#and be prepared for a gajillion more posts

[nerdieforpedro]

So baby! I watched the season of Matador 🥰 He was already glowing, but as he aged, he became even more handsome. 🫠

Matador (2014) - 1x01 - Tony Bravo

[xamag-draws]

BBR thoughts 2024

Since I mentioned that I finally dusted off an old project of mine and was ruminating on how I'd remake it, I thought I'd elaborate a little, now that I've solidified some concepts. For funsies

This is gonna be a bit of a long and unfocused one, but I don't share my personal thoughts here often, especially the stuff about my projects I always marinate in. And for once it's something that people have existing context for, so hey why not

So for anyone who hasn't been following me for a gajillion years, The Black Brick Road of OZ was a webcomic that I posted around 2013-2015, back when I was in highschool going on college (which is kinda crazy to think about). It was sort of a darker twist on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, although I definitely leaned a lot more into dark humor more than anything in those first few chapters

I don't think it's available to read anywhere anymore, and I know people have been asking me about it. So here's the full proper archive of BBR, as full as it can be with deceased Flash

I totally used it as an excuse to shamelessly and self-indulgently experiment. It had interactive pages and GIFs and was wayyy too overproduced for what I could handle or what was necessary, but I did have great fun making it while it lasted

Unfortunately, that excess and the fact that I've changed too much as a person by the time I was in college is what ultimately killed it. The direction I wanted to go in was practically unrecognizable from the original idea started back in 2011, so there were many old hold-ups that I felt ruined it

At the time I kinda wished I could start/rewrite it all over, but considering that I pretty much had the entire script done at that point, it felt like a pointless sisyphean task. So I just put it on a shelf and didn't look back for about 8 years, because I didn't know what else to do

Now to be fair, the nature of my art has always been iterative and cyclical; when I feel like my creative juices have run dry I prefer to leave a project to marinate and move on to something else; cycle through other old things and bring in new skills and perspectives into the mix when I'm ready again. Not very productive, but it is what makes me happy to work on my OCs; I'm doomed to hit a wall with them eventually and I need some time to be able to find a new direction

So that said, I'm glad that BBR was left to marinate for that long. I don't think I was prepared, emotionally or intellectually, to tackle it again until now. The Wizard of Oz book (and the entire series of them, really) has always been near and dear to my heart, but there's a lot of context around it that I'm only unpacking now that I'm older

I think I always inherently feel negatively about the stuff I've made in the past, like its faults always jump out to me more than the positives, especially the more time passes. I've never liked that, and I do really appreciate the kind things people have to say about BBR to this day. The fact that it still can be recognized and remembered is very sweet

When I left it, I already found it "kinda cringe", and that feeling only deepened with years. When I took my first look back at it, asking the question "how would I rewrite it now?", at first I took a very cynical approach, as in "everything would have to be torn down"

But the more I sat on it, the more I found that I still see some merit and charm in the ideas I was putting out; I just didn't know how to execute them at the time (not to pretend that I know what I'm doing now, but I certainly know more at least). Turns out a lot of my old concepts could be changed substantially with just a few small tweaks. So I'd say that's a nicer way to think about my previous work

If you haven't seen yet, I posted a first draft of my new designs for some of the characters (the main group, the Goods and the Wickeds). Definitely subject to change, but more or less how I see them now

I'm just playing with these concepts; by no means would I attempt to remake BBR right this moment. Call it a pipe dream among my other ones. But just for fun, this is the direction I'd like to take:

Nowadays I'd probably make it a visual novel, with more emphasis on the visual part than the novel because I'm no English prose writer by any means. It'd still let me play a little with the interactivity while helping cut some corners on the drawing part (only some, I imagine I'd go hog wild anyway)

I've always intended for some events inspired by the sequel books to take place in BBR's past. Stuff like Jinjur's revolt or Ozma's rule preceeds the main events here. So I think it would be fun to follow the past of a few key characters alongside the main story. One chapter focusing on the present quest to see the Wizard, then one focusing on the past events (that are maybe reflective thematically); rinse and repeat

I'm also sticking a little closer to the original text in some regards. Not everything that I enjoy from the books would be translated here, it's still just a very loose fantasy on the material; but I'd like to be closer in spirit at least

I like mature, wise and powerful Glinda, I like kind and vulnerable Tin Man, I like the Wizard being a pathetic yet loveable liar, so I'm sprinkling in more of that for example

I'd like to keep some whimsy, but make it more grounded and a bit more serious to be coherent in tone. I think the original TWWOOZ book was a more realistic fantasy in some ways, even for the standards of the time; I like its simple but vivid tactile descriptions and details like bringing attention that Dorothy needed to eat and sleep

I find it funny that Baum specifically was averse to making his books scary or unpleasant, finding that unnecessary for telling a compelling kids story, but they still can get pretty dark and disturbing, at least for our modern sensibilities. Let's just say that I intend to use the Evoldo and Chopfyt storylines for my purposes. In that way, I feel like a "darker" Wizard of Oz retelling can still mostly be tonally in line with the original and balance it with enough heart and occasional humor

I slowly grew to appreciate the quaint old-timey quality of the original series, as well. The first book is both timeless and very much a product of the 1900s. Originally I tried to give it a little modern or at least anachronistic spin, but it was moreso because it's what I knew best, so these days I'd rather intentionally lean into the time period. Still not fully historically accurate by any means, but at least directly acknowledging the influence

The events of the story span across 40 years of these characters' lives, so I'm drawing inspiration from the entire so-called La Belle Epoque: the time period around 1880s-1920s. Basically I'm cooking, and my soup is old Victorian fashion morphing into Edwardian fashion and slowly inching towards flappers

Some new Dolly outfits

Lots of crazy things, political changes and innovations were happening at the turn of the century, which I think is noted and reflected by Baum in the books as well; the character of Tik-Tok might not blow any minds now, but he was one of the first robot characters in literature at that point; and don't even get me started on Jinjur, etc. Plenty of really interesting stuff one could lightly ponder in an Oz adaptation these days

Aesthetically, art nouveau has always been a big artistic influence for me, and it'd definitely be its time to shine here. John R. Neill's illustrations of the Oz books often keep me company as well. Nouveau architecture in particular fits that fairytale whimsy extremely well imo

I'd allow myself a little bit of art deco here and there, but ultimately its intimidating geometrical splendor is an antithetical to the flowery nature of nouveau and I associate it with a completely different era. Definitely fitting some characters like my Wicked Witch of the West, but shouldn't be overused

One of my main problems with the original BBR was that eventually I lost track of what it was even about; and the original ending felt too mean and unfulfilling to be worth it. Now I'd like to stick to the theme of home and family as my main theme, but in a different, more bittersweet way than in the book

An interesting connection I made is that a lot of my aforementioned older key characters (the Witches, Jinjur, the Nome King, etc) all came from the same reformatory as kids, that's how they know each other. In my recent research I learned that in those reformatories it was usually frowned upon to release the children back to the families, which were seen as the original corrupting influence regardless of the circumstance. The reformatory did everything in its power to cut that connection and make itself the only family those wayward kids were supposed to know and love. That's an unexpected tie into the theme of home that I'd like to explore as well

So yeah that's the current state of it. I have a bunch of outfit concepts I'm slowly cooking, although I'm now sure whether I'd post them... But I do miss these funny guys, and I'm glad some people still do as well :)

[retrieve-the-kraken]

In honor of the Young Royals anniversary, I’m posting my pictures from my pilgrimage to the holiest of places in YR fandom, Kaggeholm slottet (Hillerska).

I have to say, not only was it so surreal to arrive at the actual place, but it was actually one of the nicest days from my whole trip to the Nordics (besides seeing Omar at Furuvik and my birthday). It was such a nice day with perfect weather, the trip to Ekerö itself was kind of a fun little adventure, and I wasn’t yet dying from pollen allergy (more on that some other time). It was great.

I have to say, getting off the bus, and seeing the bus stop, and then turning around and realizing that the building is RIGHT THERE, was a little shocking. I don’t know what it is, but the dimensions of everything in my head were completely different. I mean, is it me, or did everything look bigger, farther, higher on the show…?

The area is very peaceful. I saw some cars arriving, some people working in the surrounding buildings, and I was prepared to be told to “get the fuck out”, but no one said anything to me. Guess they’re either very used to YR fans walking around in awe and they don’t pay us any mind (unless you’re disruptive or something, perhaps?), or they just don’t mind visitors. Either way, I was left to roam the area, and take pictures and nobody ever asked me anything.

The main building was closed, though, and through the windows I could see a lot of piled furniture. The high season is in the summer, and it’s clear that they were working on the areas and buildings used by visitors, and for summer activities. I didn’t walk too much around the buildings in the back because they were working, and I was worried about walking straight into a construction.

The whole garden was in dire need of upkeep, which I’m guessing happens nearer the start of the summer season. The grass was quite high, and there were loads of flowers growing everywhere. The fountain was empty.

But the area was really beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes there was the noise of grass-cutting equipment or an electric saw, but most of the time, I just heard birds singing, and the breeze, and it felt very nice. Perfect for a picnic.

Look! The classroom building! And the pier!

It was near midday, and I had to figure out where I’d have lunch. I brought a little picnic, but it felt kind of weird to sit there all alone and eat. Also I couldn’t see where to dispose of my garbage afterwards, so after taking a gajillion pictures and videos, I started back toward the front to wait for the bus in the iconic bus stop.

On my way around the main building, I saw this offering by a fellow YR fan.

Also, since I knew the bus would still be a little while, I did sit at a picnic table on the front, and had a knäckebröd sandwich, in honor of Wilmon. And I enjoyed some more of the soothing sounds of birds singing.

And the final stop of my little tour was the red bus stop.

Wow, that place has been turned into a real chapel of YR adoration and prayer, hasn’t it?

I was amazed by the amount of graffiti all over it, paying tribute to all the characters, the actors, the creators and the magic of the show. But I was also amazed about the fact that it has been left untouched. I hope it remains like that forever, but you never know, so I captured as much of it as I could. I might have to share them all in another post, because this is not letting me right now...

I left my own mark, so if anyone ever visits, you might find a tiny message saying Retrieve-the-Kraken was here (or something like that, can't remember) somewhere on the bench. I think I remember thanking Lisa too.

So there you have it. I was but a humble pilgrim wanting to see the place where one of the most special shows that was a very special part of my life for three years took place, and it did not disappoint.

It felt especially bittersweet to be there after the end of the show. From the way the place looked, it was almost like they really shut down Hillerska, but also it was like entering a dimension of its own, the birthplace of a love like no other. And I don't mean just Wilmon Endgame™, I mean a very special fandom which will live in my heart forever.

I'm not ready to let go just yet, though...

[cancerbiophd]

So I am attending a conference with my lab and presenting a poster. This is my first conference ever... ugh sorry if this is a weird question but what do you wear? We are just undergrads but like what do we expect to happen?

Hello! Aahhh congrats on getting this amazing opportunity to attend and present a poster! As an undergrad!!!!! Super impressive. You’re goin places anon, I just know it. 

What to wear:

Business casual is always a safe bet! Here’s a post where I expand on that, and here’s one by @gradschoolstyle with pics of her amaaaazing outfits.

What to expect:

Depending on the size of the conference, there may be a gajillion talks and workshops and events happening at the same time, and you’ll have to pick and choose which ones you want to go to. I recommend downloading the conference app (if available) to help plan your day. Or you can check the schedule online, or in person at the conference when you get your programs at check-in. 

Some talks are in a series (grouped together by topic). Feel free to move around in between talks; you definitely do not need to stay for the entire series if something else across the hall interests you. You’ll notice many people moving to and fro. Just try to do it after the current speaker is finished to cause minimal disturbance. 

Regarding check-in, you’ll get a badge that you’ll have to wear while at the conference site (it’ll be your ticket in and out); and maybe a nice conference bag to hold your stuff. I recommend finding someone who’s been to this specific conference before and asking them what the quality of the bag is, because not having to bring your own backpack/messenger bag can be a plus!

Some conferences can have 10 hour days, but you definitely do not need to stay the entire 10 hours. In fact, if the conference is being held in a different city, take at least one afternoon off to explore!! 

Conference goers can get WILD in the evenings. I literally know some PIs who spend almost every evening smashed out of their minds. So prepare to see lots of well-dressed attendees at the nearby bars lol. You definitely don’t need to participate of course (especially if you legally can’t drink yet). My favorite way to spend an evening is alone in my hotel room watching HGTV and going to bed by 10. 

Oh, but going off the whole alcohol thing.. many of the conference events (like networking sessions) may have free alcohol (and food). I’m not endorsing anything, but just a head’s up! (Like if you prefer not to be near alcohol).

Take some time to visit the vendors and get free swag!!! This is sometimes my favorite part lol. 

Know the rules of your poster presentation, such as when to have your poster up, how long to stand there, when to take it down, etc. I’ve also never been to a conference where push-pins weren’t provided, so you may not need to pack those. But I always do, just in case (I put them in a small plastic container; 50 ml tubes from the lab work great!)

Links to other conference tips on my blog:

General tips for conferences (for someone also attending and presenting at their first conference!)

How to network at conferences

How to network at conferences as a “tiny newbie” (newer post from a few days ago; may repeat a few things from the previous link but I think it may be more applicable for undergrads)

Congrats, good luck, and I hope you have so much fun!!! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[thegloober]

A Great Atmosphere for Learning

I knew I was lucky to be hired at Leo J. Shapiro & Associates a few months after finishing my graduate degrees in English literature and creative writing[1], but until this week, I didn’t realize the full extent of my fortune, and that my luck was actually the product of other people’s design.

Leo Shapiro founded the Chicago-based company in 1955, at a time when survey research was conducted door-to-door because not enough households had phones in order to insure random sampling. Leo was a researcher at heart, shaped by his experiences earning a doctorate in sociology at the University of Chicago, and later using market research techniques to inform government rationing during World War II.[2]

By the time I interviewed with Leo in 1997, the firm had something like 100 employees, as well as associated businesses in data collection and conducting focus groups.

That my only interview prior to being given an offer to start work was with the company’s 76-year-old founder and president is a clue to its unique culture.

I had come to Leo recommended by a business associate of his for whom I’d done some freelance ghostwriting. Leo was unimpressed by my resume – and said so – wondering why anyone would go to school to learn to write, remarking that Celine and Hemingway had gone to war, not school. Clearly I was wanting. 

I do not know what I did to pass muster, but a day later I had a call from a woman who would go on to be a significant mentor, “Leo said that you should come in and start doing some things for us.” I arrived the day after the call and stayed for four years, until my wife’s career required us to leave Chicago. In those four years, I learned approximately eight gajillion times more than in college.

A big part of the reason why I learned so much is that graduate school had awakened me to a notion that I was a human being capable of working hard and accomplishing things I would’ve thought not possible. This came in handy when confronted with working in an industry that I did not know existed prior to my hiring.

The pace and depth of my learning was not accidental, however, as it was part of the firm’s culture, a story which was captured in a book titled, Need to Know: The Story of the Company Leo J. Shapiro and Associates by George Rosenbaum, the company’s first employee, and one of the firm’s partners at the time I worked there. I did not know of its existence until a couple days ago. I devoured it in a couple hours.

My only interview was with Leo because as Rosenbaum writes, the company never had a formal HR department, “The hiring process was uncomplicated. Everyone who showed promise and wanted to work at Shapiro was hired.”[3]

We were hired as “trainees,” given 30 to 90 days to see if something could be made of us. The trainee period was an audition of sorts, a process of mutual sorting to see if the traits which made one predisposed to enjoy survey research work would manifest. The company was never not hiring. If someone of potential interest came on the radar, they were taken on and given work, often as a fieldworker to get hands-on interviewing experience[4].

We were required to learn everything, even if and when we would settle into niches more suited to our best use. I will never forget the first questionnaire I produced for a quantitative study under Leo’s direct supervision. It was six or so months in to my tenure, having passed the trainee period and gone on salary, having found some comfort in qualitative research, primarily writing focus group reports. I’d thought I’d dodged having to ever look at cross-tabulations.

In hindsight, the project with Leo was clearly a test, one I was not certain I would pass – and Leo put me through a ringer for sure – but it resulted in a trip to San Francisco as part of a team to present our findings to a prominent environmental non-profit. More importantly, it allowed me to develop a comfort with quantitative reasoning that I’ve used repeatedly in the years since.

Despite being entirely uncredentialed, over time, I nonetheless became an expert, someone trusted and trustworthy. About a year after the project with Leo, George Rosenbaum supervised my work on a study for a major paper planner company, me assuming I was preparing him to deliver the results to the client up until the moment I asked when he wanted to leave the office for the airport and he told me I would be delivering the research presentation myself.

I thought I was acting as an underling serving his boss, when in reality, he’d been mentoring me the whole time.[5]

In his book, Rosenbaum observes, “The Shapiro organization has always benefitted more by growing people in its distinctive milieu than by hiring people with survey experience or by seeking acquisitions.”

The connection to education seems clear. College is a milieu which should encourage growth, into what specifically should be significantly controlled by the one doing the growing.

Until I read the book, I did not recognize how purposeful the whole enterprise was. We had people without post-secondary degrees in high level supervisory roles, having started in the phone center as teenagers and demonstrating confidence and drive. I have never experienced a more diverse (in every sense of the word) workplace.[6]

Rosenbaum’s book shed light on other aspects of the culture which I took for granted when there, but which have informed me since.

While you would be working on half a dozen or more projects at a given time, I cannot remember a single scheduled meeting. The primary milieu was what Rosenbaum calls “the corridor conversation,” which invariably turned on what one was working on, and closely mirrors my experience in faculty offices. If we needed to meet with someone, we got up and walked to their office, knocked on the door and had a conversation. It wasn’t unusual to grab other passersby to chew on the question at hand.

I’ve forgotten how fun that part of the job could be.

The most notable underlying practice was perhaps the total absence of suspicion or monitoring of employees. Rosenbaum: “We believed suspicion is antithetical to good work. Good work, we were convinced, encourages the best from employees and engenders pride and self-respect…The aim of management was to create an exceptional environment. Suspicion did not belong in this environment.”

They walked the talk. I never had anyone check on my hours and was given freedom to manage my own time. If I had focus groups at night which had me in the office past 10pm, I could arrive at 11 the next morning as long as my work was getting done. I had my first publishing successes while employed at LJS, including my first book, which one of the partners (Matthew Smith) granted me three extra days off to complete.

This trust and freedom made me a far more effective and dedicated employee. I missed a Thanksgiving dinner because a corrupted PowerPoint file had me redoing a presentation. I could’ve offered an excuse, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to deliver.

Every employee, including the field researchers and data coders was versed on the purpose and goal of the project at hand. We were both cog and machine simultaneously, and this spirit manifested itself in the way the company dealt with mistakes, which were inevitable in something as complex as survey research.

When mistakes were made, rather than being punished or fired, we were tasked with solving them, and over time, this resulted in a team effort to prevent them from happening in the first place. Many times I had errors in surveys pointed out to me by the phone interviewers to whom I was nominally superior. In turn, I would alert my supervisors to any bumps in the project I detected, including those which might be my fault.

The goal was “good work.” The rest of it would take care of itself, and it did. The company lasted for more than 60 years until it was absorbed by another entity and most of those I worked with moved on to do the same work in the same spirit elsewhere.

Reading George Rosenbaum’s book made me see the company for what it was, a place built on inquiry, largely open to all, embodying an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning.

The absence of bureaucracy, the open conversations among those of different ranks, the freedom to be curious and make mistakes and learn from them are all values I’ve carried into my teaching without fully recognizing the origin of those values.

The way I grade, my desire to center students rather than myself, my policies favoring student autonomy over being a sheriff of attendance and behavior were all modeled by the people of Leo J. Shapiro and Associates.

I thrived there for a reason. We could do worse than see the company as a model for the work of education.

  [2] An amazing man, he started his survey research company which required going door-to-door despite being partially disabled by childhood polio. For a fuller story of Leo J. Shapiro’s life, see his obituary from 2015 when he passed away at the age of 94. 

[3] Essentially anyone had the power to hire. Even when I’d only been there a couple of years, and I was doing some initial screening, I had a good feeling about someone and he was hired by my boss basically on my recommendation. That someone went on to become one of the managing directors of the firm.

[4] I started, quite literally, in the typing pool formatting documents and PowerPoints, not a bad way to learn what marketing research entails.

[5] George Rosenbaum has also passed away. I fear I never expressed sufficient gratitude for his investment in me.

[6] I never experienced an overall more brilliant set of people either, and it had nothing to do with education. The overriding common trait was curiosity, and your degrees or lack thereof made no difference.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/a-great-atmosphere-for-learning/

[kidsviral-blog]

20 Healthy Habits You Should Adopt In Your Twenties

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/20-healthy-habits-you-should-adopt-in-your-twenties/

20 Healthy Habits You Should Adopt In Your Twenties

These habits are good for people of all ages, of course. But the sooner you get on it, the sooner you can reap the sweet, sweet benefits of healthy living.

1. Get between seven and eight hours of sleep per night.

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Long-term research studies show that people who get significantly less than seven hours a night die younger. And some research shows that people who sleep more than nine hours also have problems. Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says seven to eight hours is the sweet spot, according to an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal.

Here are 14 scientific hacks to help you get a better night’s sleep, in case it helps!

2. Get outside.

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20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

More and more research is showing just how important it is for people to be one with nature. And even just living near it helps. For instance, people who live close (within about a half-mile) to a good amount of green space are healthier than those who live farther away from it, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. People who lived close to a high percentage of green space had fewer anxiety disorders, and fewer infectious diseases of the digestive system, among other perks.

Plus, nature is real pretty.

Check out the National Park Service to find a park near you.

3. Have safe sex. Every time.

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Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

Gonorrhea is legit becoming untreatable, for starters. Yum!

On a more serious note, having control over your reproductive decisions is tied to better outcomes for pretty much everyone (that includes you!). Research collected by the Guttmacher Institute shows that parents who choose when to have kids are happier; their relationships are more stable; and their relationships with the children are stronger. That’s compared to people who have kids by accident, who experience greater incident rates of depression and anxiety; are more likely to break up; and have worse relationships with their kids. And that’s not even getting into the economic benefits of family planning (so much more on all of that here).

Don’t know where to begin with all the birth control? Women’s Health offers a pretty thorough breakdown of every type, how it works, efficacy rate, and any side effects you should know about — that might be a good place to start.

Oh, and about that gonorrhea… WEAR A CONDOM EVERY TIME UNLESS YOU HAVE BOTH BEEN TESTED AND ARE IN A COMMITTED MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP. Good, great.

4. Spend time with loved ones.

CBS

  What are friends and loved ones for? Well, according to tons of research, people who have strong “social networks” (as in, loving friends and family members) reap many health benefits. And, on the flipside, people without strong social bonds tend to fare much worse.

Plus, on a totally non-scientific level: Love and friendship makes everything so much better. Obviously. So go call your mom or Gchat your friend to set up a yoga date. You’ll be glad you did.

5. Don’t smoke cigarettes. And if you already smoke, quit ASAP.

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The WB / Via jeremysengly.tumblr.com

Longtime smokers lose about 10 years of their lives to the habit, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. On the plus side, quitting before 35 can almost entirely eliminate that risk. So the sooner you quit, the longer you’ll live.

Need a hand? The CDC offers a list of resources to help you kick the habit.

6. Cook the majority of your meals at home, if you can.

BeyonceVEVO

youtube.com

  One study from Cambridge University found that elderly Taiwanese people who cooked most of their meals lived longer than those who did not prepare the majority of their food at home.

Here’s what’s likely behind that: Cooking your own food gives you much greater control of what goes in it. You can make healthy ingredient swaps if you care to; you can also control portion sizes and the freshness of the ingredients when you’re cooking for yourself.

For yummy recipe suggestions, may we suggest signing up for the BuzzFeed Food newsletter? Here are 15 things you might discover if you do.

7. Eat more fruits and veggies.

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People who eat a lot of fruits and veggies also happen to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, according to a huge study from Harvard.

That’s especially true if you’re talking green, leafy veggies; cruciferous veggies; and citrus fruits. Nom nom nom.

8. Stop drinking soda.

Sugar Stacks

sugarstacks.com

  For like, a gajillion reasons. According to research published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, based on over 6,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, drinking one or more soft drinks a day is associated with:

—Greater risk of metabolic syndrome —Larger waist circumference —Obesity —Impaired fasting glucose —Higher blood pressure —Higher levels of triglycerides (associated with high cholesterol)

…and more.

9. And while you’re at it…stop drinking diet soda, too.

E!

  I know, I knowwww. I’m personally of the you-can-pry-my-Diet-Coke-from-my-cold-dead-hands persuasion, but the research here is pretty damning: Diet soda consumption is tied to incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 Diabetes, according to research published in the journal Diabetes Care. It’s also not actually a true “diet” product (if that’s what you’re going for), considering that people who drink diet soda are more likely to actually be overweight or obese than those who don’t drink diet drinks (see more on that here). Bottom line: Drink water, instead.

In fact…

10. Drink more water, in general.

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MamiGibbs / Via The Wire

It is kind of a magical substance: It helps prevent kidney stones by keeping your kidneys from working overtime. It nourishes your skin. It helps keep your poops regular (teehee). And it’s essential for people who work out, because your muscles need it to stay energized (and to function, period). Plus more great reasons.

Here are 13 easy ways to drink more water every day, if it helps!

11. Sit less. Stand more.

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Cosmopolitan / Via cosmopolitan.com

Sitting disease is a thing, for serious. Office workers, looking at you: See if you have the option for a standing desk, or if you can rig your own (check out these six standing desk hacks from Cosmopolitan for some smart ideas).

Otherwise, do what you can to reduce the time you spend sitting each day by about an hour total. If you’re at work sitting for eight hours, that means find a way to stand for seven and a half minutes each hour. Some ideas: Set your phone alarm for every hour, and then do laps around the office when it goes off. Take walking meetings, instead of sitting-at-a-table meetings. Stand up while you take conference calls. Take the stairs. Park in the far-away parking spot. Walk an extra few blocks to grab lunch instead of picking it up at the closest deli… Yeah, you get the idea.

12. Try to raise your heart rate for a sustained period of time every day.

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gifbay.com

You know this already: Experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per day, five days a week. The AHA also recommends at least two days a week of muscle-building exercises, for added benefits. From better heart health, to lowered risk of osteoporosis and diabetes, working out regularly is really good for your health. Plus, it boosts your mood. What’s not to love?

Pro tip that’ll help you get started with this one: 19 fitness secrets everyone should know. You’re welcome.

13. Go to the doctor for all necessary checkups.

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cacaroot / Via The Wire

Invest in your health now to avoid paying for it bigtime down the road. That means go to the doctor and dentist as often as the experts recommend — that includes checkups for gynecological health, eye exams, full physical exams, and more.

For a complete list of health checks for all ages and genders, look here to see what the CDC recommends.

14. Only take antibiotics when you actually need them.

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Comedy Central / Via youtube.com

That means toss the Amoxicillin and stick with Tylenol and cough suppressants if you’re dealing with a cold or flu. That’s because antibiotics only treat bacterial illnesses, and are ineffective against viruses. And the more antibiotics you take, the more you run the risk of building up a resistance to the antibiotics, meaning they’ll be less effective down the line when you may actually need them.

15. Be grateful.

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HazelMartinDesigns / Via etsy.com

Beyond just making you a happier and more pleasant person to be around, showing gratitude can also enhance long-term well-being, according to research published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing. So go ahead: Use that #Blessed hashtag in a non-ironic way.

(Sign via HazelMartinDesigns shop on Etsy, $18.95.)

16. Have lots of sex!

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Tekweni / Via youtube.com

And not just for the orgasms. There’s tons of research that shows that sex is actually great for your health — it can lower stress, help relieve migraine headaches, and boost your immunity, to name a few awesome healthy side effects.

17. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation.

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Fox / Via thingsilove747.tumblr.com

Alcohol has been associated with certain health benefits: Drinking in moderation is tied to lowered risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. That said, and not to be a total buzzkill, excessive alcohol drinking is ALSO tied to some serious health risks, like an increased risk of breast cancer, for instance. Plus, recent research shows that excessive alcohol use is responsible for 1 in 10 deaths of adults between 20 and 64 years old (about 88,000 deaths in the United States every year — that’s more than car accident deaths and gun deaths put together).

The solution? If you’re going to drink, be smart about it. That means no more than one drink a day for women of all ages, and no more than two drinks a day for men under 65, according to the CDC. And definitely don’t do it if you’re pregnant, taking Rx meds that might react badly to it, or in recovery for alcoholism, among a few other disclaimers.

18. Wear sunscreen every day.

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Yes, even in the winter, and yes, even when it’s cloudy. Future you can thank me later.

That’s because daily sunscreen use has been shown to cut your risk of melanoma in half (melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer), according to research from Australia; in another study, it’s also been shown to actually slow the signs of aging in your skin.

19. Along those lines, avoid tanning beds.

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lovelychikaloca.tumblr.com

Get this: People who first use tanning beds before age 35 have a 75% increased risk of melanoma, according to a review of 7 international studies published in the International Journal of Cancer. GAH.

20. And finally… End your crappy relationship sooner, rather than later.

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whatidratherdo.tumblr.com

Because life is short, and you deserve to be treated right.

But also because bad relationships can actually have a seriously negative impact on your health.

For starters, research published in the journal Health Psychology finds that women in good marriages have fewer incidents of cardiovascular problems than women in bad marriages. Further research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women with heart problems in stressful marriages were 2.9 times more likely to have worse outcomes (read: more heart problems down the line) than women who were happily coupled.

And in a creepy study from Ohio State University, researchers gave a bunch of people blisters in order to determine that your body’s ability to heal itself is impaired if you’re in a stressful marriage. Meaning: The blisters took longer to heal when the people were unhappy with their relationships. Yikes!

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler’s name.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/healthy-living-habits

[caredogstips]

It’s here: an internet site that uses an algorithm to pair you with the perfect puppy for your identity

PawsLikeMe might know you better than you know yourself.

Hello from the other siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide !!! I’m a puppy and I love youuuuuuuu !!!

Because PawsLikeMe are all aware of your fantasies .

Your DOG nightmares, that is.

How? A dog-human personality quiz!

A sophisticated one, extremely! From their website:

“The personality assessment is based on 4 core identity traits that influence the human-canine bail; force, focus, confidence, and independence.”

It also takes into account environmental parts and other special circumstances as well.

It’s not uncommon for bird-dogs that are adopted to be returned because they just aren’t compatible with their owner’s life.

Woof.

PawsLikeMe aims to stop dog-owner inconsistency by playing hound matchmaker! Its aim is to help people find the right puppy for them.

Need a dog that’s friendly with children but desires hearing ploys and is too house-trained? DONE. Have other specific requirements? DONE!

Ya get options.

When you go on the website, you are able to are choosing to only answer the four most important questions in a dog owner’s life:

1. What’s your vigour stage ?

2. What kind of parties do you like ?

3. What kind of dog temperament do you want ?

4. What is your temperament like ?

After those four wonders, you can begin searching for a doggie accord.

Or you are able to opt for the full questionnaire( you are able to) … and mostly feel very, Extremely understood.

I took the full PawsLikeMe quiz, and when I attended the results I was kindof taken aback TAGEND

PawsLikeMe GETS ME!

Then I was the scooted away to bird-dog who are just be prepared to love me.

Listen. My accommodation in NYC doesn’t allow bird-dogs. But if it did? I’d be 91% ready to adopt Carli. She’s perfect, and I affection her. CUE ADELE and her hymns of lost opportunities to adoration !

Gah.

With all the 80 gajillion temperament quizzes out there in the world, this one is hands down THE BEST.

Take it for yourself! You won’t regret it.

Read more: www.upworthy.com

The post It’s here: an internet site that uses an algorithm to pair you with the perfect puppy for your identity appeared first on caredogstips.com.

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[kawaiitidalwavekitten]

Words are the new pixels: Why designers must become storytellers

Screens are disappearing.

There’s a delicious irony in that sentence, right? I mean, you’re probably reading this article on a screen right now, (unless you make a habit of printing out your morning reading). But look around: human-computer interactions no longer exclusively occur through the keyholes of our smartphones, smartwatches and TV screens – something that Bill Gates predicted would happen back in 2002:

“…computers themselves will gradually “disappear” into the fabric of our lives. We are still a long way from a world full of disembodied intelligent machines, but the computing experience of the coming decade will be so seamless and intuitive that–increasingly–we will barely notice it.” ~ Bill Gates, The Disappearing Computer

Granted, he guessed this transition would happen by 2010 – but he was only off by a few years, so give the guy some credit.

As voice recognition and chatbot technology improves, these “invisible” user interfaces will replace screens as the default medium of interaction. Just as many modern websites & applications today tout themselves as “Mobile-First”, it won’t be long before those same innovators are applying the “Voice-First” label to their new offerings. Indeed there’s a non-zero chance that the next killer app may launch with no visual UI at all! Thus, today’s UX designers face a stark choice – evolve beyond the pixel, or look for a new career.

In this post, I’m going to explore some of the reasons behind the sunset of visual-first design, and explain why designers must learn to wield their prose and stories as fluently as they do their imagery, in order to remain relevant in the age of invisible computing.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Why visual-first design will soon decline

Words are the new pixels

What designers can do to keep their jobs

Why visual-first design will soon decline

If we’re to understand why designers must learn to tell stories without relying on visual aids, we must first grasp the drivers behind the decline of visual-first design.

It’s getting old

In short, predominantly visual design as a source of innovation is approaching the maturity phase of its life-cycle.

Just like any product or service, visual-first design is reaching its maturity

Take a look around – aren’t websites all starting to look kind of samey these days? This is no accident. As new design best practices have been shared, and higher conversion rates achieved, this standardized knowledge has propagated to businesses and website owners all across the web. But this wasn’t always the case. 

In its heyday in the early 2000’s, flashy web design was THE competitive differentiator for any business that wanted to make waves online. The arrival of Macromedia Flash (that’s Adobe Flash, to you kids), brought rich interactivity and visuals to the previously dull and static World Wide Web, and boutique rich media design studios like 2Advanced and Big Spaceship blew people’s minds by pushing the envelope of what we all thought was possible with web design and motion graphics. And fancy pre-loaders (ugh).

With unique and eye-catching design prioritized over everything else, it used to be a generally accepted workflow to have your web designer simply create visual “buckets”, (stuffed with Lorem Ipsum, of course), for the copywriter/client to fill with content after the fact.

We now know this is no longer an appropriate workflow for truly effective web design – in such circumstances, the actual content becomes subservient to the design, which diminishes the effectiveness of both.

It’s being commoditized by economic pressures

Visual design is cheaper, more accessible and more standardized than at any time in the history of the internet. Sites like Upwork, 99Designs and Envato have democratized (some might say commoditized) visual design, while free access to blog tutorials, website themes, and drag & drop tools like Canva, mean that anyone can invest a little time or money, and walk away with a presentable design.

Automated design is coming

Meanwhile, procedural design engines like The Grid and Act-On, can automatically generate entire layouts based solely on the content you feed them, and simultaneously A/B test like 8 gajillion different page variations to find the ultimate killer converting layout. While the output of these tools may not currently match human visual designers at the top of their game, there’s been more than enough interest around them to validate the existence of significant demand for cheaper, automated delivery of good visual design. It’s only a matter of time before the technology catches up – and it’s a problem that need only be solved successfully once to greatly reduce the need for human involvement in the visual design process.

“In 2010 only 2 per cent of Americans worked in agriculture and 20 per cent worked in industry, while 78 per cent worked as teachers, doctors, webpage designers and so forth. When mindless algorithms are able to teach, diagnose and design better than humans, what will we do?” ~ Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Voice & text recognition technology has reached a tipping point

Following a powerhouse showing at CES2017, Amazon’s Alexa is the first application of voice interaction to have reached mainstream adoption, with almost 8 million Echo units sold since it debuted in 2015 – and more than two thirds of those sales happened last year.

One stunning stat in particular is that Echo owners have also increased their spending on Amazon by 10% in the last year. Consider all the effort that’s gone into optimizing Amazon to be the best-converting e-commerce store on the internet – and now consider that one of its biggest leaps forward came from removing the visual interface altogether!

It’s also worth noting that voice and chat interfaces are only just getting started, and haptic, gesture-driven interactions aren’t far behind.

The video above was posted in 2015, so who knows how far this technology has come since then?

Visual design is struggling to keep up with consumers’ needs

How many screens exist in the average urban-dweller’s life? Smartphone, TV, laptop, tablet, car, (maybe even the fridge, if they’re painfully early adopter). Effective visual designs today must solve for an ever-growing variety of contexts & circumstances – but the kicker is that each time there’s a new breakthrough in our display technologies and devices, we’re having to almost completely rethink our approach to creating visual interfaces that effectively capitalize on these new capabilities.

  This is becoming unsustainable – we can’t keep redesigning our entire visual methodologies with each new innovation, so there’s an immediate need for an intuitive interface medium that works in almost any context, and has enough future-proofing built into it to stick around for a while.

Words are the new pixels

So, I’m just gonna throw this out there: humans have been communicating with words for about 70,000 years. We all know how to use them and interpret them, and I’d argue that words are the only truly responsive UI element for all computing devices, past, present and future.

Words: they worked back then, and they still work now

Words work at all screen resolutions, on all devices, across all global cultures, and in almost any context. This is an indispensable trait, since your responsibility as a designer is to guide users as they hop between individual interfaces within an overall guided experience.

Words are built for sharing experiences, ideas & stories

No matter how well-designed your website & mobile app are individually, if the transition between them is disjointed, it’s still a bad experience for the user.

As a result, customer preferences are shifting from favoring individually well-designed interfaces – Brand X’s mobile app, Brand Y’s website, and so on – to expecting a seamless overall experience within a single brand, regardless of the context. Businesses are discovering that this seamlessness is essential for driving repeat purchases from customers in a recurring cycle, nicknamed the Loyalty Loop.

In short, users need compelling narratives to guide them through the entire experience – not more infinitely-reconfigurable visual interfaces.

Wall-E is a masterclass in visual storytelling – but few can reach that bar consistently

  Thing is though, unless you’re Pixar, it’s really hard to tell a compelling, understandable story without words. Thus, the shift towards designing cohesive narratives for customers across multiple channels is opening the door to competition with visual designers on their own turf. Copywriters, authors, linguists, voice actors, casting directors, screenwriters, hell even songwriters – are all about to get into the user experience game.

  These folks are already familiar with creating engaging non-visual content – and demand for their expertise is about to explode. Although voice interaction has penetrated the mainstream, there’s still a dire need to build & maintain customer engagement. Alexa’s total library of almost 7,000 Skills (that’s Amazon-lish for “Apps”) currently averages only 3% retention after 2 weeks – ouch!

What designers can do to keep their jobs

LUKE: “With the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight?” OBI WAN: “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.”

Effective storytelling is as big a differentiator for today’s UX designers as the “unicorn” status of designers who could also code in the ‘00’s and early ‘10’s – so here’s what visual designers should be doing to prepare for this shift.

Lorem Ipsum must die – Content IS the design, so it should be factored into your workflow from the outset of the project. No more punting consideration of content down the road (although Samuel L Ipsum is always welcome entertainment

Understand the structure of a good story – There are tons of ways to do this – learn from storytelling masters like Pixar, read a “Choose your own adventure” book, study Joseph Campbell’s timeless classic “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, or even play a text-based adventure game like Zork.

Tease apart and deconstruct these examples to learn how words alone can guide and compel users through an experience.

Learn the art of persuasive writing – Don’t fear the encroachment of writers on “your design turf” – embrace them, learn from them. They may know this new, invisible medium better than you do, but you know how to incorporate their work, and harness it to create compelling user experiences.

The legendary Zig Ziglar’s “5 obstacles to a sale”, and the Persuasive Triangle are great frameworks with which to start learning how to write persuasive, compelling copy.

In summary: Learn to use your words

Visual-first design is in decline, so designers must become familiar with telling stories via the invisible media of voice and text. There are a number of drivers behind this decline:

Good visual design is no longer a competitive advantage for online businesses – it’s expected

Economic competition & automation are making visual design cheaper and more accessible

Voice and text recognition technology are enabling viable alternatives to traditional visual interfaces

Visual design can’t keep up with the pace of innovations in consumer devices

Words are the ideal medium for accommodating this next phase of human-computer interaction. They’re universally used and understood globally, and are easily woven into stories that can fit into any user context.

Designers who embrace the power of storytelling will be better positioned to navigate the transition from visible to invisible computing – and I, for one, can’t wait to see what kinds of stories you guys start telling.

[kidsviral-blog]

20 Healthy Habits You Should Adopt In Your Twenties

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/20-healthy-habits-you-should-adopt-in-your-twenties/

20 Healthy Habits You Should Adopt In Your Twenties

These habits are good for people of all ages, of course. But the sooner you get on it, the sooner you can reap the sweet, sweet benefits of healthy living.

1. Get between seven and eight hours of sleep per night.

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Long-term research studies show that people who get significantly less than seven hours a night die younger. And some research shows that people who sleep more than nine hours also have problems. Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says seven to eight hours is the sweet spot, according to an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal.

Here are 14 scientific hacks to help you get a better night’s sleep, in case it helps!

2. Get outside.

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20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

More and more research is showing just how important it is for people to be one with nature. And even just living near it helps. For instance, people who live close (within about a half-mile) to a good amount of green space are healthier than those who live farther away from it, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. People who lived close to a high percentage of green space had fewer anxiety disorders, and fewer infectious diseases of the digestive system, among other perks.

Plus, nature is real pretty.

Check out the National Park Service to find a park near you.

3. Have safe sex. Every time.

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Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

Gonorrhea is legit becoming untreatable, for starters. Yum!

On a more serious note, having control over your reproductive decisions is tied to better outcomes for pretty much everyone (that includes you!). Research collected by the Guttmacher Institute shows that parents who choose when to have kids are happier; their relationships are more stable; and their relationships with the children are stronger. That’s compared to people who have kids by accident, who experience greater incident rates of depression and anxiety; are more likely to break up; and have worse relationships with their kids. And that’s not even getting into the economic benefits of family planning (so much more on all of that here).

Don’t know where to begin with all the birth control? Women’s Health offers a pretty thorough breakdown of every type, how it works, efficacy rate, and any side effects you should know about — that might be a good place to start.

Oh, and about that gonorrhea… WEAR A CONDOM EVERY TIME UNLESS YOU HAVE BOTH BEEN TESTED AND ARE IN A COMMITTED MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP. Good, great.

4. Spend time with loved ones.

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  What are friends and loved ones for? Well, according to tons of research, people who have strong “social networks” (as in, loving friends and family members) reap many health benefits. And, on the flipside, people without strong social bonds tend to fare much worse.

Plus, on a totally non-scientific level: Love and friendship makes everything so much better. Obviously. So go call your mom or Gchat your friend to set up a yoga date. You’ll be glad you did.

5. Don’t smoke cigarettes. And if you already smoke, quit ASAP.

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The WB / Via jeremysengly.tumblr.com

Longtime smokers lose about 10 years of their lives to the habit, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. On the plus side, quitting before 35 can almost entirely eliminate that risk. So the sooner you quit, the longer you’ll live.

Need a hand? The CDC offers a list of resources to help you kick the habit.

6. Cook the majority of your meals at home, if you can.

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  One study from Cambridge University found that elderly Taiwanese people who cooked most of their meals lived longer than those who did not prepare the majority of their food at home.

Here’s what’s likely behind that: Cooking your own food gives you much greater control of what goes in it. You can make healthy ingredient swaps if you care to; you can also control portion sizes and the freshness of the ingredients when you’re cooking for yourself.

For yummy recipe suggestions, may we suggest signing up for the BuzzFeed Food newsletter? Here are 15 things you might discover if you do.

7. Eat more fruits and veggies.

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People who eat a lot of fruits and veggies also happen to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, according to a huge study from Harvard.

That’s especially true if you’re talking green, leafy veggies; cruciferous veggies; and citrus fruits. Nom nom nom.

8. Stop drinking soda.

Sugar Stacks

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  For like, a gajillion reasons. According to research published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, based on over 6,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, drinking one or more soft drinks a day is associated with:

—Greater risk of metabolic syndrome —Larger waist circumference —Obesity —Impaired fasting glucose —Higher blood pressure —Higher levels of triglycerides (associated with high cholesterol)

…and more.

9. And while you’re at it…stop drinking diet soda, too.

E!

  I know, I knowwww. I’m personally of the you-can-pry-my-Diet-Coke-from-my-cold-dead-hands persuasion, but the research here is pretty damning: Diet soda consumption is tied to incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 Diabetes, according to research published in the journal Diabetes Care. It’s also not actually a true “diet” product (if that’s what you’re going for), considering that people who drink diet soda are more likely to actually be overweight or obese than those who don’t drink diet drinks (see more on that here). Bottom line: Drink water, instead.

In fact…

10. Drink more water, in general.

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MamiGibbs / Via The Wire

It is kind of a magical substance: It helps prevent kidney stones by keeping your kidneys from working overtime. It nourishes your skin. It helps keep your poops regular (teehee). And it’s essential for people who work out, because your muscles need it to stay energized (and to function, period). Plus more great reasons.

Here are 13 easy ways to drink more water every day, if it helps!

11. Sit less. Stand more.

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Cosmopolitan / Via cosmopolitan.com

Sitting disease is a thing, for serious. Office workers, looking at you: See if you have the option for a standing desk, or if you can rig your own (check out these six standing desk hacks from Cosmopolitan for some smart ideas).

Otherwise, do what you can to reduce the time you spend sitting each day by about an hour total. If you’re at work sitting for eight hours, that means find a way to stand for seven and a half minutes each hour. Some ideas: Set your phone alarm for every hour, and then do laps around the office when it goes off. Take walking meetings, instead of sitting-at-a-table meetings. Stand up while you take conference calls. Take the stairs. Park in the far-away parking spot. Walk an extra few blocks to grab lunch instead of picking it up at the closest deli… Yeah, you get the idea.

12. Try to raise your heart rate for a sustained period of time every day.

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You know this already: Experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per day, five days a week. The AHA also recommends at least two days a week of muscle-building exercises, for added benefits. From better heart health, to lowered risk of osteoporosis and diabetes, working out regularly is really good for your health. Plus, it boosts your mood. What’s not to love?

Pro tip that’ll help you get started with this one: 19 fitness secrets everyone should know. You’re welcome.

13. Go to the doctor for all necessary checkups.

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cacaroot / Via The Wire

Invest in your health now to avoid paying for it bigtime down the road. That means go to the doctor and dentist as often as the experts recommend — that includes checkups for gynecological health, eye exams, full physical exams, and more.

For a complete list of health checks for all ages and genders, look here to see what the CDC recommends.

14. Only take antibiotics when you actually need them.

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Comedy Central / Via youtube.com

That means toss the Amoxicillin and stick with Tylenol and cough suppressants if you’re dealing with a cold or flu. That’s because antibiotics only treat bacterial illnesses, and are ineffective against viruses. And the more antibiotics you take, the more you run the risk of building up a resistance to the antibiotics, meaning they’ll be less effective down the line when you may actually need them.

15. Be grateful.

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HazelMartinDesigns / Via etsy.com

Beyond just making you a happier and more pleasant person to be around, showing gratitude can also enhance long-term well-being, according to research published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing. So go ahead: Use that #Blessed hashtag in a non-ironic way.

(Sign via HazelMartinDesigns shop on Etsy, $18.95.)

16. Have lots of sex!

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Tekweni / Via youtube.com

And not just for the orgasms. There’s tons of research that shows that sex is actually great for your health — it can lower stress, help relieve migraine headaches, and boost your immunity, to name a few awesome healthy side effects.

17. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation.

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Fox / Via thingsilove747.tumblr.com

Alcohol has been associated with certain health benefits: Drinking in moderation is tied to lowered risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. That said, and not to be a total buzzkill, excessive alcohol drinking is ALSO tied to some serious health risks, like an increased risk of breast cancer, for instance. Plus, recent research shows that excessive alcohol use is responsible for 1 in 10 deaths of adults between 20 and 64 years old (about 88,000 deaths in the United States every year — that’s more than car accident deaths and gun deaths put together).

The solution? If you’re going to drink, be smart about it. That means no more than one drink a day for women of all ages, and no more than two drinks a day for men under 65, according to the CDC. And definitely don’t do it if you’re pregnant, taking Rx meds that might react badly to it, or in recovery for alcoholism, among a few other disclaimers.

18. Wear sunscreen every day.

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Yes, even in the winter, and yes, even when it’s cloudy. Future you can thank me later.

That’s because daily sunscreen use has been shown to cut your risk of melanoma in half (melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer), according to research from Australia; in another study, it’s also been shown to actually slow the signs of aging in your skin.

19. Along those lines, avoid tanning beds.

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Get this: People who first use tanning beds before age 35 have a 75% increased risk of melanoma, according to a review of 7 international studies published in the International Journal of Cancer. GAH.

20. And finally… End your crappy relationship sooner, rather than later.

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whatidratherdo.tumblr.com

Because life is short, and you deserve to be treated right.

But also because bad relationships can actually have a seriously negative impact on your health.

For starters, research published in the journal Health Psychology finds that women in good marriages have fewer incidents of cardiovascular problems than women in bad marriages. Further research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women with heart problems in stressful marriages were 2.9 times more likely to have worse outcomes (read: more heart problems down the line) than women who were happily coupled.

And in a creepy study from Ohio State University, researchers gave a bunch of people blisters in order to determine that your body’s ability to heal itself is impaired if you’re in a stressful marriage. Meaning: The blisters took longer to heal when the people were unhappy with their relationships. Yikes!

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler’s name.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/healthy-living-habits