The Lords Insurance Blog

Forget those heavily marketed-multiple-bladed razors and forget the electric razors. Shave like a real man by using the good ol wetshaving method.

Shaving is usually a dull and unfulfilling task but why does it have to be? Make it fulfilling, fun, forget razor burns ever again, and have the face of a baby’s butt.

So, what is wetshaving?
Wetshaving is a ‘traditional’ method of shaving. The kind that requires the funny looking shaving brush, single bladed razors, and the masculinity of a lion.

Why should I shave like I’m from the 40′s?
My favorite reason is that is reduces the risk of soreness, razor burns, and ingrown hairs that usually come with multi-bladed razors you see in most supermarkets. It also ends up being a lot cheaper in the long run since the blades last longer. Lastly, you’ll end up having a smoother and better looking face – your face will be as smooth as a baby’s butt.

Okay, so how should I start?
First, just know that you’ll probably have to spend $50-$100 if you want to nosedive straight into this.

If you have 15-20 minutes to spare, watch these videos about wetshaving – start with the ‘Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving”

In a nut-shell, you’ll get a closer shave, better feeling, and fulfilling shave by following the wetshaving method. I highly recommend you watch the videos linked above to become an expert in wetshaving in less than an hour. So here are  the following tools you’ll need:

Straight($15-$50+) or Safety Razor($20-$40+): What you pick is a matter of preference. Some prefer straight – some prefer safety.

Shaving Brush($15-$40+): You’ll need this to lather up your face – you can use your hands but you’ll never get the appropriate lather to put on your face. A good lather goes a long way.

Shaving Cream or Soap($5-$15) – The kind that isn’t pressurized in a can. Cream or soap depends on preference  but both are good.

Alum block/Styptic pencils($5-$15) – An alum block(or sometimes called Stypic pencil) stops any bleeding by constricting blood vessels and tightening pores.

Aftershave balm or lotion($5-$15+)  -  This will moisturize and replenish the skin. It is important to use aftershave that moisturizes because when you shave, you take off a thin layer of skin. You want to moisturize the newly exposed layer to ensure that your skin feels and looks great.

To find what products you should buy – I suggest looking through these forums : Badger & Blade or ShaveMyFace. You can also head straight over to Amazon, search for some product and sort by ratings and then look at reviews, look at the ‘Frequently Bought Together’ section, look at the ‘Customers who bought this item also bought’ section

As for the actual method, again – the videos will explain it better than I ever will.

To sum it all up : The wetshaving method is a traditional method of shaving that will reduce razor burns, irritation, and ingrown hairs while providing a fulfilling and baby-butt-feeling shave. Try it now!

So you want to get into shape and shed some pounds – well my recommendation is to hit the gym and start running but if time is an issue then there are always ways around it!

But first I would like to mention why physical activity – even in the office is a step towards a better life. Many office workers endure hours of inactivity and it can seriously hinder their fitness level. Let’s shine a light on the inactivity of people who work in an office:

• Sitting. They’re sitting on the bus/in their car to get to work (roughly 30min-1hr per day)
• More sitting. Now they’re sitting in their chair for the next 7-8+ hours.
• Avoiding walking. If they work in a tall building – they’ll take the elevator instead of walk.
• Free unhealthy foods. Office parties/meetings that include food usually include unhealthy foods and snacks such as pizza, cookies, sodas, and cakes.
• Too much snacking. Many people keep snacks and sugary drinks nearby. One or two may be okay but when it’s spread throughout the day, everyday of the work day, it gets a little extreme.
• Not eating. Some people skip out on lunch – thus puts your body into a starvation mode which retains more fat cells.
• Even more sitting. People who spend a lot of time on their computer at work may also spend a lot of time on the computer at home.

Taking all that into account – roughly half to 3/4 of  a person’s day is spent doing a lot of sitting. To stay fit and lose weight, one needs to keep their heart rate up.

So if getting a gym membership and running around your neighborhood is too time consuming then there are some small steps one can take to boost your fitness level:

• Bike/Walk/Run to work. If your commute is not that far, look into alternative ways to get to work. Just make sure to bring deodorant and extra clothes if you plan to get all sweaty before work.
• Take the stairs. If applicable, take the flight of stairs rather than taking an elevator – every bit of physical activity helps.
• Park far. Forget looking for a parking spot at work, just find the furthest spot and walk – it helps motivate you to actually walk further.
• Take a walk/jog during breaks. Sitting down for hours a day is not the most comfortable feeling in the world so stretch out those muscles every so often.
• Drink water. Constantly flush your system with water to stay healthy and hydrated. Avoid soda and juice.
• Eat healthy. Avoid those free pizza, donuts, and bagels and look into alternatives such as bringing your own meals to work. Instead of pizza – go grab a healthy protein filled sandwich instead.
• Do bodyweight exercises. Squats, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, dips, jumping jacks, & burpees. Just because you’re not at a gym doesn’t mean you can’t use the office to start some bodyweight exercises

If you really are dedicated to working out in the office, then do some research on office workouts. Youtube has a few videos on ‘office workouts‘.

Tsunami in Japan. 33 foot waves.

As of 1:29am pacific time, about three hours ago – Japan was struck with an 8.9 earthquake and a Tsunami has hit Japan. I am really at a lost for words – the surreal feeling watching a catastrophe as I sit in my chair makes me feel like I should be waking up from a horrible dream. As I type this, there have been 32 people confirmed dead and billions of dollars in property damage. My prayers and wishes go out to everybody involved.

For those of you who are just waking up, I recommend heading over to CNN to get a more detailed explanation but I will do my best to let everyone know what I know as of now:

• Around 10-11PM pacific time, Japan was struck with an 8.9 earthquake near the coast of Honshu. This is during rush hour Japan time, many people are stranded. (Link to USGS)
• Link to a live Stream of CNN’s coverage
• Live blog and video from BBC
• Frightening video of a newsroom in Japan during the earthquake.
• High quality photos of the earthquake and aftermath
• Considered 7th worst earthquake ever recorded
• Worst earthquake to happen in Japan in 140 years.
• 32 confirmed dead as of 3:35AM Pacific time – many are missing
• Waves are expected to hit Hawaii around 3AM and the Pacific coast around 8-9AM. Tsunami warnings are in place for California as well as well as the countries around Japan including Taiwan, Austrailia, and so on. Below is a photo of the wave’s travel time.
• Kurihara, Miyagi(population of 77,000) have been wiped out by the Tsunami. Here is Google Map view of the city.
• A website to help locate or let people know about the people in Japan.
• Video link of the Tsunami waves(33 feet high) swooping in.
• Photo of an oil refinery in Japan blowing up
• Video of the oil refinery in Japan blowing up
• Video of the tsunami hitting an airport.
• Red Cross’ donation link (Choose Disaster Relief)

Notice the cars on the bridge.

Click for big. A map of the Tsunami’s travel time. Waves are expected to hit Hawaii around 3AM and the Pacific coast around 8-9AM.

Click for big. A map of Japan’s Tsunami vulnerability.

Think about what life would be like if a machine that could predict how you would die. It simply gets a blood sample and spits out a card with the information on how you would die. For example, you could get “OLD AGE” and think you’ll die around the time you can get senior discounts – well, the machine has a sense of irony. OLD AGE could also mean a car running you over, driven by an elderly person – thus, ‘old age’.

Would you choose to know how you would die?

If you got “Car Accident”, would you try to avoid cars altogether? Although the irony of the machine will probably mean a cargo plane with cars will fall out into your log cabin in the middle of the woods.

So, hypothetical situations aside – Machine of Death is a collection of short stories written by over thirty different authors. The book definitely jogs some interesting ideas and questions about the human psyche. Could knowing your death completely change your entire life?  Would it change your job? What will insurance coverage be like? Would you even bother getting health insurance if you know your death would be from being eaten by a whale?

The book comes in different shades of mood – humor, drama, mystery, and almost everything to fit your likings.

You can read the free PDF version here.
Purchase the actual book here.
Listen to some chapters via podcast here.

What is a Kindle?
The Kindle, created by Amazon, is an e-reader that utilizes e-ink technology. In other words, it’s an electronic book that can hold up to 3000 books to fulfill all sorts of reading needs.

It has been about a month and a half now since I’ve owned my baby Kindle. This post will essentially be an advertisement and sales pitch for the Kindle but dammit - I love this thing! I admit that I was really a big fan of reading actual books since the feel has a certain charm and finesse to it but the Kindle has converted me into its own beautiful religion. The Kindle has made my life easier, smarter, and makes me feel better overall about everything – it’s a miracle drug.

The e-ink technology on the Kindle is amazing – it looks like actual paper from a book and does not produce any eye sores at all. Have you ever tried reading long period of times without any break? You won’t get that from the Kindle (which is why the iPad would not be a really good e-reader in comparison).

• Ambient brightness: Every time your eye switches from a bright screen (like LCD) to the dimmer ambient room, your eyes adjust which may result in fatigue. With E Ink, the page is the same brightness as everything else in the room so there’s no adjustment needed.
• No parallax: Parallax is the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer. Text on an E Ink screen does not appear to shift at different viewing angles.
• Less glare: All E Ink surfaces are treated to be matte like a printed page. Most LCDs are not, which creates glare and decreases legibility.
• Uniform contrast ratio: The contrast ratio of an LCD varies detectably with viewing angle. E Ink’s contrast is uniform, so you can read comfortably at any angle.
• No aperture ratio loss: LCDs have tiny black gaps between each pixel, but E Ink screens have 100% aperture ratio. The blacks and whites on an E Ink screen are uniform, improving image quality.From Amazon

Have you ever heard that it’s the small things that matter? Now, penis jokes aside – with the Kindle, every little thing about it makes it such an amazing piece of technology. It’s extremely light at 8.5oz, less than a normal paperback, can play music/audiobooks, has an early-stage web browser, one charge lasts a month, and it an extremely fun conversation piece. Also, it makes you look smart – girls dig that.

On top of all that beauty is the wifi or free & unlimited 3g support so you can browse on their web-browser or possibly

The only negative comment I have about the Kindle it has made me start reading multiple books at once so juggling all these books is getting hectic!

Still not convinced? Go to the Amazon page and read the reviews!