpretation?  Why weren't the wise men of Egypt not able to figure that out?  Why did Pharoah appoint him as second in command for something so simple? Any ideas?

Any other ideas for how to call these Parsha questions? I am calling them p.ArSK.a in the meantime, Parsha ASK, get it?

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As I was reading the Parsha on Shabbos I was wondering...What do you think the bakers reaction was when he was told that he would be hung in three days?

Any ideas?

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