One Man's Blog

What Its Really Like To Be Schizophrenic

June 13, 2007 By John P. 181 Comments

A few years ago NPR did a story called “The Sights and Sounds of Schizophrenia” which tells about a training program created by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company that specializes in treatment for Schizophrenia.

I watched the 5 minute video just one time 5 years ago and it literally changed me. It was such a powerful and moving experience that I cannot forget it and it altered my perception of mental illness forever.

I’ve tried to tell people about it over the years, but it’s just something you have to see, so finally I searched and searched until I found it again so I could put it on the blog.

Machine Drastically Shortens Need for Sleep

June 13, 2007 By John P. 3 Comments

This morsel comes from Sky News:

Scientists have found a way to turn on deep sleep at will using a machine that magnetically stimulates the brain.

A device worn on the head could in squeeze the benefit of eight hours’ sleep into just two or three hours.

Scientists in the US used a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce slow waves – indicative of the deepest phase of sleep and essential for learning ability and mood, in a group of sleeping volunteers.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: News, Sleep

Review: BlogBackupOnline

June 12, 2007 By John P. 6 Comments

So, I bet you’ll never guess what BlogBackupOnline does. Wow, that’s right! It’s an online Blog backup service. You’re so smart. (Here is their Blog for updates.)

BBO is a new online service provider that intends to give the 70 million or so blog owners out there a little peace of mind by backing up all their content. I heard about it weeks ago, but just got around to trying it this evening because I had assumed it was going to take a little work. Well, that assumption was very, very wrong.

The good news is that the service shows a lot of promise. The bad news is that it doesn’t work on One Man’s Blog or the HTMLHelp Blog.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Wordpress Tagged With: Backups, BlogBackupOnline, Reviews, Wordpress

Man Arrested at Best Buy for Using $2 Bills

June 12, 2007 By John P. 15 Comments

This little tidbit from WorldNetDaily.com

A man trying to pay a fee using $2 bills was arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail after clerks at a Best Buy store questioned the currency’s legitimacy and called police.

According to an account in the Baltimore Sun, 57-year-old Mike Bolesta was shocked to find himself taken to the Baltimore County lockup in Cockeysville, Md., where he was handcuffed to a pole for three hours while the U.S. Secret Service was called to weigh in on the case.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Abuse-of-Power, Best-Buy, News, Police

Shark Steals Fisherman’s Prize Catch

June 12, 2007 By John P. Leave a Comment

Jimbeau, this one’s for you!

So, this guy was out fishing, hooked a huge Tarpon, fought it for an hour, and as he’s about ready to pull it into the boat a hammerhead shark comes up and steals and devours it right there!

Luckily his buddy’s were filming the catch and I must say that what they got was far, far more interesting than any normal fish story would have been!
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: Cool, Fishing, shark, Videos

Incredible Performance on Britains Got Talent – Paul Potts

June 11, 2007 By John P. 9 Comments

Ok, this is a really cool story. A guy named Paul Potts who has a job working at a cellular store in the UK decides to get on stage in front of Simon Cowell and the other judges. Before the show he does a little interview and admits to having a confidence problem.

When he gets on stage one of the judges asks him what he’s here for today and he tells them he’s going to sing Opera. All three judges kind of give one another a look that I read as, “Oh brother….”

The next thing you know, old Paul is belting out a song like he belongs on stage, the audience is going nuts, the female judge (Amanda Holden) looks like she is ready to cry, and well… just watch the video.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: American-Idol, Awesome, Britains-Got-Talent, Cool, Paul-Potts, Simon-Cowell, Videos

What My Father Means to Me, by Richard E. Hoyt Jr.

June 10, 2007 By John P. 8 Comments

A while back I wrote about one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard about, the father and son team of Richard Hoyt and Richard Hoyt Jr. Well, in the June 2007 issue of Men’s Health magazine Richard Jr. published a huge father’s day letter to his dad. I figured it would be appropriate to share given that we’re only a week away.

You have to realize that it takes an extraordinary effort for him to communicate in this manner, so the length and eloquence of the message are moving.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Philosophy, Quotes, Thoughts Tagged With: Can, Dick-Hoyt, Disability, Disabled, Father-and-Son, Handicap, Hero, Imagine, Inspiration, Marathon, Philosophy, Quotes, Rick-Hoyt, Strongest-Dad-in-the-World, Swimming, Thoughts, Triathalon, Videos, Wheelchair

How to Negotiate with Sprint PCS During a Contract

June 9, 2007 By John P. 10 Comments

The attached recording demonstrates one method of negotiating lower rates with Sprint PCS – even while you are under a contract. I’ve heard anecdotal stories from others that similar tactics work with the other major US cellular carriers as well as cable providers, but I’m not aware of anyone else having actually recorded and supplied a methodology.

The reason for my call is obvious if you listen, but basically we were paying around $135 per month on average for two phones and we aren’t even heavy users. I saw lower cost rates online that include even more, so I called just to get my rates reduced.

There are a few general things to note and listen for during this recording (which has been slightly edited from the original to remove personal details and blank space). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Finance, Tutorials Tagged With: AT&T, Audio, Cell-Phone, Cellular, Cingular, Finance, Shopping, Sprint-PCS, Tutorials

The Best Photography on the Web – Part 2

June 8, 2007 By John P. 7 Comments

I now present part two of my Best Photography on the Web series. It takes me a little while between these posts because I find them slowly over time as opposed to searching for them constantly. Before we get started with this issue here is the standard disclaimer:
BE WARNED! Photographers take pictures of places, things and people. Sometimes naked people.

If you are sensitive to nude men, naked women or wet fruit please move on to another article.

Dr. Feng Jiang

We begin the second installment of the Best Photography on the Web with Chinese artist / Photographer Dr. Feng Jiang.

Dr. Jiang’s stunning photos of China are enough to make me want to visit just to see these places in person; and his mastery of light, reflections and composition are simply impressive.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Photography Tagged With: Amazing, Art, Best-Photography-on-the-Web, Carel-Struycken, Feng-Jiang, HDR, High-Dynamic-Range, Kris-Krug, Martin-Waugh, Panorama, Photography, Rich-Legg, Scott-Stulberg