Knowledge Handler
Information Sources & Information Sifting Techniques
About Me
- Name: David Dial
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
I am a retired librarian, most recently serving at Indiana Wesleyan University's Cleveland Education Center.
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Monday, January 06, 2025
First Aid Kits for Hikers
Ashley Thess recommends the ideal contents for a hiker's first aid kit , and then evaluates several commercially available kits.
-DDLabels: First aid kits, Hiking, Safety
Friday, January 03, 2025
Survival Diet
Christine Peterson suggests that while eating is essential for survival , clothing and shelter and water are immediate survival priorities.
Labels: Diet, Starvation, Survival, Wilderness
Thursday, January 02, 2025
WiFi Hardware Tips
Brittany Vincent and Ry Crist report on WiFi equipment requirements for various home layouts. A single router is generallyu sufficient for apartments and small homes, but large coverage areas require moving to mesh networking equipment.
-DDLabels: Home network, WiFi
Wednesday, January 01, 2025
Financial Success
Darius Foroux provides tips on mental strength and financial success .
-DDLabels: mental focus, Success
Monday, December 30, 2024
Friday, December 27, 2024
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Early Photosynthesis
Marion McGuinness explains the historic importance of Stromatolites on earth's biosphere. These bacterial colonies can be found in harsh deserts of Australia and Mexico.
-DDLabels: Paleobiology, Stromatolites
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Spurring Each Other On
Jake Meador reflects on why those raised in the faith stop attending church services .
-DDLabels: Christian Church.
Monday, December 23, 2024
Skyrocketing Real Estate Prices
Shannon Pettypiece explains how massive residential growth in U.S. farmland is eliminating farms and pushing residential homes price points higher than locals can afford.
-DDLabels: Developing farmland
Friday, December 20, 2024
Healing a Partisan Divide
Lawrence Torcello muses on the fact that Americans still agree on many things , and the focus on disagreements might jeopardize the nation's shared values.
On the other hand, Johanna Blackley observes that some television entertainment could bring people together.
Alex Hinton offers three strategies to weaken th U.S. partisan divide:
- Listen first,
- Be curious, not dogmatic, and
- Explore outside your own social media, news channels, and community silos.
Labels: Partisanship, Relationships
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
U.S. Adult Literacy
Madison Dapcevich notes that only about half of adult Americans meet international literacy standards . Gallop research indicates that educating adults into literacy would give the U.S. a great economic boost.
-DDLabels: Literacy
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Measuring Sticky Ingredients
Ella Quittner recommends chefs oil their measuring cups before attempting to measuring sticky ingredients such as peanut butter.
-DDLabels: Dry measure, Peanut butter
Monday, December 16, 2024
Open Data
The Open Data Handbook explains the concepts of open data, and provides link to example open data sources.
-DDLabels: Open Data
Friday, December 13, 2024
Buttons vs. Touchscreen
Gwendolyn Rak suggests that control buttons are more functional than touch screens for some applications.
-DDLabels: Buttons, Control interfaces
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Octopus Dreams
Sarah Harrison reveals experiments into the function of sleep in Octopi and other animal (and humans).
-DDWednesday, December 11, 2024
Remote and Hybrid Work
Douglas Fraser reports that remote work can decrease a workplace's carbon output by eliminating commutes and shuttering offices. Katherine Latham finds that working from home resolves some childcare problems.
However, Alex Christian found that the wild schedule changes occuring in hybrid work can be especially draining to employees.
-DDLabels: Hybrid work, Remote work
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Monday, December 09, 2024
Fluoridation
Stephen Peckham and Niyi Awofeso raise concerns about current fluoridation of water and toothpaste techniquies,
-DDLabels: Flouridation
Friday, December 06, 2024
Reentry Pods for Escaping Potential Space Disasters
Amy Teitel writes about the potential for escaping space disasters with emergency pods which would function as one-person lifeboats on space vessels in near earth orbit.
-DDLabels: Reentry pods
Thursday, December 05, 2024
U.S. Manufacturers
David Hurley provides a small list consumer products
manufactured in the United States
.
Check the Thomas Network for a more comprehensive list.
Labels: Manufacturers
Wednesday, December 04, 2024
Plastic Rain and Windborn Dust
Matt Simon reports on plastic particles being found in the atmosphere and oceans.
-DDLabels: Microplastics, Rain, Wind
Tuesday, December 03, 2024
Monday, December 02, 2024
Television and Dementia Treatment
The BBC reports that television re-runs and old songs can be reassuring to those with dementia.
-DDLabels: Christmas holiday, Dementia, Television viewing
Friday, November 29, 2024
Health Savings Accounts
Sharon Epperson and Stephanie Due descruibe the benefits of health savings accounts .
-DDLabels: Health savings accounts, retirement
Thursday, November 28, 2024
News Deserts
Sara Fischer reports on areas of the U.S. where there is a lack of sources for local news .
-DDLabels: News deserts, Newspapers
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Starting a Campfire
Tim MacWelch exposes typical mistakes in starting a campfire .
-DDLabels: Campfires, Camping, Fire starting
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Monday, November 25, 2024
Avalanche Control in Canada
Canada has the world's largest avalanche-control program which uses mobile artillery to create avalanches in a controlled manner.
-DDLabels: Avalanches, Canada
Friday, November 22, 2024
Ohio Diners
Kourtney Husnick recommends five Ohio diners for your next day trip. A video series listing of additional eateries is available from WOSU
-DDLabels: Diners, Ohio restaurants
Thursday, November 21, 2024
B. A. Sweetie Candy Company
Jill Sell reports on the largest candy story in North America: b. a. Sweetie Candy Company , located in Cleveland, OH.
-DDLabels: Candy stores
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Gravitational Wave Dection
Andrew Paul provides information on NASA's new LISA observatory which shall look for gravitational waves.
-DDLabels: Gravitational waves
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Nickel Iron Batteries for Energy Storage
Allison Hirschlag reports on a proposal to use Edison's Iron-Nickel battery for renewable energy storage.
-DDLabels: Iron-nickel batteries
Monday, November 18, 2024
International Competition in Solar Panel Innovation and Marketing
David Fickling reports on how China became dominant in solar panels, despite the technology having been developed in the U.S.
-DDLabels: China, Competition, Solar panels, Solar power, U.S. policy
Friday, November 15, 2024
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Extreme Commercial Flights
Kara and Nate find and compare both the world's shortest commercial flight and the longest.
-DDLabels: Commercial aviation
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Emergency Room Service Is Being Provided by Profit-Seeking Companies
Keren Landman suggests that commercial firms are taking over providing emergency care services in many U.S. hospitals.
-DDLabels: Emergency rooms, Hospitals
Monday, November 11, 2024
Veterans Day
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has published a short history of Armistice Day (or Veterans Day or Remembrance Day).
-DDLabels: Armistice Day, Military, Remembrance Day, Veterans Day
Friday, November 08, 2024
Develop a Thesis Statement for Your Speech
Brenda Barbose suggests advanced preparation that will provide focus for your public speaking .
-DDLabels: Preparation, Public Speaking
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Wednesday, November 06, 2024
"Yes, And . . . " in Fraught Communication
Sarah Todd describes using the phrase 'Yes, and ...' to encourage cooperation in emotional negotiations.
-DDLabels: communication, Improve
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
The Phoebus Cartel
Markus Krajewski reveals a 1920's scheme for planned obsolescence amomg light bulb manufacturers.
-DDLabels: Light bulbs, Lighting
Monday, November 04, 2024
Repurposed Lighthouse
Graham Averill recounts staying on an old lighthouse built in international waters.
-DDLabels: Hotels, Lighthouses
Friday, November 01, 2024
Visions of the Future
Louis-Sébastien Mercier in 1770 crafted Memoirs of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred .
-DDLabels: Future, Science fiction
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Mechanical Circuits
Spintronics has developed mechanical analogs to elements of simple electric circuits .
-DDLabels: Direct current, Electricity
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Internet Archive Legal Faces Woes
Kate Knibbs explains the Internet Archive's legal troubles .
-DDLabels: intellectual property, Internet Archive, Law
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Colon Cancer Detection
Jenna Fletcher reviews the various tests for detecting colon cancer .
-DDLabels: Colon Cancer, Colonoscopy
Monday, October 28, 2024
Single-Use Plastic Bag Distribution
Bill Chappell reports on California's attempts to rein-in the distribution of single use plastic bags . A 2014 legislative effort to ban flimsy single-use bags resulted in the waste plastic tonnage increasing, as stores thereafter distributed heavier bags. New legislative efforts will promote the distribution of multiple-use bags or paper sacks at the point of sale.
-DDLabels: Microplastics, Plastic bags, Recycling, Single-use bags
Friday, October 25, 2024
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Electricity Transmission
The Institute for Energy Research explains electricity transmission .
-DDLabels: Electric power, Electricity transmission
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Osteoarthritis Detection
Amit Sandhu et al. have researched markers for osteoarthritis pathology , which should allow physicians to detect the disease before it becomes dehabilitating.
-DDLabels: Biomarkers, Osteoarthritis
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Starting a Speech
Vanessa Van Edwards lists the opening lines of what she dubs 'the to speeches' in Western history.
-DDLabels: Introductions, Public Speaking
Monday, October 21, 2024
Rune Alphabet for English Usage
Per Lindberg explains this history of the alternative alphabet composed using runic script. He has also analyzed Tolkien's use of runes in The Hobbit and other works.
-DDLabels: Runes
Friday, October 18, 2024
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Oldest Voice Recording
The BBC has decoded the earliest known voice recording .
-DDLabels: Audio technology, Sound recording