The Squirrel Effect

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The Squirrel Effect
Author: Nan S. Russell

An industrious black-tailed ground squirrel has his home beneath a stump not far from my office window. I've been watching him squirrel away provisions for winter. He reminds me of people I've worked with.

Starting his journey by standing tall on the stump, the squirrel hurriedly looks side to side. When he's certain it is safe he leaps into the grass, jumping then running to a group of nuts nestled beneath a medium-size pine. There he briefly pauses to make his choice. Selecting one pine nut in his teeth, he darts back to the stump with a run-jump motion. Once again standing tall, he looks for competitors or predators before quickly popping his prized provision into his nest and beginning the process all over again.

Like that squirrel, people often hide what they consider important to their personal survival in the corporate world. It's called information. Hoarding bits and pieces, they act as if information alone is a work-life sustaining nutrient. The more information nuggets they have, the safer or more powerful they think they'll be. And while those nuggets might help someone survive in a corporate culture where information is a bartered commodity, long term it won't help them thrive. Here's why.

They're locked in old thinking about power and success, seeing them as the ability to render authority or influence over someone or something. They think information gives them control. But rules are changing. People don't trust people who want to control them, who want to hoard what's needed for everyone's survival, or who play a corporate game where there can be just one or two winners. People withhold their ideas and discretionary efforts in cultures like that.

There's a new power emerging in the work realm called trust. Trust is critical in an era where intellectual property is the competitive edge for both companies and countries. Companies need the best ideas they can get to prosper, and the best people passionately working to make them happen. Results of human intellect will bring 21st century profits to the bottom line; technological and scientific breakthroughs to the world. They'll also bring personal satisfaction and meaningful work to those involved.

But to do that, information must be shared. Shared information multiples as it reminds us of the Italian proverb: "All the brains are not in one head." Here people realize lighting the next candle doesn't diminish the flame of the original one, and information is critical in lighting ideas, opening possibilities and creating new horizons for themselves and their companies.

If you want to be winning at working, realize your power is in trusting and doing, not in just knowing and certainly not in hoarding. Trust builds a larger universe of relationships where a big idea comes from two smaller ones, a shared problem brings imaginative solutions, and a common vision produces uncommon results. Like the carbon atom that has the capacity to form graphite or diamonds, so do you. You will create more work diamonds operating with trust and eliminating the squirrel effect.

(c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at http://www.winningatworking.com. " http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and on-line instructor. Visit http://www.nanrussell.com " http://www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at ...

The Beach one of our favourite places

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The Beach one of our favourite places?
Author: john
Beaches are lots of people's favourite places to go: whether it's for holidays or just for days out, beaches hold a lot of happy memories for millions.

Most beaches are by the sea, although beaches can also form by the side of large rivers and lakes, and in many parts of the world these beaches are visited just as much as the more well-known sea beaches. Also, when most people think of a beach they think of sand, but that isn't always the case either: beaches can also be made of pebbles, shingle, or any other kind of rocks that have been washed up there by the sea or some other kind of water.

When you visit a beach, there are lots of things that you shouldn't forget to take. All your beach clothes are an essential, as well as towels, and kids' toys like buckets and spades for making sandcastles. You might also want to take a surfboard or even an inflatable boat with you – if you pay a visit to a beach shop sometime, you can see that the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and your wallet.

There are also lots of games you can bring with you and play on the beach, including beach cricket or baseball, boules, volleyball, football, noughts and crosses in the sand, beach darts, frisbee, and lots more besides.

If you can't get to a beach, though, you don't need to worry. More and more artificial beaches are being built in towns, so that children there can have all the fun of the seaside even though they live nowhere near the sea. They often consist of sand that has been brought by lorry, and water jets squirting from the ground to make a kind of interactive fountain that people can play in.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

John Gibb is the owner of beach information , For more information on beaches please check out www.Beaches-everything-you-need-to-know.info

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Sudoku Addictiveness And Old Memories

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Sudoku Addictiveness And Old Memories
Author: Charles Hawkins
The Sudoku enigma has hit wests media and newsprints with such a enormous impact, that it has to be the brainteaser game introduction of the century. But what is it that bring about writing numbers into tiny squares so exceedingly addictive?

One part of the mix has definitely to be outright simplicity of the riddle. The rules of Sudoku are so easy to understand that anybody can start solving almost almost instantly.Yet mastering the game demand enormous extent of playing and patience. A Sudoku puzzle can also be made so complex that even a sudoku master would have a hard time finishing it.

Contrary to what many will suppose when they first see a Sudoku mystery, this brain-teasing exercise doesn't require outstandingly high understanding of math. It is more a matter of judgment and the numeral characters could, in fact, be changed with any other symbol.

The dart throwing link

Since Sudoku is a game of reasoning and dart throwing is a game of precision and hand-eye coordination, you'd maybe think they have absolutely nothing in common. However, I have a story that could argue differently.

I recall when I was a kid and we spent the summer at our cottage in the country. One day my sibling and I found an old darts game - not like the posh ones they use in indoors dart competitions, but more of a robust "outdoors" (or whatever the term is) type of dartboard with digits from one on the outside to ten in the bulls eye, and somewhat weighty and rugged darts.

Neither of us where very good at tossing darts, so it was a good plan we hung the dart target on the outside wall of an old shed. After a while though, I happened to get quite a good score - 42 with five darts.

Luck had much to do with it of course, but now something very interesting happened. My sister would probably not quit before she had gotten at least the same score as me!

I think she chopped away at that dart board for a pair of hours without stopping, and had she been a person in a comic she could without doubt have been portrayed with a dark cloud over her head, so to say. It was beginning to get dark before she finally had crushed my record and could allow herself to quit.

It is actually mind-blowing to witness such determination.

Although having very little to do with Sudoku puzzles per se, I think the same kind of driving influence is also one factor "at fault" for the addictiveness of the Sudoku enigma.

Most people love a competitive encounter, on condition that that there is in reality a fairly genuine opportunity to crop up "winning" in the end. When tackling a appropriately tricky Sudoku riddle a participant can sometimes pass into almost a meditative like state where he or she frankly can't put down the pen before they have beaten the Sudoku demanding task. Much in the same way as it occurred in that dart game many years ago.

So as you see, the simple goal of breaking a record or solving a puzzle - although very basic things - can have a profound effect on a persons reactions.

This is all good, as Sudoku is a very cheap hobby that definitely grants a good work out for the brain.However, would something catch fire in the vincinity or if a person is drowning - by all means put that Sudoku brainteaser aside for just a few seconds.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Charles Hawkins did actually not think Sudoku was anything for him. Once he tried it though, he was hooked and he now spreads the word and offers Sudoku hints on his web site.

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Stun Guns What Are They How They Work

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Stun Guns: What Are They, How They Work
Author: Olga Timbol

How does a stun gun work?

The way a stun gun works is by interrupting the communication signals from the brain to the body. A stun gun does not harm a person permanently; it only temporarily disrupts the way our body functions. A stun gun won't cause damage in the long run because the electricity that it delivers into a person's body is very high voltage but low amperage electrical charge. In this way, the charge is not intense enough to cause any long term damage to the person.

So when you press the stun gun against a person and deliver the shock to them, a few things happen contributing to their following [stunned] condition. The electric shock delivered by the stun gun will combine with the electric signals from the brain and this will confuse your body and make it hard to move. Another effect the stun gun can have is causing a person to do excessive amounts of work directed towards nothing in a particularly short period of time. This will use all of the persons energy so that they will temporarily be unable to do anything.

When triggered, the stun gun emits a bright electrical blast that is quite intimidating and makes a very loud popping noise that will attract the attention of anyone within earshot.

Which is better? Stun Gun or Stun Baton?

I would have to say the Stun Baton as it has plenty of stopping power and will shock an attacker if he tries to grip it from you 6" down from the tip-top. Or if you don't want something so large, go with the cell phone stun gun. The cell phone stun gun is the neatest stun gun I ever seen and it has plenty of raw power to back it up 180,000 volts plus a personal alarm all in one.

How do I use a stun gun?

To use a stun gun, hold the electrodes firmly against a muscular area of the attackers body such as a shoulder, thigh, or buttocks. You will not receive a shock even if you are touching the person being stunned. To completely subdue the attacker, the stun gun must be continuously applied for a few seconds. More time is required if the person is large, or you are using a low voltage model.

Can Stun Guns be Lethal?

Stunguns can't be lethal they don't have enough amperage to kill someone. They only effect the regular muscles in your body not the vital organs such as the heart or any of those organs. They just temporarily stun your muscles and makes a person fall to the ground and make it feel like they fell off a 2 story building and they are very confused and disoriented for minutes afterward. Stun guns do not kill. However, on persons with a heart condition or other medical problems, it is possible. Just as possible as someone sneaking up behind a person with a heart condition and saying 'BOO' in his ear.

What are the types of stun guns?

Three types of stun gun weapons are made for retail. The first is a static charge gun which immobilizes people by using an electric current powered by static charge. The second gadget is called a Phase Induction gun, which delivers a charge to living creatures through an electric current achieved through phase induction. The final type of stun gun is the T-Wave gun. This device disrupts the brain's signals to the body by means of an electric current completed with EMD (Electro-Muscular Disruption).

1. Static charge. Range in volts is between 80,000 and 625,000. Uses 9-20 watts. 80,000-100,000 volts stun guns use one 9 volt battery and 200,000-625,000 volts stun guns use two or three 9 volt batteries.

2. Phase Induction delivery. Range in volts is from 100,000 to 625,000. Uses 7-15 watts. This type of stun guns (Talon brand) uses more effective and efficient delivery of the shock. A 200,000 volts stun gun using phase induction delivery is equivalent to a 300,000 volts stun gun which uses static charge.

3. Electro-Muscular Disruption - EMD - is used in tasers. It's amore powerful 18-26 watt electrical system. The air taser gun looks like a pistol but uses compressed air to fire two darts that trail electric cable back to the handset. When the darts strike, a five-second 50,000 volt charge is released down the cable, causing the assailant's muscles to contract uncontrollably. The taser causes temporary paralysis and research suggests there is little permanent risk to health. A laser helps target the assailant and taser works at ranges up to 21 ft. Electrical signals - taser waves or T-waves - overpower the body's normal electrical signals, temporarily confusing the nervous system.

Advanced taser guns have the advantage of being able to get through thick clothing. If the darts miss, there are two probes in front of the weapon, allowing the unit to be used as a stun weapon. Because these weapons affect the central nervous system by imitating the electrical impulses used to communicate within the human body, a hit anywhere on the body can be effective. Thus, the ADVANCED TASER is much easier to use than sprays or even firearms that require a hit to a specific zone of the body. Air Cartridges are not reusable. You have to replace them after each shooting. Therefore, use Advanced Taser only in emergency situations (unless you have a lot of money to spend for buying cartridges).

Olga Timbol's web site http://www.firsthomesecurity.com " First Home Security offers a wide variety of stun guns and other self defense and home protection products.

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