Beautiful Free Standing Tubs For Elegant Master Baths

Has your builder offered you the luxurious choice of a beautiful freestanding tub by Maax?

Call 301-404-5462 and ask for Chris Moline to learn more.

 

 

An Open Letter To New York’s Mayor Bloomberg On His Handling Of The Post-Hurricane Sandy New York Marathon

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

You did it, buddy.
Yep, you really stepped on your dick (again).
But take heart, because I’ve got a way out for you and believe me, I’ve stepped on mine a time or two and have had to think fast.
But you’d better hurry because Facebook and Twitter are about to crown you King Wingnut.

So here is my action plan for you:

Get a few thousand backpacks and fill them with relief supplies.
Find the shameless runners who still want to compete and hand out the now-full packs.
Turn them in the direction of the hardest-hit areas and send them on their way.

Of course, you’d also need to change the name of the race to “The New York Un-Fair-Athon” to fully atone, but you can do it, Mikey!

We’re behind you…

Chris Moline
A fellow part-time mistake-maker
@webmindset
PS – Even the Associated Press is riding your tail now… here’s the scoop.

CAPS: Certified Aging In Place Specialist – Aker Tub & Shower Representative in Maryland, DC & Virginia

A Certified Aging in Place Specialist – CAPS -  has the perspective necessary to view a home or home improvement project from the point of view of the user who may have a wide variety of physical or mental limitations. From getting out of a vehicle and into the house, to using the bathroom, a CAPS professional can lend critical perspective to a project.

Are you a builder, remodeler, or Occupational Therapist working with a client in the Aging In Place market? Then you are aware of the need to deal with professionals who will properly specify low-threshold or barrier-free shower bases or tubs.
Chris Moline, LEED AP, CAPS is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist on the Aker team in the Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia region.  If low thresholds or barrier-free showers are required for shower bases or non-jetted tubs, the Aker line has what you need.

Moline is also married to a Physical Therapist and has been treated for injuries from auto accidents to skydiving and running, and is no stranger to the need to be able to move freely in the home.

Also, if you have a client looking for a jetted/whirlpool tub to aid with circulation, Pearl tubs offer jetted design like no other, inspired by therapeutic whirlpools. If you’ve ever been to physical therapy, you’ll instantly recognize the therapeutic design of a Pearl tub and the benefit of enhanced circulation.

NAHB CAPS website

AARP CAPS program site

AgeInPlace.com

If you live in Northern Virginia and are looking for a CAPS professional contractor, I’d suggest contacting Vince Butler of Butler Brothers at BBCbuilders.com

For distributor locations and information, as well as specification assistance, email Chris at Christopher.Moline@Maax.com 

Christopher Moline, LEED AP, CAPS

Burning A Dry Christmas Tree – Towering Inferno!

Ever wonder how much time you’d have to react if your Christmas tree were to catch on fire? Well, my kids love hanging onto the trees until well after Christmas… like, Valentine’s Day.

So, to show them why we’re just not going to do that any more, I put the last one in our fire pit and lit it. By the way it went up, I wouldn’t blame you if you’d thought I’d soaked it with oil.

But I didn’t.

Identity Theft? How About Hiding Your Identity While Online By Surfing Anonymously!

Whenever you surf the web, you’re leaving a trail, and the trail is a lot more inclusive than you may think.  What’s the harm? Well, here are just some of the things that can be easily tracked:

• Online travels/clicks
• Your operating system
• Browser type

It gets worse:

• Your machine name (knowing this can be more damaging than you may think)
• Last sites you’ve visited,
• History list
• Gain access to delve into your cache
• Your IP address and use that to learn basic information about you such as your geographic location and more.

Unless you take action, your life is an open book to a growing list of bad types that may turn you and your identity into a target.

Although it’s not possible to be truly anonymous online without paying a token amount to a proxy service… but once you’re in, it’s very simple to surf anonymously and keep your identity and information secure. A service such as Proxify, which keeps your IP address concealed, helps you search without being identified.

“But I use anti-virus and privacy software! I’m safe.”

You may not like it, but your IP (Internet Protocol) address makes it very simple for anyone with a little bit of special knowledge to track your activity. Who would want to do this?

• Law enforcement (if you’re breaking the law, stop here and don’t learn any more. You should get caught).
• Your insurance company – oh yes, you broke your ankle skydiving but told them you fell out of a tree. But you were online at the drop zone and posted some cool stuff without using your name, right? Wrong, if they get your IP address, they’ll find out.
• Identity thieves – if you’re like most online users, a good identity thief can put together the pieces of your life story. They do it in such a convincing way that they can then use that information to impersonate you. Then you’re toast.
• Divorce attorney/private investigator – enough said. The less ammo you give them, the better it will be for you. Without concealing your online identity from even an average scumbag attorney or private investigator, you’ll be giving them more rope for your hanging. I’ll ask some of my friends for permission before posting what they’ve been through. But, let’s leave it at this – it scared me and I don’t scare easily!

Basically, unless you want to be exposed, using a proxy service is a must.

Exactly how does a service like Proxify work? Well, here’s a little geek speak for you

It can use an SSH tunnel, already created and listening to a localhost. It uses PuTTy to dynamically listen in to the host and redirect traffic through the “tunnel”. The application is then used to hook applications into using the tunnel without configuring the different applications itself.

I know, it doesn’t sound exciting, but the ramifications are huge, especially air-tight security against “man-in-the-middle” attacks. You can tweak the service for increased speed or security, so your experience doesn’t have to be in a virtual stranglehold.

Remember, if you think you have nothing to hide… you’re probably mistaken.

All the best,

Chris

Theodent – Chocolate-Derived Toothpaste Trumps Flouride… And It’s Safe For Your Kids!

Toothpaste made from chocolate? C’mon, really?!
Actually, yes! As a parent, it’s nice to know that I don’t have to be afraid of a product designed to promote health (as is the case with flouride). When we first had children, I was stunned at the warnings and found myself cringing when it came time to get the kids started brushing their teeth. Imagine telling a 2 or 3 yr old not to swallow something that tastes like bubblegum!

Thanks to Theodent, we don’t have to worry. And, if you like good music, you’ll like this video:

You can get it at Whole Foods soon, or order online at http://www.Theodent.com
Find them on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/theodent and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/theodent

Chris

Bowie Goodyear Hooks Us Up For Christmas!

Hey, a geek’s gotta drive, right? Well, I just wanted to take a moment to thank the team at the Bowie Goodyear for going beyond customer service for my wife.

 

We bought four nice, new, not-cheap tires yesterday for our Toyota Sienna mini-van (yes, all my rock and roll buddies from the 80′s, Chris aka “Animal” rocks a mini-van). On the way out of the parking lot, my wife ran over a large nail… not the Goodyear lot, the mall parking lot… and one tire was almost flat this morning.

Well, we didn’t get road hazard coverage and at first, they were going to just comp the labor and charge for the tire. But, after a little good-natured talking and a call to Goodyear headquarters, they gave us the new tire at no charge and said “Merry Christmas!”

Guys, THAT is good service… even if we would have had to pay for a tire. Thank you and keep up the good work!

Chris

Bullsh*t hilarious view on broadcast journalism

As a former journalist, this hit home HARD as the reason I left the field. If you’re not laughing by the end of this one, check your pulse!

Chris

YouTube + Podcast + Nutrition Expert + Author = SEO Traffic

Embedded in this post is a video capture of a podcast by author, nutrition expert and wellness coach Erin Chamerlik and her discussion on diabetes (and much more) with author of “Sugar Nation” Jeff O’Connell. This is an example of how to use YouTube to gain traffic, but not only that. It’s the use of YouTube in combination with pre-existing content to maximize effectiveness.
This podcast, formerly in audio-only format, is on YouTube, yes, but it’s also on Facebook, all over Twitter, Stumble Upon, Digg, WordPress and more.
And it’s searchable like never before.
Why?
Because now instead of a podcast title and short description, it’s got tags, multiple titles, annotations, categories and captions. Yes, the YouTube auto-generated captions aren’t perfect (sometimes it says things like “George Clooney” instead of “lots of money”) but they’re still searchable text.
Since posting the video less than 24 hours ago it’s gotten over 30 hits and that’s just for starters.
Now, it would be enough on its own but the real kicker is that the podcaster, Erin, is a real expert with a wealth of knowledge to share. And her guest, Jeff O’Connell, is famous in his own right.
You could say that re-formatting this audio-only gem is like cutting and polishing a rough diamond.
I’ll agree that it’s not perfect because I only had 15 minutes, Macromedia Fireworks and video editing software to put it together and post it. But it represents a valuable concept – multiple format cross-linking to maximize return.

So, check it out and be sure to ask Erin about the topic.
She truly is an expert!

Zombie Mayhem…

… does not exist.
BUT if it did, how would zombies react to an organic diet vs. their usual living fodder?

First, let’s look at the pro’s and con’s of their current culinary habits:

• Pro – it’s renewable. We seem to keep making more humans… and talk about convenience! In most movies, all zombies need to do is hang out and wait for the stupid one to walk or run right into them while looking the wrong way. Puts McDonald’s to shame, I say.
• Con – it’s painful. I don’t know about you, but getting eaten alive and having what’s left of you turn into one of the living dead would basically suck.
• Pro – no refrigeration necessary. Low carbon footprint diet? Eco-friendly zombies? Whoda thunk it!
• Con – it creates one heck of a mess. Have you ever smelled zombie breath?
• Pro – thinning the herd. All you need to do is run faster than the slowest, ergo weakest, member of the human pack.
• Con – that just ain’t fair. Smacks of Nazi eugenics.
• Pro – another shot at life… in a way. Hey, they’re not called the “living dead” for no reason!
• Con – quality of life issues abound.

So, given the above pro’s and con’s, what difference would an organic diet have on our undead zombie pals?
Answer?

Let’s examine this scene from George Romero’s “Return of the Living Dead” where we may get an actual answer from a talking zombie:

Well, at least we know they like brains. As for organic chow? I have no idea.
Seems to me we’d be to busy running away or barricading ourselves in to worry about compost, pesticides and sustainable gardening practices… not to mention the fact that our grass-fed bovine buddies couldn’t outrun the ravenous hoard and would only encourage them. Have you ever seen how fast some of them could run in Day of The Dead? And they’re not even wearing Adidas’ latest!

After some thought (perhaps too much thought, you’re saying) I’m of the belief that an organic diet would help in the short term by giving healthy humans a leg up (pardon the pun) on their less-healthy compadres. So after the Zombie Apocalypse is over, those in their right minds would stand a better chance of surviving by virtue of their initial health at the outset.

That is, of course, unless the all-brain zombie food pyramid diet makes them smarter with every meal…

What do you think? Leave your comments and let’s dig into this topic

Zombies vs UFC MMA fighters

To see how a zombie would do against an MMA/UFC fighter in the cage, check this out.

Chris