Currently viewing the tag: "Summer"

Get ready for the most social media Olympics ever! Here are 25 of the best athletes to follow on Twitter – from Mashable:

After months of hype, the 2012 Olympics in London will finally get underway this Friday. With two weeks of excitement, drama and athletic brilliance, much of the Olympic action and reaction will take place online.
Social media will play a bigger role this summer than in any games before — especially compared to the last summer Olympics, in 2008. Why? Social media’s growth, influence and ubiquity has been exponential since ’08. Facebook has gone from 100 million users to over 900 million. More than 400 million tweets are sent each day now, compared to just 300,000 four years ago. And YouTube has grown steadily too; its users now upload more than 72 hours of video content each minute.

As has become standard for major athletic events, Twitter will act as the digital sports bar for many fans. News will break there first. People will share and re-share compelling human interest features; fans will celebrate and debate each race and performance.

And athletes, the stars of the summer games, will connect with fans and provide previously unimaginable inside access. While International Olympic Committee restrictions on social media posts have some athletes frustrated, there will still be plenty to enjoy. But it all begs one question: Out of more than 10,000 Olympians, who should you follow?

Luckily, Mashable has you covered. From sprinters to swimmers, dunkers to divers, we’ve found 25 of the very best Olympic athletes to follow on Twitter this summer. Scroll through the gallery above to seeMashable‘s Twitter Olympic team.

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Get pumped up! The Olympics are about to start! Here are 10 unforgettable video Olympic moments from Mashable:

 Jaw-dropping victories, heartbreaking defeats, and world-class athletes pushing their bodies to unfathomable limits seize the attention of the world for two weeks every two years.
The Olympic Games play host to many of the sporting world’s most memorable moments. In anticipation of the kick off to London 2012, we looked back at 10 extraordinary moments in Summer Games history.Prepare to stand up and cheer or dab a tear from your eye because this is what the Games are all about.
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Wow – I LOVE corn on the cob. Grilled right on the BBQ is my favorite, but here is a faster alternative – and tastes much better than boiling! From Lifehacker:

Summer is here and sweet corn is in season. If you enjoy eating corn on the cob, now is the best time of the year to eat corn nearly every day. You can even enjoy fresh corn on the cob at work by covering the corn with wet paper towels and cooking in your microwave.

Culinary weblog Chow shares that you can easily cook corn in the microwave by first removing the husk and silk from the corn, wrapping the ear in a wet paper towel, and microwaving it for no more than five minutes. Let the ear cool down and enjoy!

Corn on the Cob in Your Cubicle? | Chow

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This is fun! The perfect Pinterest Picnic! Great ideas and How-To’s from Mashable:

Summer is the perfect time to take your day-to-day indoor activities outside. To help you do just that, we scoured Pinterest to find all the ingredients of a perfect summer picnic.

Grab a DIY picnic bag, some supplies for a tent or shelter, a picnic-approved snack and some tunes to keep you occupied. It’s picnic season, and we hope to see you out there.

We covered the basics in our round-up, but we would love to hear what else you have to add. What should we have repinned? Let us know, and we will add some of your suggestions to our board!

For easy repinning and reference to the websites that the ideas came from, check out this board, and be sure to follow Mashable on Pinterest.

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I post a lot about sunscreen – it IS important (click here Sunscreen | Dan Likes This! for more posts)! Here are some additional tips on how to protect yourself and those you love from eHow:

 

78630904 Sunscreen Alone Wont Cut It

It takes more than just sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.(photo: Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images) 

 

We’re seeing more teens diagnosed with skin cancer than ever before, so it’s essential to start protecting your skin from the sun at an early age.

— Dr. Michael S. Fisher, Atlanta Center For Dermatologic Diseases

Go ahead and pack the sunscreen for your summer vacation, but don’t think of it as all you need to combat the ravages of the sun. Sunscreen protects against squamous-cell cancers found on the outermost layers of the skin. Squamous-cell cancers, however, account for just 20 percent of the skin cancers diagnosed annually. You must use other measures to guard against the types of cancer that account for the remaining 80 percent of diagnoses each year.

Sunscreen Strengths

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer at least once. Many people know using sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer and will use it if they expect to be exposed to the sun for any length of time.

Sunscreen helps block UVA rays (ultraviolet long-wave light) and UVB rays (ultraviolet short-wave light). UVA rays penetrate skin deeply and play a major role in the development of skin cancer. UVB rays will do the same, only over a longer amount of time. A lifetime of overexposure to both types of ultraviolet radiation can result in cell mutations anywhere in the body.

“Melanoma is one of the most challenging solid cancers to work with because it has such a high rate of mutation,” said Yardena Samuels, an investigator for the Cancer Genetics Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute’s Division of Intramural Research in Bethesda, Maryland.

Developing an early habit of protecting your skin goes a long way toward prevention of the cumulative effect of sun exposure.

“We’re seeing more teens diagnosed with skin cancer than ever before, so it’s essential to start protecting your skin from the sun at an early age,” said Dr. Michael S. Fisher of the Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Diseases.

Sunscreen is one element of that early defense. Avoidance of tanning beds, he said, is another.

“If you frequent tanning beds before the age of 35,” he said, “you’re 70 times more likely to develop a melanoma.”

Skin Protection Pointers

Dr. Wendy Delaney of Cummings, Georgia-based Vickery Pediatrics offers these recommendations to keep your family safe from the sun:

1. Wear a hat and protective clothing. Look for clothes with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 30 or higher.

2. Cover all exposed body areas with sunscreen. Use SPF 30 or higher. Apply 30 minutes before going outside.

3. Reapply sunscreen every two hours after swimming or excessive sweating.

4. Keep newborns in the shade or a sheltered area when possible. Use sunscreen on all babies more than 6 months old.

5. Avoid the sun’s strongest rays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

6. Always check the expiration date on your sunscreen.

7. Do not neglect protecting your ears, eyes, lips and nose.

8. UVA rays can penetrate clouds, fog and glass, so protect yourself even on rainy days or when in the car.

9. DO NOT BURN.

10. Avoiding tanning and UV tanning booths.

Sunscreen Weaknesses

Sunscreens are made up of chemical and physical properties that form a fine layer of protection over the skin for a temporary period of time. No sunscreen can entirely block UVA and UVB rays from penetrating the skin. Likewise, no sunscreen is waterproof or sweat-proof.

The SPF (skin factor protection) determines how long you can stay in the sun before the UVB rays will cause your skin to turn red. A high SPF sunscreen with a factor of 50 will screen the sun’s rays 50 times longer than unprotected skin, providing protection for 98 percent of the rays.

The physical environment in which you are exposed to the sun is a significant factor.

“When you are on a reflective surface” — such as water, beach or concrete pavement — “you will get twice as much radiation exposure because the sun’s rays will hit your skin from above and below,” explained Dr. Wendy Delaney of Vickery Pediatrics in Cumming, Georgia.

Anything less than 100 percent protection leaves room for damage at the skin’s cellular level, and it’s just not possible for sunscreen to provide 100 percent protection.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new mandates in the spring of 2011 to account for some of those claims. Starting in 2012, sunscreen products may no longer be marketed as “sunblocks,” sweat-proof or waterproof. The FDA has also re-emphasized its guidance that sunscreen should be used along with a total skin-protection routine that includes wearing hats and protective clothing.

Proper Application

Delaney said users should always wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. It should be applied 30 minutes before you go outside. Use a product that screens out both UVA and UVB rays, and reapply it at intervals specified in the directions on the label. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using an amount of sunscreen equal to the size of a golf ball to cover your body and face.

When selecting sun-protective clothing and hats, look for those with a specified UPF (ultraviolet protection factor). The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends clothing with a UPF of 30 or higher.

Finally, ease up on that summer dream of the perfect tan. Tans are actually a result of damage to the skin. Prolonged damage will make the skin more vulnerable to cancer. You may have to give up a little of that “golden glow” in exchange for longer good health.

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I know my grandkids always enjoy bubbles – here is a great idea to use a water bottle to blow bubbles! From ProjectsForPreschoolers:

Did you know you can blow bubbles with just a simple single serving water bottle? We played with 3 different variations using just water bottles and a dish soap/water solution. Sometimes preschoolers have a hard time blowing bubbles with traditional bubble wands. The wands can get slippery and difficult for little hands to hold and blow. Try using a water bottle to make bubbles and you can explore all kinds of sizes and bubble fun.

Making bubble solution:

Add about 1/4 water to 1 table spoon dish soap in a small container. Make sure the container has a flat bottom and is bigger in diameter than the water bottle you will be using. Mix together. Do not over mix, this could cause bubbles in the solution which makes it more difficult to use for blowing bubbles.

Making water bottle bubbles

water bottle bubble blowing 3 Water bottle bubble fun

blowing bubbles with a plastic bottle

Bottle Bubble Blowing Method 1

Dip the mouth opening of a standard plastic water bottle into the bubble solution. remove and squeeze bottle gently. The air from inside the water bottle will push through the top and soap creating a bubble. You can then blow the formed bubble off the top of the bottle. If you squeeze quickly enough, sometimes the bubbles will detach and float away.

water bottle bubble blowing Water bottle bubble fun

water bottle bubble blowing

Bottle Bubble blowing Method 2

Cut off the bottom of the water bottle, making sure the cut is clean and even. Dip cut end of bottle in bubble solution. Blow through the mouth of the bottle to create bubbles at the end of the bottle. This method of bubble blowing does not allow for bubbles to float/fly away, they usually pop off the end of the bottle.

water bottle bubble blowing 2 Water bottle bubble fun

more bubble blowing with a plastic bottle

Method 3

Cut a small hole at the bottom edge of the water bottle, this will become a mouthpiece for blowing bubbles. Dip the bottle mouth into the bubble solution and then blow through the hole you created.

We only tried these bubble blowing methods with a single serving sized water bottle. However, they should work with larger bottles such as 1 liter soda bottles, creating even bigger bubbles!

For more fun, decorate your water bottle bubble blower, personalizing it for your very own.

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Summer might be over, but nothing is funnier than a couple of videos of a face getting hit by a water balloon (or two)! Check these out:



From Mashable:

Summer may be over, but it’s always the season for water balloon fights. Especially when those water balloons don’t pop — and are captured in super slow-motion.

The crew at Smarter Every Day made this video over the weekend at an art festival in Alabama. Using a Vision Research Phantom camera, they managed to slow down the point of impact enough to calculate the frequency at which the target’s nose was vibrating.

And as an added bonus, what’s cooler than a water balloon to the face in slow-motion? Answer: Two water balloons to the face in slow-motion. They don’t pop, either.

pixel Water Balloon + Face + Slow Motion Camera = Art
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