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Proper Networking Etiquette

Published March 10, 2012 Modern Manners Guy Leave a Comment

by Modern Manners Guy  |

Networking events can be a great way to meet people, but if you don’t do it properly, you could waste your time and theirs. So, before you grab your “Hello My Name Is…” tag, check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for proper networking etiquette:

Networking Etiquette (Photo Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc, GettyImages.com)

Networking Etiquette (Photo Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc, GettyImages.com)

Tip #1 – Don’t Be a Wallflower

Will you like everyone you talk to? Probably not. But you’ll only learn that if you get up and introduce yourself. When I go to a networking event, I try to meet as many people as I can. Even if you aren’t yet making waves in the world, or are fresh out of college, use this opportunity talk to people and learn more about them. You can say something like, “Well, I’m actually just starting out, so events like this are a great way to meet interesting people.” You don’t have to be working on something major to network, but you do have to talk to communicate.

Continue reading ‘Proper Networking Etiquette’

3 Emergency Fund Mistakes to Avoid

Published March 9, 2012 Money Girl 1 Comment

Money Girl by Money Girl |

Lori wants to know:

I’ve accumulated a $30,000 emergency fund and am wondering how to manage it. First, where should I invest it? And second, should I use some of the money to pay for a car? 

ANSWER: Congratulations on building up your emergency fund! To manage it the right way, here are 3 mistakes to avoid:

Mistake #1: Never invest your emergency savings.

Emergency FundAs tempting as it may be to invest your emergency money, don’t do it!

Money you invest is always subject to some amount of volatility and risk, which makes it suitable for your long-term financial goals only.

If you invest emergency money, its value could plummet at the exact moment you desperately need it.

So remember that the purpose of an emergency fund is to keep you safe and give you financial security if your doorstep is darkened by an unexpected, devastating financial hardship, such as the loss of a job or an illness.

Mistake #2: Don’t let your emergency savings sit idle.

Don’t take the opposite approach with your emergency money and tuck it under the mattress.

Continue reading ’3 Emergency Fund Mistakes to Avoid’

How to Read and Write Small Numbers

Published March 8, 2012 Math Dude 1 Comment
Math Homework

(Photo via gtrwndr87/Flickr)

The Math Dudeby Math Dude |

We’ve talked before about how to use scientific notation to make it easier to read and write large numbers. For example, we can use the idea that 103 is the number you get when you move the decimal point in 1.0 three positions to the right (giving 1,000), to see that we can write a really large number like 300,000,000 in scientific notation as 3×108. One of the main advantages of using scientific notation to write large numbers like this is that you don’t have to worry about writing out all those zeros! Continue reading ‘How to Read and Write Small Numbers’

Scent Rolling

Published March 8, 2012 Dog Trainer Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

by The Dog Trainer |

The Dog TrainerFor last week’s article and podcast on gross and semi-gross doggy behaviors, I scouted out as much info as I could find about “scent rolling,” the fancy scientist term for when your dog gets an ecstatic look on her face and then drops, shoulder first, onto the ground and just writhes.

I say “your dog,” but the truth is nobody seems to have studied scent rolling by domestic dogs.

Why? Well, why not? (Photo: Arfwoof, Wikimedia Commons)

It’s not always a bright idea to judge dog behavior by wolf behavior — dogs descend from wolves, but differ in many ways. Dogs generally scavenge for food rather than hunt it. Female wolves breed just once a year; female dogs go into heat twice a year or more. Behaviorally normal dogs form social bonds with members of other species, especially us; behaviorally normal wolves don’t.

But what the heck, wolf behavior is really, really weird and interesting. And there’s been some research on scent rolling by wolves. Continue reading ‘Scent Rolling’

Best Reusable Water Bottle

Published March 7, 2012 Nutrition Diva 1 Comment

By Nutrition Diva |

The Nutrition Diva

Plastic or Stainless Steel? What's the best reusable water bottle?

Q. What is the safest water bottle to use?  I’m concerned about the dangers of using plastic bottles. I’ve tried reusable metal bottles, but they get too hot in the summer and give the water a metallic taste.  What do you recommend?

A. Stainless steel water bottles offer several advantages.   Continue reading ‘Best Reusable Water Bottle’

The Scat Detection Dog: A Conservation Biologist’s Best Friend

Published March 2, 2012 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
Tags: , , ,

by The Dog Trainer |

The Dog TrainerDogs live in a world of smells – something I’ve talked about many times in my articles. Dog seem distracted in a training session? Every particle of her attention might have been arrested by something we could never be aware of. Dog desperate to check out the next fire hydrant? Something about the pee of the most recent previous visitor must be riveting.

Just admire it. (via Piotr Grywocz, Wikimedia Commons)

We’re all grateful for dogs’ sense of smell when they use it to find lost children; some of us might be a little less grateful when that pleasant little airport Beagle sniffs out our contraband sausage from overseas. You might not know that dogs’ interest in checking out poop has environmental benefits, though!

Continue reading ‘The Scat Detection Dog: A Conservation Biologist’s Best Friend’

How to Raise an Exponent to a Power

Published March 1, 2012 Math Dude Leave a Comment

The Math Dudeby Math Dude |

Math Homework

(Photo via gtrwndr87/Flickr)

If you’ve been following along with the Math Dude podcast you’ll know that we’ve spent a lot of time talking about exponents: What positive exponents are, what negative exponents are, how to multiply exponents, how to divide exponents, and this week we talked about how to raise an exponent to an exponent.

After learning all of that you should now be able to figure out what expressions like (255)5 and ((33)3)3 are equal to. All you need to know to answer these questions is that you can raise an exponent to a power simply by multiplying the exponents. In other words, (3a)b = 3a×b for any value of the base number (i.e., the base doesn’t have to be 3).

Continue reading ‘How to Raise an Exponent to a Power’

Is Email Making You More Productive? Maybe Not!

Published March 1, 2012 Get-It-Done Guy Leave a Comment

Get-It-Done Guyby Get-It Done Guy  |

Email overload is a huge problem for many of us. Email is a communication tool. It doesn’t inherently help you get more done. All it does is speed up certain kinds of communication. It makes it easier to communicate information and harder to communicate emotion, but gives us the feeling we’ve accomplished something useful. You owe it to yourself to make sure email is truly making you productive, not just making you feel productive.

  1. Log how much time you spend on email in a typical day. Most of us underestimate the time we actually spend.
  2. Calculate how much time you really spend each year on email. You might be shocked to find out the results.
  3. Review email overload tips and see if any would make it easier to reclaim some of your time.

Processed Foods: How Much is Too Much?

Published February 29, 2012 Nutrition Diva 4 Comments
Tags: ,

By Nutrition Diva |

Is canned fish considered a "whole food"?

Is canned fish considered a "whole food"?

The Nutrition Diva
There’s a lot of talk these days about eating more whole foods and fewer processed foods.  But is canned tuna considered a whole food? How about soymilk or peanut butter? Just how far do we really need to take this principle?  (And lest you think I’m tilting at windmills, I get a lot of questions about whether foods like these should be considered “processed” or not.) Continue reading ‘Processed Foods: How Much is Too Much?’

What Is a Mortgage Interest Deduction?

Published February 29, 2012 Money Girl Leave a Comment

Money Girl by Money Girl |

Reader Shaz wants to know:

What is a mortgage interest deduction and am I required to include it on my tax return? 

ANSWER: The mortgage interest deduction is a tax benefit that’s offered to encourage homeownership.

Click here to watch my Mortgage Interest Deduction VIDEO!

Mortgage Interest Deduction

No taxpayer is required to claim a tax deduction or credit that they’re entitled to.

However, when a benefit can reduce your tax bill and save you money, it’s certainly wise to take it!

The mortgage interest deduction is one of the best money-saving tax breaks out there.

Who Qualifies for the Mortgage Interest Deduction?

The interest you pay on a mortgage or a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for your primary residence or a second home can be deducted from your income when the following 2 conditions are met:

Continue reading ‘What Is a Mortgage Interest Deduction?’

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