How can a list of good sunscreens simplify your life?

Well, you can spend less time wondering which one to get. But I guess I should start with, Why use sunscreen in the first place?

Call it an investment in your healthy future. Rather than have to deal with removing potentially cancerous skin issues, take care of your skin Now.

Last week I saw an article by Julie Deardorf called “Is sunscreen a smokescreen?” (on Julie’s blog connected with the Chicago Tribune)Not all sunscreens protect you from both UVA & UVB rays, and the U.S. basically allows manufacturers to claim whatever they want.

She reports that the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org — site seemed to be down when I tried today 7/28/07) has conducted studies and research to find which sunscreens are doing a good job protecting our sensitive skin (and which don’t).

The 5 best suncreens according to the Environmental Working Group:

1. UV Natural Sport SPF 30
2. Badger SPF 30
3. Peter Thomas Roth Titanium Dioxide Sunblock 30
4. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral SPF 40 (company website?)
5. Vanicream Sunscreen Sport SPF 35 (company website?)

rosacea
About-Rosacea.com (I’ve got my radar on for rosacea products as I have that sensitivity on my nose) has their own list of recommended sunscreens. Here are the brands that show up on the above “best 5″ list as well as the About-Rosacea list:

• Vanicream SPF 15
• Peter Thomas Roth Day Protection Cream

other sun exposure tips
The article “Sizing Up Sunscreen” from MSNBC.com’s Newsweek refers to the same Environmental Working Group study as well as includes other sun safety reminders like staying out of the sun during peak hours, apply sunscreen liberally and before exposure, wear a hat, the kind of things we can be reminded of repeatedly and still not head.

The costs is just too distant for most of us. “What’s a little sun now?” One look at all the little scars my dad now has from “minor procedures” after years in the So. Cal sun as a kid is a good enough reminder for me to keep the sunscreen on my nose and the sun off my shoulders.

The cover story of the June 2006 Wine Spectator reads:
“Bordeaux 2005, James Suckling rates more than 600 wines from this great vintage.”

I wonder how long it took him to try all 600? Did he spit out all the sippage? Did he get raging drunk and have a crazy-good time traveling to chateaus and tasting rooms across France?

Curious questions aside, the one thing to remember, if you are a wine drinker or looking to buy wine for a wine connoiseur, 2005 Bordeaux is a thumbs up!

At the MacWorld conference in SF this past January I met the people who created iListen, a voice dictation and command program. Since I write a lot and am beginning to feel the minor symptoms of repetitive use effects in my thumbs, I thought I’d give it a go.

The program, combined with a microphone (I’m using the Parrot TalkPro), learns the nuances of your voice. It uses a combination of sound (phonemes) and context recognition. I’m still in the process of “training” it by reading texts in its training database. Since it knows what I am reading, it is gathering data on the way I speak. After 2 (out of about 10) training sections I tried reading some random passages from Covey’s 7 Habits and got about 75% accuracy.

Charles Moore wrote a very comprehensive review of iListen. He’s been using iListen for several years and several versions and had positive (but not blind) praise for the product. He actually mentions several features that I was unaware of (the documentation from MacSpeech is not super user friendly. There are 4 different pdf manuals that I’m learning to sort through to find answers to my questions.)

Seeing what errors iListen made provided an interesting look into what other people might hear when I speak. Reminds me to not speak too quickly and to enunciate, especially with people who don’t speak English as a first language.

The most recent update to my favorite mind mapping software, NovaMind, includes two notables that are just too cool to pass up mentioning.

One is that you can now use a pen and tablet to create Mind Maps which is a great option for those who spend a lot of time at the keyboard (watch those repetitive motions!) You can also draw your own images to use on the branches or as attached graphics. I thought being able to import images and photos was cool–this opens up a whole new world.

The second new functionality that just tickled my toes is a Spotlight importer built in to the NovaMind program. This means you can now search for your NovaMind files in Spotlight. I’m a newbie at using Spotlight and I find it a brilliant addition to the Mac’s search function. (If you are even more of a newbie than me, Spotlight comes with Tiger, Mac’s OSX 10.4. Spotlight searches files, emails, photos, and now Mind Maps for keywords that you enter.)

Over the years I’m becoming less interested in reading lines of text in favor of colors, shapes, and design. Makes sense. The brain is a complex mix of synapses and stuff (a scientific explanation, ha ha). Ideas and memories are triggered by seemingly unpredictable situations.

Think about brainstorming. Ideas pop up from “no where” and in no particular order. Mind mapping is like a free flowing word representation of a big vision. The core concept is placed in the middle of the page. Related concepts branch out from this core concept. You can branch out from each of these branches too (called siblings). Each level away from the center shows greater detail, and all branches are in support of the core concept.

I think I’m proving my own point by trying to describe this. It’s tough being constrained to words in live after line to describe how something looks! This is where the beauty of mind mapping is evident. Be free to use color and pictures to develop your thoughts!

Want to give it a test run? You can! If you have a Mac, that is. (I understand the Windows version will be along soon.)

My filing cabinet is right next to my desk and provides a great surface to post things on. I post a few inspirational thougths, some photos, and magnetic mesh bins for supplies.

If, however, your filing cabinet isn’t within easy arms reach, you can still use this sweet magnetic technology by mounting a magnetic board. The Container Store has a number of shapes and sizes to choose from. They also have many fun accessories for the magnetic board, from interesting shaped magnets, to hooks, to bins.

To check out what is available at the Container Store, click on below image and then at the top of the screen where it says, “enter product or item #,” enter the words, magnetic boards.

I put these on the side of the filing cabinet next to my desk. They hold paper clips, stickies, an assortment of pens, stamps and white out. Basically, they help clear off my desk (love it)!

If you don’t have your filing cabinet right next to your desk, you can simulate the effect with a magnetic board.

They are available in a variety of sizes at the Container Store. Click on the image below.