A Smart Guide to Friendships & English Tips From A Master Grammarian - SYSK Choice

We live in a culture that has a definite bias towards neatness. But it makes you wonder – is being neat objectively better than being messy? This episode begins by looking at the difference between neat and messy people and whether neatness is all it’s cracked up to be. Source: David H. Freeman author of A Perfect Mess (https://amzn.to/3X6IsnK) Think of how much money people spend on skin care – from soaps, creams, moisturizers, and all those other products at the skin care counter. Do they actually do anything? Are the ingredients safe? How do you know which ones to buy? Here to discuss this is dermatologist Dr. Fayne Frey who has been independently testing skin care products for many years. Listen as she reveals which products are absolutely, which ones are a waste of money and how to choose the best products for you? Dr. Frey is author of the book The Skincare Hoax (https://amzn.to/3UGFhkV) . Her website is https://www.fryface.com It seems people like to measure things. We measure everything in inches, pounds, ounces, miles, meters, grams and a million other ways. Measuring things helps us make sense of the world and everything in it. But where did all those different ways of measuring things come from? Here to explain the history and science of measurement is James Vincent, senior reporter for The Verge and author of a book called Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants (https://amzn.to/3V1LGaj). You may be able to spot if someone is lying by listening to how they tell a story.One interesting way to tell if someone is lying is to listen to how they tell a story. When people are making things up, they tend to weave the story differently than when someone is recalling a true story. Listen as I explain the difference. http://lifehacker.com/5959543/true-or-false-pay-attention-to-structure-to-tell-if-a-story-is-made-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many photographs have been taken worldwide in the history of photography? And how many just this year? These are a few of the fascinating facts that begin this episode that I know you’ll end up repeating at upcoming holiday parties that will make you sound so interesting! Source: John Mitchinson author of 1227 Quite Interesting Facts to Blow Your Socks Off (https://amzn.to/4fP4vaX). To hear it said, artificial intelligence is the greatest thing in the world or the beginning of the end of civilization. So, what’s the truth about AI? What can it do and what will it never do? That is what Arvind Narayanan is going to tell you, and he is someone to listen to. Arvind is a professor of computer science at Princeton University and director of its Center for Information Technology Policy. He was named one of Time magazine 100 most influential people in AI and he is co-author of the book k AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference (https://amzn.to/3Z9RBiv). What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving? No doubt you’ve heard stories about the first Thanksgiving but a lot of what we were told just isn’t true. In fact, many of the foods and traditions of Thanksgiving came much later. Here to set the record straight on that famous dinner held by the Pilgrims and native Americans is Leslie Landrigan. She has been writing about New England history for over 10 years – and she is author of the book the book Historic Thanksgiving Foods: And the People who Cooked Them, 1607 to 1955 (https://amzn.to/40NW23s) Anyone who owns a printer has wondered why the ink cartridges cost so much to replace. The answer is a bit complicated and kind of interesting. Listen as I explain https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/why-is-printer-ink-so-expensive-a2101590645/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe you’ve noticed that simply having friends has gotten expensive. Meeting for lunch, drinks after work, dinner at a restaurant can cost a lot! Interestingly, the cost of friendship is affecting the quality and quantity of friendships in a significant way. Listen as I explain. https://www.badcredit.org/studies/friendship-spending-statistics/ What are some of the traits, behaviors or practices that truly successful people do? That is a question that has been tackled by William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group. He conducted surveys and research into the behaviors of successful people – and they are things anyone can do. Listen as he reveals what you can do starting today to stand out in a crowd. He is author of the book Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest (https://amzn.to/3CD1MD5). The website he references is www.vanderindex.com What does the CIA do exactly? From watching movies and TV, it all looks very exciting, intriguing and dangerous. Is it really? You are about to find out as you listen to my guest David McCloskey. He is a former CIA analyst who wrote regularly for the President’s Daily Brief, delivered classified testimony to Congressional oversight committees, and briefed senior White House officials, ambassadors, military officials, and Arab royalty. He also worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East. David is the author of a book called The Seventh Floor (https://amzn.to/3CBqx2t) which is a novel – about spies. If you are intrigued by the world of spies, you, you should check it out. But first listen to our conversation. It’s fascinating.  Perhaps you have heard that chewing gum can improve your cognitive ability and help you do better on tests. Is it true? Sort of. It kinda depends on how you chew the gum. Listen and discover what I mean. https://www.livescience.com/17520-chewing-gum-test-performance.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sit up straight!” You’ve probably heard it since you were very young, and it turns out to be good advice. Your posture can affect your physical and mental health in ways you may not realize. This episode begins by revealing the importance of posture and how to instantly improve it. https://bit.ly/3NT6aQ5 The automobile has changed our world in so many ways. If it weren’t for the car we wouldn’t have roads, bridges, and tunnels and all the hotels and motels we stay at. So many things simply would not exist if it weren’t for the car. The car is also responsible for a lot of problems. Still, the story of how the car came to be and the people who built them is fascinating. Here to discuss it all is Bryan Appleyard author of the book The Car: The Rise and Fall of The Machine That Made The Modern World (https://amzn.to/3hfm0bp) Your unconscious mind is responsible for who you are – your personality and character lives in your unconscious mind. The way you experience the world, your mood, what you like or dislike all comes from your unconscious. It's a big deal. Joining me to explain how the unconscious mind works is psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Lieberman professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University and author of the book Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind (https://amzn.to/3ConESP) If you plan to get a flu shot, there is something you should do first. And it might take you a few days to do it. Listen as I explain. https://www.ajc.com/life/why-you-shouldnt-be-sleep-deprived-before-getting-a-flu-shot/ZZNNHFDYLJCYTOPPZBJBRMFSBE/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women apologize more than men. Why is that? This episode looks at the likely reason and it may surprise you. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797610384150 Marijuana has come a long way. A few decades ago, it was considered a very dangerous and illegal drug. Today, recreational use of marijuana is legal in a lot of places and smoking it is just not a big deal. While people have their beliefs about it, what does the science say? What is in marijuana? How has it changed? Is it dangerous or not? Here to tackle all those questions and more is Godfrey Pearlson. He is a psychiatric researcher, physician, and Yale neuroscience professor. He has authored a book on the subject called The Science of Weed: An Indispensable Guide to Cannabis (https://amzn.to/48IZJcF). You know that feeling you get when you know you know you are right and someone else is wrong? In some ways It is maddening but in other ways it feels very satisfying to feel right. Yet, it might also be a sign that you have fallen into the certainty trap. And that can be a problem. Joining me to explain the certainty trap and the dangers it presents is Ilana Redstone. She is a professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign and author of the book, The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More―and How We Can Judge Others Less (https://amzn.to/3YEBWGp). Your furnace and central air conditioner are pretty reliable and ask very little of you. But there is one thing those systems really need that a lot of people just don’t attend to. And it could be costing you money and putting strain on the equipment. Listen and I will explain. Source: Jeff May author of My House is Killing Me (https://amzn.to/40HBBoN). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you are on the phone in a noisy environment, you probably cover your other ear to hear the phone better. Bad idea. This episode reveals a better way to help you hear someone in that situation. https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3206007/strange-but-true-improve-clarity-of-phone-calls It’s hard to imagine life without the Internet today – still we have lost a lot of things to the Internet. Maps, handwritten letters, the big thick rolodex, even our solitude has disappeared and given way to the digital age. Listen as my guest Pamela Paul reveals many of the ways the Internet has changed our lives and how we spend our time – some good, some not so good. Pamela is editor of The New York Times Book Review, host of their Book Review podcast and author of the book, 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet (https://amzn.to/3ob6M7m). I am sure you have experienced some medical symptoms and then looked them up online to better understand and perhaps diagnose and treat whatever was wrong. After all there is a lot of helpful health information online that could be useful to you. However, HOW you use that information is really important according to cardiologist Dr. Kapil Parakh author of the book Searching for Health: The Smart Way to Find Information Online (https://amzn.to/3CORNVP). Listen as he offers some great strategies to help you better use the online resources to help you stay healthy. Your ability to remember someone’s name when you meet them can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. In other words, if you think you are good with names, you probably are. Your belief plus a few other simple strategies can make you much better at remembering names. Listen and I’ll tell you what they are. Source: Scott Hagwood author of Memory Power (https://amzn.to/3H8xBl3). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you shop for big ticket items like a house or car, it matters what day you choose to go – and probably for reasons you hadn’t thought of. This episode begins with the best and worst days to house hunt or car shop. https://www.weatherads.io/blog/how-weather-affects-consumer-behavior-and-purchase-decisions Clutter can really sneak up on you. First, it’s a drawer, then a spare closet, then the extra bedroom gets filled with all sorts of stuff. By then you have a house full of clutter that can be hard to manage. Joining me with some very simple and practical advice is Tracy McCubbin. Tracy is an organizing expert and author of the book Make Space for Happiness (https://amzn.to/3Um3Eny). Listen as she reveals the harm clutter can cause in your life and how to fix it.  Who doesn’t like pop culture? And if you do, you should know there is a lot of it on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. Joining me to discuss why pop culture is so popular and important is Kenneth Cohen, a research associate at the museum and editor of a book called Entertainment Nation: How Music, Television, Film, Sports, and Theater Shaped the United States (https://amzn.to/3DuRPnZ). You are invited as Kenneth takes us on a tour of some of the items in the collection including Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, TV Superman’s costume, Prince’s yellow cloud guitar, Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy shirt and more. Few of us are sticklers for proper etiquette most of the time, however, there is one etiquette rule that always has been and always will be true – and you should use it whenever you can. Listen as I reveal what it is. Source: Valerie Sokolosky, author of Do It Right (https://amzn.to/3zGHX9G). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you decide when to throw food out? If you go by the date printed on the package, you could be wasting a lot of money. Listen as this episode begins with an understanding of what those dates mean and when you can ignore them. https://www.greenvillebusinessmag.com/2024/02/01/478977/sell-by-use-by-best-by-food-experts-decipher-the-meaning-of-expiration-dates The real fascination with UFOs began with one incident in 1947. Ever since then, there have been endless sightings of objects flying in the sky and people wondering what they are and could they be alien spacecraft? The U.S. government is also very interested in UFOs and is constantly looking skyward to try and find and figure them out. So, what are the facts? What are UFOs? What is Area 51? Are we alone? Here with some thoughtful answers to these questions is Garrett Graff. He is a former editor for Politico, a contributor to Wired and CNN, and as an author was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. His latest book is titled UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There (https://amzn.to/3NNsmMd) Grace. It’s hard to define it in a person but you know when you see it. Generally, it is an admirable quality and most of us could probably use a bit more of it. Here to explain grace and tell some wonderful stories of grace in action is Julia s Baird. She is an Australian journalist, broadcaster, and author of the book Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything (https://amzn.to/4f54EqF). Do you know what to do – and not do if your dog gets into a fight with another dog? Dog owners often make matters worse because do the exact wrong thing. Listen as I reveal the best advice if you see your dog (or any dog) get into a dogfight. https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/how-break-dog-fight?page=all PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you know someone’s musical tastes, it can affect what you think of that person. It can even impact how attractive you find someone. I begin this episode with an explanation of the link between music and relationships. https://www.medindia.net/news/Music-Predicts-Sexual-Attraction-80223-1.htm You’ve likely never thought about this but – notebooks have changed the world. When people started writing things down in notebooks, diaries, ledgers and lists, it was astonishing what happened and continues to happen to this day. All you have to do is think for a moment what life would be like without notebooks and you get a glimpse of how important they are. Here to tell the story of the magical power of the humble notebook is Roland Allen. He is author of book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper (https://amzn.to/3NGd2B8). You have certainly heard the warnings about how too much screen time is bad for you. I suspect most of us wish we spent less time scrolling on our phone or surfing on our computer or tablet but that screen has become such an important part of daily life. And what exactly is the harm anyway? Here to discuss this is Dr. Richard Cytowic. He is a professor of neurology at George Washington University and author of the book Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload (https://amzn.to/4hsyVBp). Meaningless words can be very persuasive. And advertisers know that. For example, a shampoo can promise to make your hair 5x silkier – but what exactly does that mean? How do you measure your hair’s silkiness? And that’s just one example. Listen as I explain why this is important. Source: Charles Seife author of Proofiness (https://amzn.to/3NL55KY). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: Dell Technologies’ Early Holiday Savings event is live and if you’ve been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Tech enthusiasts love this sale because it’s all the newest hits plus all the greatest hits all on sale at once. Shop Now at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I can’t imagine anyone who wants to receive MORE emails. Most of us would prefer to get far fewer. That’s why this episode begins with some quick and effective ideas to reduce the number of emails flowing into your inbox every day. Source: Kaitlin Sherwood author of Overcome Email Overload (https://amzn.to/3RBsKNW) Having friends is important for a lot of reasons. Still, people today report having fewer friends than in the past while some people say they don’t have anyone they could call a real friend. Well, here with some help is Dr. Marisa Franco. She is a recognized expert on finding, making and keeping friends. Her work has appeared in Psychology Today, The New York Times and Scientific American. She is author of the book Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Make and Keep Friends (https://amzn.to/3RuMm60) Marisa’s website is : https://drmarisagfranco.com/ Even people who speak English have a lot of questions about it. For instance: Is it further or farther? Do you lay down or lie down? When do you use effect or affect? Here with some help and to explore other interesting quirks of our language is Ellen Jovin. She has studied twenty-five languages, and she is the author of the book, Rebel With A Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (https://amzn.to/3cKpzo9) Ellen’s website is: https://www.ellenjovin.com/ Here is an interesting little fact - overweight people tend to chew their food differently than people who are slim. Listen as I reveal how chewing food differently could help you lose weight. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chewing-more-helps-people-eat-less-study-says/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices