The Farthest You would Ever Have to Drive To Get To McDonald's in the US

If you can't find the next McDonald's, I'll find the next McDonald's. But it's vital to be with people who with looking for 'em, because they do exist. They are created.
~Jim Cramer

If you live in the United States (lower 48) the farthest you would ever have to drive to sate a Big Mac attack is 145 miles (only 107 if you can fly)! It is that far in only the most dire of locations i.e. in the middle of absolutely nowhere, where no one lives anyway.

Here is visualization of McDonald's locations in the lower 48:



The accompanying article: How Far Can You Get From McDonald's?

Note: I guess that is how they manage to sell billions of burgers.

Something else I learned:There are 10 McDonald's within 20 miles of my home. McDonald's Locator if you want to see how many are near you.

Mini-Meleon Chameleon: Brookesia micra, Tiny Reptiles

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.
~John Muir

The mini-meleon is the smallest chameleon in the world. 4 new species of the tiny reptile were discovered a couple of days ago on a small islet just off Madagascar. The species is named Brookesia micra.

Each of the 4 new lizard species are similar in appearance, and a genetic analysis was conducted to confirm that they were indeed four distinct species. The genetic differences between the species were described as "remarkable, " suggesting separation from each other occurred millions of years ago. Each of the species inhabit a mere few miles of territory. Scientists believe the small ranges of the species make them especially sensitive to habitat disturbance.

The mini-meleon is about 3 centimeters in length. That is about the extent of the information available at the moment. There are some adorable pictures:






Note: My kids are not the only ones that are going to want one of these!

Something else I learned: Trist is the French word for sad.

Turkey Does Not Make Us Sleepy: The L-tryptophan Myth

We should all get together and make a country in which everybody can eat turkey whenever he pleases.
~Harry S. Truman

There are high levels of L-tryptophanin turkey meat. High levels of L-tryptophanin are found in other poultry, cheese, yogurt, fish, and eggs too. There is more Tryptophan in chicken! For L-tryptophan to actually make you sleepy, it needs to be eaten with an empty stomach, with no other types of amino acids or protein. There is a lot of protein in turkey, and how often does anyone eat just turkey?



There is a sleep connection to turkey. The body uses tryptophan in a multi-step process to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps regulate sleep. Big meals can cause sleepiness especially if the meal includes a plethora of carbohydrates. Carbohydrate calories stimulate the release of insulin, which triggers the uptake of most amino acids from the blood into the muscles except for tryptophan.

With other amino acids out of the bloodstream, tryptophan can make its way to the brain to produce serotonin more easily. Without an insulin surge, tryptophan would compete with all the other amino acids as they make their way to the brain. And not enough tryptophan would make it to the brain because other basic amino acids are far more plentiful in food.

Note: I still plan to take a nap after Thanksgiving dinner.

Wednesday Bonus Post! Don't You Ever Interrupt Me While I'm Reading a Book

I love this video!

Is Your Doctor Lying To You? 1 in 10 Lie to Patients

A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.
~Frank Lloyd Wright

A recent survey says that 1 in 10 doctors have knowingly lied to a patient. The survey further reveals that 50% of doctors admitted to describing a patients prognosis in a more positive manner than warranted, 1/3 did not completely agree with disclosing medical errors, and 40% do not feel any obligation to disclose financial ties to drug or medical device companies. So even the 9 in 10 that don't lie may not be completely honest.

The survey respondents were not asked why they lied, or given a chance to explain the lies. Most of the articles I've read on this subject go on to guess about why doctors might lie to patients. The researches feel stated that dishonesty can make patients "less able to make health care decisions that reflect their values and goals."



Note: It is possible that the survey respondents were lying when they answered the survey questions.

Something else I learned: 400 shades of lipstick found to contain lead.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tools and Resources

Some resources I have found for use with SEO:

• Insights for Search
• Keyword Tool
• Webmaster Tools
• List of 50 SEO Resources
• My good friend Joe

I am trying to move a page up in search results, so have been trying to learn about optimization. Probably the most I've learned has been from the friend mentioned above - it is really helpful to have an expert to consult!

SAP: Systems, Applications and Products Enterprise Resource Planning

We shape our environments, then our environments shape us.
~Winston Churchill

The first thing I learned was that SAP is an acronym for Systems, Applications and Products (not swearing and pain as has been reported by some). I had to look this up myself online because either it is assumed that everyone knows what SAP stands for, or no one knows but they are afraid to ask because they think everyone assumes they know. We are getting SAP at work, and I attended the introductory training where no one told me what SAP stands for.  I will never use the software in my position, but I am glad I got a look at it.



Enterprise Resource Planning (which is what SAP is for) is a general set of plans and actions designed to manage important business practices. This usually covers accounting. There are other applications for most ERP software solutions.

Note: Enterprise Resource Management is ERM.

Something else I learned: SAP is a German Software company

Roast Duck For Dinner - Cooking Water Fowl

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.
~Douglas Adams

Today I cooked a duck. I have never done that before. It was not particularly difficult - basically I roasted it at 375° for about 2 hours (it was a five pound bird).  I put some lemon quarters, shallots and some thyme in the cavity and rubbed it with salt and pepper before putting it in the oven. I didn't want to get too fancy, because I wanted to be sure to get the flavor of the duck.


I prepared whipped sweet potatoes and exotic fruit salsa as sides. And some cornbread. All in all, it was a tasty foray into trying something new, but I don't feel compelled to rush out and buy more ducks to eat.

Note: Everyone said duck is very greasy. It is.