BBC News - Less is more: Simple living in small spaces

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Log-cabins, beach shacks, and yes, even treehouses have long been considered places to go for a quiet escape. But pint-sized dwellings of all shapes and sizes are slowly becoming more of a primary residence.

For many Americans who feel the economic pressures of a recession with no end in sight, tiny homes provide some relief from high rents and big mortgages.

For others, living smaller is simply a personal preference. Many of these fully-functioning miniature homes can be found in Northern California where the mild weather agrees with a lifestyle spent mostly outdoors.

Jay Schafer of Graton, California, is the owner of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. He says the key to living in a tiny home is smart design and attention to detail.

But aesthetics aside, Mr Schafer believes people can discover a sense of freedom in living with less.

The 8 Habits of Healthy Living

‘The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.’ ~Epicurus

Post written by Leo Babauta.

I don’t have health insurance, so I have a big investment in staying healthy.

And so I did a little research today — I found the top causes of death, then created a spreadsheet for the controllable risk factors for each.

Some things can’t be controlled (your age, family history of diseases, gender). But others can. And those things aren’t a huge surprise — you already know not to smoke, drink too much, or eat crappily.

It’s interesting, though, how all of the major diseases are caused by the same things: smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol and stress.

Below I’ll list the top habits you can change, and a simple method for changing them.

Read the rest of this post »

Google: Kalender-Icon jetzt tagesaktuell

Genau heute vor 5 Jahren, am 13. April 2006, haben wir Google Kalender veröffentlicht. Was ursprünglich als ein experimentelles Projekt von ein paar Googlern angefangen hat, ist mittlerweile zu einem Service herangewachsen, den Millionen von Menschen täglich nutzen.

Da zu jedem ordentlichen Geburtstag auch Geschenke gehören, spendieren wir Google Kalender ab heute ein tagesaktuelles Favicon! Die immergleiche Zahl '31' im Google Kalender Browsertab verschwindet und wird ab heute den aktuellen Tag des Monats anzeigen. Damit ist das aktuelle Datum nur noch einen Augenblick von euch entfernt.

Sehr praktisch!

How did we get to where we are? (Crash course on early history)

Identify the differences between the Paleolithic and Neolithic societies and explain how these societies established the foundations for the subsequent development of civilization.
This was a question on vark.com

The main difference between the two is the emerge of patriarchy after a huge climatic change.

The North of Africa and the Middle East dried out and the savannas became deserts. Hunger burst out and hordes of mainly young men tried to get food for their clans and robbed and killed others.

Violence emerged, and equestrian nomads moved from South Russian and Caucasian deserts towards Europe.

They came in batches during thousands of years, conquered the natives, took slaves and built hierarchy.

First cities were constructed, filled with craftspeople and serfs and the rulers from the East traded the goods and became rich. Now they could afford warriors and guards to protect their property and themselves.

This was before the Greeks, Sumerians, Egyptians and others refined the system and it lasted until today and is called capitalism/democracy.

I recommend the book 'Saharasia' by James DeMeo. Check the reviews on amazon.com