History of Dieting: Diet Fads from the 1800s
July 31st, 2010 by Sarah Ward
- Zander Machines, designer by Dr. Gustav Zander
Considering that 64% of Americans are overweight (Center of Disease Control), it’s understandable that millions of Americans are taking efforts to maintain a healthy body weight. While diets may seem like they’ve become popular in the last 50 years, you may be surprised to learn that people have been dieting since the 1800s! For the next few days, we will explore diet fads from the 1800s, 1900s, and the millennium.
Diet Fads from the 1800s:
- Vinegar Diet. How would you like to eat food that had been soaked in vinegar? That’s exactly what the British poet, Lord Byron, did and reportedly lost 60 pounds by this simple method. There is speculations among historians whether he had an eating disorder.
- Graham’s Diet. The creator of the Graham Cracker, Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister with strong opinions on diet. He taught his followers, “Grahamites,” to avoid coffee, alcohol, tea, spices, and meat. Instead, they subsisted on a diet of pure water, fresh fruits and vegetables, high fiber foods, and whole wheat. Strange, one might have thought their diet would have been based on graham crackers…
- Zander Machines. The Swedish doctor, Dr. Gustav Zander, developed a peculiar concept to lose weight that involved wrapping one’s body in a vibrating strap, a method that can be seen in old movies.
- Banting Diet. The first popular diet book was called “Letter on Corpulence” and written by an English casket maker named William Banting who battled with his weight. His diet concept included eating dry toast, lean meats, unsweetened fruit, and green vegetables.
While some of these concepts are still practiced today, many further developments have been made on diets since the 1800s. If you’re looking to establish a diet routine, a certified nutritionist or dietitian can help you construct a diet that will take into consideration your eating, exercise, and weight loss goals. Nutritionists with online degrees can help you achieve optimum health. Find a nutritionist in your area at http://www.findanutritionist.com/.
If you were to choose one of these diet fads from the 1800s, which would it be? Graham’s Diet would be my choice.
Stay tuned for Diet Fads from the 1900s!
History of Dieting: Questionable Diet Fads from the 1900s
History of Dieting: Today’s Diet Fads
Source Diet Fads: Some Smart, Some Scary
A Student’s Guide to Computers for Online School: Internet Connection
July 30th, 2010 by Sarah WardTo stay connected with your online school community, an essential component of a student’s guide to computers is a reliable internet connection. When considering an internet connection, people often choose based on price, speed, and dependability.
A Student’s Guide to Computers for Online School: Internet Connection
A spotty internet connection can translate into delayed email notifications and even late assignments, which has the potential to diminish your GPA at your online school.
Wired vs. Wireless
Wireless Router
The days of dial-up internet are behind us leaving the options of direct internet connection through a network cable or a wireless router. Particularly for laptop owners such as myself, having wireless internet is a big perk.
Wireless internet is achieved through a wireless router which, in many cases, is provided with the subscription of internet services by your local provider. Since there is a wide range of routers, it’s best to do some research or talk to the person at the electronic store to determine what the best choice would be for your needs. There may be rental options available also.
Wireless Broadband
Some cell phone providers even have wireless broadband services that allow you to connect to the internet at home and anywhere you go with no cables or fuss.
Check out your local internet service providers and compare different options based on your needs. As an online school student on a budget, you may want to consider sharing an internet connection with your neighbor to cut the bill in half.
Do you have a preference between wired and wireless internet?
What Not to Do Online Part III
July 30th, 2010 by Sarah Ward
- What Not to Do Online? Lie about your reason for taking time off, like Kevin Colvin did. Busted!
It’s important to be careful about our dealings with social media, particularly in matters concerning employment. If you don’t value your job anymore, here’s some great ways to lose it by misusing the internet.
What Not to Do Online Lesson #7: Slack At Work
We get that the Facebook game, FarmVille, is addictive with over 82 million players throughout the world. There’s a time and a place for play, however, and on the company’s clock is not one of them. Several Bularian City Council members were caught on Farmville during a meeting and were lectured about wasting company time. One politician, Dimitar Kerin, just couldn’t kick the habit and lost his place on the committee.
What Not to Do Online Lesson #8: Lie About Time Off
If you need to take time off work, don’t lie about what it’s for. Back in 2007, a bank intern for Anglo Irish Bank, Kevin Colvin, asked for time off to go to New York for a “family emergency” and then was busted by an incriminating photo uploaded to Facebook from a Halloween party he ditched work to attend. Even if you do everything you can to fabricate the perfect story, you never know who will tag you in a photo on Facebook during your personal “emergency” and bring it all tumbling down.
What Not to Do Online Lesson #9: Tweet About Job Offers
Conner Riley, also known as @theconnor, tweeted about getting a job offer: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.” Shortly thereafter, she received a reply from Tim Levad with Cisco Alert, saying, “Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.” All it takes is one errant thought to tweet yourself out of a job. Better to play job offer cards close to the chest.
To learn better what not to do online, earn an English / Language Arts degree online. It will help you understand the power and effect of your words, effectively preventing you from making mistakes like these so you can keep your job and enjoy a long and prosperous career.
What Not to Do Online Part I
What Not to Do Online Part II
Source: 10 Social Media Blunders
A Student’s Guide to Computers for Online School: Upgrading RAM
July 30th, 2010 by Sarah WardAs you prepare to start your first semester of online school, you’ll definitely need a computer. This series is designed for students that aren’t tech-savvy and may not be familiar with all the computer terminology. Whether you have a laptop or desktop, from time to time, you’ll likely need to upgrade your RAM.
A Student’s Guide to Computers for Online School: Upgrading RAM
Has your computer processing slowed down to a crawl? Does it take forever to open up documents and the internet? Is your computer slow as molasses? These are some tell-tale signs that you may need to upgrade your RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is essentially your computer’s memory. RAM is is an affordable way to upgrade your computer, and improve its speed and functionality without shelling out money for a brand new computer.
To break to down for you, RAM is temporary memory on your computer. In other words, while you are working on an essay in Word with several additional documents open for research, your computer’s RAM is temporarily saving your work until you hit save. Once you save it, your essay is saved to the hard drive for permanent storage. When you click “save,” your overwhelmed RAM is relieved of the pressure of having to juggle so much information and things speed up on your computer.
If you’re not sure how to install RAM yourself, you may seek help from your favorite computer tech or electronic store. One thing to keep in mind is this might void your manufacturer’s warranty. If you have a Mac, contact your local Apple store and get their professional advice about how to improve your computer’s performance.
Online school shouldn’t take any longer than it needs to, and upgrading your computer’s RAM can help speed up your computer’s operating system which will help speed up the whole educational process.
Have you ever upgraded the RAM in your computer? Has it helped improve the speed of your computer?
A Student’s Guide to Computers for Online School: Desktop vs. Laptop
July 29th, 2010 by Sarah Ward
Fall presents an opportunity for a fresh start for students as it begins a new school year. One of the benefits of online school is that most programs allow you to start anytime — you don’t have to wait for September.
As an online student, one thing you can’t do without is a computer. If you aren’t familiar with technology, choosing a computer may seem like a daunting task, but things will seem simpler with today’s blog as we break down computers into digestible pieces that make sense.
When we strip everything else away, computers comprise of two parts: hardware and software. Hardware refers to the physical components that can be seen and touched, whereas software refers to the systems working when the computer is on. The first part of purchasing a computer will require getting the right hardware and type of computer which we will look at today.
A Students Guide to Computers for Online School: Desktop vs. Laptop?
Brands aside, you can choose from two types of computers: desktops and laptops. Desktops are stationary and usually used on desks at offices and schools, while laptops are a portable computer that can sit on your lap, as the name implies.
Laptops are a popular choice among students as they provide flexibility and freedom, allowing them to take notes directly onto their computer. Laptops are typically more expensive when compared to their desktop counterparts and can be harder to customize. Since a laptop is so mobile, it’s easy to find yourself easily distracted on the couch in front of the TV trying to study on your laptop.
Graduate student Siddharth Batra. Photo c/o Stanford
Desktop computers have one obvious drawback — they can’t go anywhere. While that can be a negative, it can also be seen as a positive since the set up computer workspace can be dedicated to online school, helping to prevent procrastination. Desktops are more affordable and customizable with many possible options for monitor, keyboard, and mice. Desktops typically have better quality built-in speakers compared to the onboard speakers on a laptop.
Which computer you choose for online school will depend on your preferences, budget, and personal work style. Personally I have used both laptop and desktop computers for education and see the benefits with both.
What is your preference? Desktop or laptop?
