Should I buy a used office chair?

Should I buy a used office chair?

On the advice of a work from home veteran, I bought a used office chair recently. It was the best advice I’ve received in a long time. Should I buy a used office chair? Should you? Yes, and here’s why.

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Is isopropyl alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol?

Is isopropyl alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol?

We use the two terms interchangeably. But is isopropyl alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol? Not necessarily, but the difference may or may not matter, depending on what you’re using it for. Let’s look at isopropyl alcohol vs rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol can be either isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, but the main difference is purity. Rubbing alcohol is 70% pure, where products sold as isopropyl alcohol are typically 91% or 99% pure.

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Bill Gates: Hero or Villain?

Bill Gates: Hero or Villain?

Is Bill Gates a hero or villain? Is he good or bad? It’s complicated. The most complicated thing about it is the people who answered the question one way five years ago say the opposite now.

Like many aging tycoons, Bill Gates changed as he aged and started thinking about his legacy. That’s why people who used to think of him as a villain to think of him as a hero today, and people who once idolized him to think of him as a villain today.

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Foldingathome – how little is too little?

Foldingathome – how little is too little?

Thanks to an influx of volunteers donating computer power to support COVID-19 research, the Folding@home project is now, in effect, the world’s most powerful supercomputer. But how much computer power is necessary to make a difference? After comparing notes with a couple of others, I think I have some answers.

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Foldingathome with the Nvidia Geforce 210

Foldingathome with the Nvidia Geforce 210

I installed the Folding@home client on every computer in the house with something newer than a Pentium 4 in it. But GPU power is much better than CPU power. Even my lowly Nvidia Geforce 210. Here’s how I fixed an opencl.dll not found error, though I never was able to get much use from Foldingathome with the Nvidia Geforce 210.

Both Nvidia drivers and the Foldingathome client are finicky. When in doubt, uninstalling and reinstalling can work wonders. But while I was able to get the client to recognize my Geforce 210, I was never able to get it to fold.

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DO vs MD: Two philosophies, but both doctors

DO vs MD: Two philosophies, but both doctors

I read a tweet this weekend from a prominent political commentator disparaging doctors of osteopathy, DOs for short. He said only MDs are legitimate doctors. That’s not at all true. Let’s take a look at a DO vs an MD. There’s a difference, but it doesn’t at all mean DOs are less competent.

DOs are recognized by all 50 states and are licensed to prescribe drugs, administer vaccines, and perform surgery just like an MD. Web sites that suggest a DO is basically a chiropractor are using outdated and incomplete information. While some people consider osteopathy a form of alternative medicine, that’s an incomplete perspective. The majority of what DOs practice is completely mainstream medicine.

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Wrist pain from typing

Wrist pain from typing

I’ve had a long history with wrist pain from typing, brought on by carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive stress injury. People sometimes as me to elaborate, so I’ll elaborate on beating carpal tunnel. I was able to beat it without surgery, and you may be able to as well.

It’s something I struggled with off and on for a good 10 years. Mostly off, in recent years, which is good. At one point, it was so bad I wasn’t able to unload my dishwasher, because I couldn’t grip the plates long enough. It was career threatening too. Read more

Best things to collect

Best things to collect

What are the best things to collect? I can’t answer that question specifically for you. That’s kind of like trying to tell you who to marry. But I can tell you what to look for. And then you’ll know the answer when you find it.

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Certificate of creditable coverage: Why you may need it

Certificate of creditable coverage: Why you may need it

What is a health insurance certificate of creditable coverage, and why does your new insurance plan want one? The certificate of creditable coverage was a way to prevent people from abusing health insurance. Changes to health care laws after the Affordable Care Act made certificates of creditable coverage less common. But here’s how to get one if your new insurer wants one.

If you’re trying to get health insurance in between jobs, you’re more likely to need the certificate.

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Toothbrush in dishwasher

Toothbrush in dishwasher

It sometimes surprises people that you can wash a toothbrush in a dishwasher. But there’s no reason why you can’t, to prolong their useful life. And the toothbrush in dishwasher trick is a good way to stay healthier in the winter.

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