My Non-Nerd Review of Windows 10

As I'm already running Win8.1 – and probably didn't know better – I signed up for the free release. On the morning of the 29^th, I read something warning me to back up my PC so I started by erasing everything on my backup thumb drive – 3 blasted hours! That was followed by transferring my Documents, Music, Pictures, and Video to the back up – another darned 3 hours.

At last, I was ready. I clicked on the little icon and the bottom of the page and the impressive Win10 screen showed up asking me if I was ready. Yes, of course, and it took me to the common User Agreement which I agreed to. Then I got Preparing to Download.

Not too bad. 20-30 minutes or so. I then went through the next step and the screen suddenly turned that MS blue with the little dingy running around in a small circle. Time to watch the Boob Tube.

Took maybe 30 more minutes but it kept giving me little tidbits about what was going on along with warnings not to turn off my PC.

And then – the big thing with date came up and I clicked the space bar. An impressive picture followed the screen to sign into my account. Once that was done, I ended up going through another 30 minute wait while I was told the system was being personalized for me.

At last, all of a sudden my same desktop as before showed up with a brand new icon on the lower left showing new windows icons.

Didn't lose a single program or shortcut!

I did gain a totally different start bar or whatever it's called.

Guess I no longer need to open a browser to do a search as Cordana is right there at the bottom along with an icon for Edge – which I used a couple of times and appears a lot friendlier and easier to use than IE.

My only problem comes when opening the MS symbol at the bottom left as it is nothing like Win8.1 and it took me some time to figure out how to find my Control Panel – Cordana showed me where it was and how to open it.

So, what's my overall impression?

Not a lot. I browse and write and it doesn't seem the least bit different than before. Neither faster nor slower, not harder nor easier.

I guess there are features the nerds or gamers will like but they don't seem to affect m. I still have the same software and did 't lost a single file.

The only thing that ticks me off is MS being so darned cheap that they no longer include a free word processor package – but certainly give you lots of chances to buy their MSOffice along with tons and tons of apps.

So, if you're on the edge and can't make up your mind – why not? Go ahead. You have nothing to lose beyond the time it takes to do the conversion.

Oh yeah, here's another techie review @ http://www.popsci.com/i-used-windows-10-and-survived-and-you-will-too

A Few More Non-Nerd Views of Windows 10

The one thing I find convenient about it is the Cortana search in the bar on the bottom of the screen. If I want something from my PC, I type it in and indicate it's in my PC. If it's something from the web, I simply hit return or any other key. The default search engine is Bing as it's an MS product. And I generally like the Bing start page with its great images.

Edge – or IE11 – whatever they want to call it, doesn't thrill me. It's okay as the default so Cortana goes to it. But I prefer Opera and Firefox as my everyday browsers. My major problem with Edge is the options for capturing images – it only lets you copy the link and not in jpg. Format.

The Start Page has a good news feed but I have other news feeds I prefer.

I don't find it one bit faster than 8.1 and actually get frustrated that the updates seem to take so long.

I guess it just takes a bit of getting accustomed to.

The Right Way to Stand

Stand up. Now grab your butt. Is it tight? If your glutes aren’t slightly contracted, you’re standing all wrong. And that could be why your squat numbers are stagnant, why your low back hurts, and why just can’t seem to get into correct form on your favorite exercises, said Doug Kechijian, P.T., coach at Peak Performance in New York City.

Most men stand lazily, with their shoulders slumped, their weight shifted into their right hip (all people are predisposed to favor their right side), and their feet flared out, Kechijian said. In fact, you’re probably standing like this right now.

“When you frequently stand that way, your body almost gets ‘stuck’ there,” Kechijian explained. “Your hips always return to that shifted position and your shoulders always slump.” It becomes your “home base."

So when you hit the gym, you’re in trouble. Your compromised stance can cause your hips and shoulders to become tight over time. And that stiffness leads to immobility, making it impossible to use correct form in many exercises.

Lift with bad form and you not only get a smaller return on each rep—which means less strength gains and less fat loss—but you also increase your risk of injury. For instance, if your hips can’t move in their full range of motion, you won’t be able to get into a low squat position.

To compensate, your torso must tilt forward, which causes the bulk of the weight to shift into your low back. This form adjustment might seem minor, but it can trigger serious, sidelining injuries like disc bulges. (Correct posture can help prevent back pain—and so can these 4 core exercises The Fit Man’s Back-Saving Workout.)

The Right Way to Stand
The “ideal” way to stand is with your feet forward instead of flared out (actively try to "screw" your feet into the ground), glutes and abs slightly contracted, and shoulders externally rotated (to find this position, place your palms on your pecs), according to Kelly Starrett, P.T., creator of MobilityWOD.com and author of “Becoming a Supple Leopard.” Try to maintain this position for as long as possible whenever you are on your feet.

When you inevitably tire—and you will, it’s hard to keep your butt and abs like that all day—don’t return to your regular, old standing position, Starrett said. Instead, prop your foot on a low box or bench in front of you while keeping your shoulders externally rotated and your glutes activated, he says. The more you look like Captain Morgan, the better. Switch feet whenever you feel the need to.

Related: 4 Daily Exercises Every Navy SEAL (and Every Fit Guy) Should Do

Another option: “Stand with your right foot slightly in front of your left. That helps you shift your weight to your left leg and into your left hip,” Kechijian said. “That will help to offset your right-side bias.”

But don’t get ‘stuck’ here, either. You want to divide your time between your left and right hip. Switch sides about every 10 minutes.

In order to prevent your shoulders from rounding, readjust them every so often, too. Practice the external shoulder rotation cue: Place your palms on your pecs, without "shrugging" your shoulders. Freeze. Keeping your shoulders in this exact spot, drop your arms to your sides. This is where your shoulders should be every time you stand.

(For more simple ways to improve your body, read the Better Man Project. It’s the new book from the Editor in Chief of Men’s Health, and it’s jam-packed with more than 2,000 tips and life hacks to help you improve your health, fitness, career, and sex life.)

The biggest point you want to remember: Never get too comfortable, said Kechijian and Starrett. You want to move often and check in on your posture whenever you stand. Work toward fostering a new “home base” so you can reach new levels of strength and muscle. And whatever you do, don’t sit back down.

This comes from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/07/26/one-simple-test-to-tell-if-youre-standing-wrong/ and I am sharing it because it has been a miracle cure for me. For weeks now, I've been suffering lower back pain in my left side that almost drives me to tears every time I stand up. 

I've been trying it since 4:30am when I found it and the results are amazing! No - awesome! No pain at all when I walk with my cane and very little when I walk without it.

Give these steps a try and tell us what happened.

A Novel About the Cold War

From 1947 to 1991 the West under the umbrella of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the East under the shield of the Warsaw Pact faced each other in what was known as The Cold War. In reality is was a standoff between Russia and the Allies of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Western Germany.

The real start came when Russia tried to cut off Berlin from the West by a blockade of the highway to West Germany in 1948 which resulted in the famous airlift where allied aircraft carried hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies to the citizens of West Berlin.

Things stabilized a bit until 1961 when East Germany got tired of all its best scientists and scholars fleeing to the West, erecting barbed wire fences that soon became the biggest scar on the planet, the Iron Curtain, stretched for thousands of miles, dividing families and causing death to those who tried to cross the killing fields.

Many unique events occurred during the time of the Cold War but Waltzing in the Shadows deals with that brief period between 1978 and 1982. Jimmy Carter had his failed foreign policy that brought about the rise of the Mullahs in Iran and the start of destabilization in the Middle East. Ronald Reagan becoming president in January 1981 saw the release of diplomatic hostages in Tehran and the first steps towards seeing the Cold War dismantled.

Some truly important milestones were:

The start of 24hour television news coverage.

The onset of Music Television with the song, Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles

Russia getting itself stuck in the quagmire of Afghanistan having learned nothing from the American involvement in South Vietnam.

The Delorean comes off the production line.

All of these and many many more events are told in Waltzing in the Shadows. There's one chapter about Russian units in East Germany and the problems they have with their vaunted Main Battle Tanks. An undercover agent working in the offices of the fear East German Stasi must suffer humiliation before her tormentor frees her by having a heart attack. An American official hires someone to put a stop to leaks of vital information from the other side of the Iron Curtain that will embarrass his president.

The is also mainly the story of an individual who thought he was facing a simple desk job who gets caught up in a Honey Trap only to turn to an Austrian friends who becomes the one to share the rest of his life.

The totally revised version of Waltzing in the Shadows, Information Leaks Through the Iron Curtain is not available in paperback and Kindle at the following links”

Paperback @ http://www.amazon.com/Waltzing-Shadows-Dale-Day/dp/1463522347/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Ebook format @ http://www.amazon.com/Waltzing-Shadows-Information-Through-Curtain-ebook/dp/B004U2FJ9Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8