Cookie Monster

“Before the Internet, Cookie Monster was the only way to get rid of cookies.” (comic.browserling.com)

A browser cookie is the term given to describe a type of message that is given to a web browser by a web server. The main purpose of a cookie is to identify users and possibly prepare customized web pages or to save site login information for you.

A web server has no memory so the hosted website you are visiting transfers a cookie file of the browser on your computer's hard disk so that the site can remember who you are and your preferences. This message exchange allows the web server to use this information to present you with customized cookie web pages.

To delete unwanted browser cookies, you can use Internet Explorer. Select Tools then choose Internet Options. On the general tab you will see a section titled Browser History. Click Settings then choose View Files. This will open up a Windows Explorer window that lists all your temporary Internet files, including your cookies. Each cookie will be identified by a site URL making it easy to determine which cookies you trust and want to keep and which you don't recall from visiting a Web site and would delete.

To change your cookie settings, simply to go back into Tools then choose Internet Options. On the Privacy tab you will see a slider bar which you can move to adjust the level at which your browser accepts cookies. Low for example blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and restricts third-party cookies that save information that can be used to contact you without your consent. Medium High will do the same but also block first-party cookies that save information about you. Other privacy options you can choose would be to accept all cookies or to block all cookies as well.

If you're using a browser other than Internet Explorer, you can visit the following cookie pages on each browser website to find out how to manage your cookies when using:

·        Firefox: Clear cookies and site data

·        Microsoft Edge: View and manage cookies

·        Opera: How to Manage cookies

·        Safari: Manage cookies and website data

Here are some types of browser cookies:

A First-Party Cookie is similar to a website’s long-term memory. They help sites to remember your information and settings when you revisit them in the future. Without these cookies, sites would not be able to remember your preferences such as menu settings, themes, language selection, and internal bookmarks between sessions. With first-party cookies, you can make those selections on your first visit and they will be consistent until the cookie expires.

Most persistent cookies expire after one or two years. If you do not visit the site within the expiration time frame, your browser will delete the cookie. You can also remove them manually. First-party cookies also play an important role in user authentication. If you were to disable them, you would need to re-enter your login credentials every time you visited a page.

A Flash Cookie is the most common type of super cookie. In case you’re not aware, a super cookie performs many of the same functions as a regular cookie, but they are more difficult to find and delete. In the case of Flash cookies, developers use the Flash plug in to hide cookies from your browser’s native cookie management tools. Flash cookies are available to all browsers. They can hold 100KB of data compared to an HTTP cookies’ mere 4KBb.

A Malicious Cookie is used to store and track your activity online. These are the bad cookies to watch for because they track you and your surfing habits to build a profile of your interests. Once that profile contains enough information there is a good chance that your information can be sold to an advertising company who then uses this profile information to target you with interest specific targeted advertisements online.

A Persistent Cookie is stored on your hard drive with an expiration date, or until you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies are used to collect identifying information about the user, such as Web surfing behavior or user preferences for a specific Web site. Persistent cookies are those stored permanently in your browser’s subfolder and become activated when you return to the site. On the downside, companies can use persistent cookies to track you. Unlike session cookies, they do record information about your browsing habits for the entire time that they are active.

A Secure Cookie can only be transmitted over an encrypted connection that typically is Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS). As long as the cookie’s “Secure” attribute is active, the user agent will not transmit the cookie over an unencrypted channel. Without the Secure flag, the cookie is sent in clear text and can be intercepted by unauthorized third-parties.

Even with the secure flag, developers should not use a cookie to store sensitive information. In practice, the flag only protects a cookie’s confidentiality. A network attacker could overwrite secure cookies from an insecure connection. This is especially true if a site has both an HTTP and HTTPS version.

A Session Cookie is stored in temporary memory and is not retained after the browser is closed. Session cookies do not collect information from your computer. They typically will store information in the form of a session identification that does not personally identify the user. It’s easiest to think of session cookies as a website’s short-term memory. They let sites recognize you as you move from page to page within their domain. Without the session cookies, you’d be treated as a new visitor every time you clicked on a new internal link.

A Third-Party Cookie is the bad guy. It is the reason that cookies have such a bad reputation among internet users. In the case of first-party cookies, a cookie’s domain will match the domain of the site you’re visiting. A third-party cookie originates from a different domain. Because it is not coming from the site you’re looking at, a third-party cookie is not providing any of the benefits of session cookies and first-party cookies. Instead, it has one sole focus, and that is to track you.

The tracking can take many forms; the cookies can learn about your browsing history, online behavior, demographics, spending habits, and more. Because of their ability to track, third-party cookies have become a favorite of advertising networks in a bid to drive up their sales and page views. Most browsers provide a straightforward way of blocking third-party cookies. Take the necessary steps in your browser of choice. Third party cookies are the ones that store information about your preferences for a particular website and they come from a website that you aren’t visiting. Their primary role is simply to send your information to advertisers for marketing purposes.

A Zombie Cookie is closely tied to a Flash cookie. A zombie cookie can instantly recreate itself if someone deletes it. The recreation is possible thanks to backups stored outside a browser’s regular cookie storage folder. The recreation relies on Quantcast technology. Because Flash cookie stores a unique user ID in Adobe Flash player’s storage bin, Quantcast can reapply it to a new HTTP cookie if the old one is removed.

“Tracking my cookies; you will never get my recipe Internet.” (ShutUpImTalking.com)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “10 Things You Should Know About Web Cookies” by Linkilaw

·        “HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol” by Webopedia

·        “Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS)” by Techopedia

·        “What are Cookies and What Do Cookies Do?” By Vangie Beal

·        "7 Types of Browser Cookies You Need to Know About” by Dan Price

 

Grateful

“I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself.”  (Oprah Winfrey)

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition that causes people to have a persistent obsession with a perceived flaw in physical appearance (e.g., hair, skin, nose, chest, or stomach). It is a case of where normal appearance concerns become an obsession and begin to interfere with a person’s life.  The condition affects almost as many men as women and generally first surfaces in adolescence.

People with BDD spend hours focused on what they think is wrong with their looks. Many times a day, they check, fix, cover up, or ask others about their looks. In reality, a perceived defect may be only a slight imperfection or something other people don’t particularly notice. Like other medical problems, BDD ranges from relatively mild cases to more severe. The most common symptoms that afflict individuals with BDD are described below:

·        Aesthetic sensitivity Individuals with BDD believe that their appearance is highly important. They confuse attractiveness with happiness (e.g., “I can only be happy if my appearance improves"). People with BDD feel worried, stressed, and anxious about their looks almost all the time.

·        Appearance comparison Individuals with BDD frequently and silently compare their specific body parts with those of others (e.g., a more attractive sibling), often concluding that they are less attractive. The comparisons are associated with more body dissatisfaction particularly if the comparison is made to target persons who are considered more attractive.

·        BDD by proxy They also excessively worry about other persons’ appearances (e.g., spouse, child, or sibling).

·        Excessive focus Individuals with BDD overfocus on tiny details of their appearance rather than the “big picture” of how they look. They act as if they are being stared through binoculars. The excessive self-focus prevents them to see other aspects of their appearance. With BDD, people find it hard to stop thinking about the parts of their looks they dislike. They focus on specific things — like a pimple on their skin, or the shape or looks of their nose, eyes, lips, ears, or hands.

·        Imagined ugliness Individuals with BDD are completely convinced that their appearance flaws are real, and they believe that they look ugly, or deformed in some way when in fact they do not. As a consequence of this belief, approximately 27 to 76.4 percent of individuals with BDD seek cosmetic solutions for their concerns, including surgical, dermatological, and dental procedures. These procedures are usually not beneficial.

·        Impulse control Patients with BDD exhibit poor impulse control (e.g., being unable to resist the urge to undertake cosmetic surgery to "correct" perceived flaws). With BDD, a person feels the strong need to check their looks over and over. For example, they check their looks in a mirror, ask others how they look, or "fix" their looks many times a day.

·        Intrusive thoughts Individuals with BDD experience intrusive thoughts and/or images. They think about their real or perceived flaws for hours each day. They feel powerless over them. And they don't believe people who tell them that they look fine. They view themselves in terms of their imperfect appearance and assume that others must be doing the same.

·        Safety-seeking behaviors When they are physically close to a person who is perceived as more attractive, BDD individuals are more likely to resort to a safety-seeking, protective behavior, such as camouflaging the perceived defect, avoiding eye contact, or escaping the situation.

·        Suffering in secret BDD is often described as a silent disorder. In fact, patients with BDD often are too embarrassed to reveal their concern to anyone, or to seek psychiatric treatment for their appearance concerns. They may be concerned that others might consider them vain.

·        They are making fun of how I look This bias is known as referential thinking. Referential thinking consists of a false belief that other people take special notice of the imagined defect (e.g., “I am convinced that person is staring at my fat body”). People with BDD don't see their body as it really is, or as others see it. The flaws they focus on are things that others can hardly notice. They feel convinced they look ugly even though it's not true.

·        Try not to be seen Some people with BDD feel so bad about their looks they don't want to be seen. They may stay home; keep to themselves; or use makeup, hats, or clothes to cover up. Some people with BDD avoid looking in mirrors because it is so stressful.

What causes BDD? There is still much to learn about the exact causes of BDD. But experts believe that these things play a role:

·        Brain differences Some areas of the brain look and work differently in people with BDD.

·        Genes BDD may be partly inherited. It tends to run in families. BDD is not caused by anything the person or their parent did. It is a mental health condition that needs treatment. BDD is not a person's fault.

·        Serotonin It is a normal and necessary chemical found in the brain. A low supply of serotonin helps explain why BDD happens.

BDD stems from a variety of emotional, physical, and psychological issues that can interfere with the quality of day to day life. You may find:

• Avoidance of mirrors
• Not allowing your picture to be taken
• Repeatedly combing your hair, shaving or engaging in other grooming activities
• Repeatedly touching, checking, or measuring the perceived flaw
• Wearing excessive makeup or growing a beard soles to cover up the flaw
• Wearing certain types of clothing, likes hats and scarves soles to cover up the flaw
• Overexercising
• Constantly changing your clothes
• Making multiple doctor visits, especially to dermatologists
• Undergoing multiple medical procedures (e.g., plastic surgeries) to try to eradicate or minimize the perceived flaw (minor or imagined) – usually resulting in unsatisfactory results
• Constantly thinking about your appearance
• Seeking reassurance by repeatedly asking others for their opinion of how you look, yet not believing them when they say you look good
• Compulsively skin picking, using fingernails or tweezer to remove unwanted hair or blemishes
• Avoiding social situations, leaving the house less often or only going out at night to try to camouflage your appearance in the darkness
• Keeping obsessions and compulsions secret for fear of social stigma
• Suffering from emotional problems, including depression, feelings of disgust, low self-esteem, and anxiety
• Believing that others take special notice of your perceived flaw

There are two ways combined together that help in treating BDD. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches patients to recognize irrational thoughts and change negative thinking patterns. CBT emphasizes the need to broaden the basis of self-worth to include factors other than appearance (e.g., talents, intelligence, and moral values).  Medicines that help serotonin work well are used to treat BDD. These are sometimes called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) [i]medicines.

A particular form of CBT, known as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), is often used to treat people with BDD. Exposure involves taking steps to confront situations that cause your irrational concerns. ERP teaches you to resist the urge to cover up that perceived flaw with makeup or clothing, how to stop seeking reassurance from others about your appearance, and how to decrease the amount of time you spend repeatedly checking your appearance.

“Body Dysmorphic Disorder affects 1.7% to 2.4% of the general population-about 1 in 50 people.” (Anxiety and Depression Association of America) [ii]

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[i] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved these SSRIs: Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), and Sertraline (Zoloft).

 

[ii] Sources used:

·         “10 Faulty Thoughts That Occur in Body Dysmorphic Disorder “by Shahram Heshmat

·        “Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)” by ADAA

·        “Body Dysmorphic Disorder” by Susan McQuillan

·        “Body Dysmorphic Disorder” Reviewed by: D'Arcy Lyness

 

·        “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)” by Mayo Clinic

 

1950

“Each time you toss out a 'singing' greeting card, you are disposing of more computing power than existed in the entire world before 1950.” (Paul Saffo)

A greeting card is an illustrated message that expresses, either seriously or humorously, affection, good will, gratitude, sympathy, or other sentiments. Greeting cards are usually sent by mail (or electronically) in observance of a special day or event and can be divided into two general classifications: seasonal and every day.

Modern greeting cards are usually of stiff paper or cardboard, but some are made of cloth, leather, celluloid, vellum, metal, wood, clay, or cork. Size is determined by common usage, the availability of suitable envelopes, ease of mailing, and the system of grading according to price and quality. The imprinted messages on cards may vary in length from a brief word or two to 100 words or more in prose or verse.

The history of greeting cards dates back to the ancient Chinese who exchanged messages of goodwill to celebrate a New Year, and to early Egyptians who used papyrus scrolls to send greetings. Key dates in greeting card history include:

·        1400’s: Europeans begin selling and exchanging handmade greeting cards including Valentine’s Day cards (1415)

·        1775: Members of the Second Continental Congress appoint a Postmaster General for the United Colonies, creating the U.S. Post Office Department (predecessor to the United States Postal Service, USPS) on July 26. The USPS is the second oldest federal agency in the U.S.

·        1800’s: Valentine’s cards become popular and affordable; the Penny Post debuts.

·        1840: Postage stamp is introduced.

·        1843: First known Christmas card is published in London when Sir Henry Cole hires artist John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card for his friends.

·        1849: Esther Howland becomes the first regular publisher of valentines in the U.S. and sells her first handmade Valentine. Howland establishes a successful publishing firm specializing in elaborately decorated cards.

·        1856: German immigrant Louis Prang opens a small lithographic business near Boston, and America’s greeting card industry begins. The Father of the American Christmas Card is recognized with its annual LOUIE Awards, the definitive competition of the greeting card and social expression industry.

·        1866: By this time, Prang perfected the color lithographic process, as shown in his reproductions of famous paintings, surpassing the quality produced by craftsmen in the U.S. and England.

·        1870s (early): Prang publishes deluxe editions of Christmas cards, sold mainly in England.

·        1875: Prang introduces the first complete line of Christmas cards in America.

·        1941: A small group of publishers, under the leadership of George Burkhardt of Burkhardt-Warner, established the Greeting Card Industry, predecessor of today’s Greeting Card Association.

·        1943: The Greeting Card Association cooperated with the Post Office, later to become USPS, on the first “Mail Early” Christmas campaign.

At big and small firms alike, card designers are tasked with spending their days finding fresh ways to communicate love, sympathy, or holiday cheer. Here is what it takes to stand out on the retail card racks.

IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS Thanks to Pinterest, Etsy, and a host of other creative commerce sites, there’s been a deluge of greeting card designs. What could be easier than a simple design and a little sentiment on paper? “It’s an easy point of entry because cards are cheap to produce. But they’re not often made by trained designers. People have a funny story that should be on a card. It might be funny, but is it universal? Maybe anyone can write a card. But can they write them five days a week for a decade?

RED ENVELOPES ARE CHANCY Greeting card companies’ worry a lot about colors. Bright, upbeat colors stand out. Browns, grays, black, and white don’t do as well. That thinking also applies to envelopes. Although some designers stay away from red because it's best to not use red since the post office has problems reading black ink on red envelopes.

THE REJECTION RATE IS HIGH Writers and designers at Hallmark are typically brought on group projects that are sorted according to holidays or themes, with a mandate to create anywhere from 100 to 150 cards for the occasion. Because standards are high, the vast majority of their ideas won’t make it into your hands. If you write humor, a 10 percent acceptance rate is considered high. Most ideas end up in the trash.

THEIR CARDS ARE SURPRISINGLY PERSONAL In the card business; writers are constantly angling to capture a “universal specific,” or a common theme that sounds personal despite having appeal across the board. One of the best ways to arrive at that sincerity is to imagine you’re writing a card for one specific person in your life. Starting with a real person and a real relationship gives you lots of little details to use.

THERE ARE RULES FOR THE TOP THIRD OF THE CARD Most card displays are front-facing, with only the upper third of the card exposed to shoppers. That means card designers need to try and capture your scanning eye with something that makes at least a little bit of sense even when it’s cut off from the rest of the pack.

You need to create a symbol, image, or word that immediately makes a person want to pick up the card from about a three to six-foot distance, which is often how far someone is when they scan cards. For example, if it is a love card, adding a heart to the top third is helpful. It immediately communicates to the person passing by what the topic of the card is.

THERE’S A REASON SOME CARDS ARE BLANK While major companies often insist on having words on both the inside and outside of cards. Customers like cards that are completely blank on the inside. It's consumer-driven in that it's more flexible for consumers to write their own personalized message. It's also partially due to the fact that our cards, and all other boutique cards, are sold packed in individual plastic sleeves, together with their envelope, in order to protect the product in the store. Having blank insides eliminates the need for customers to open the packaging and see what's written on the inside.”

THEY DON’T JUST WORK ON CARDS For a company like Hallmark, whose specialty stores carry a steady supply of gifts and novelties in addition to greeting cards, staff writers are expected to have their hand in a little bit of everything like t-shirts, mugs, posters, and songs. Anything with words is needed.

THEY DON’T LIKE TO USE HUMAN FACES Ever wonder why cards feature an abundance of adorable animals or decapitated bodies? It’s because photographed human faces may make cards less appealing. When people buy cards for someone, they have an idea of the person they are sending it to. Maybe they are older, younger, or a different ethnicity than the person on the card. The buyer is asking unconsciously, ‘Does this look like my friend?’ Unless the images are completely humorous or retro, you rarely see photos of faces on cards.

THEY LIKE TO SPY ON YOU To develop an ear for relatable dialogue; card writers often comb social media or eavesdrop on conversations in public settings to get a feel for what strikes a chord. Sometimes you’re out doing errands and something will stand out. Inspiration has struck while waiting for his car to get washed. One colleague likes to loiter in card shops to see which types of cards shoppers pick up.

 “I squirrel away sealed greeting cards that people give me so I can open them later when I'm having a bad day.” (Emily Procter) [i]

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[i] Sources used:

·     “12 Secrets of Greeting Card Designers” BY Jake Rossen

·        “Greeting card” By Michael Ray

·        “The History of Greeting Cards” by the Greeting Card Association

 

Love

“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.” (Frank Sinatra)

Wet Brain (Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome) is a progressive degeneration of brain matter due to chronic alcohol abuse and a Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. 1-2% of the general U.S. population suffers from wet brain. The syndrome is named after Carl Wernicke and Sergei Korsakoff. These doctors, working independent of one another, diagnosed two different stages of this condition in the late 1800s. Failure to diagnose this syndrome leads to death in 20 percent of cases, while brain damage occurs in 75 percent of cases.

Wet Brain is believed to happen in two stages of development.  First, Wernicke’s encephalopathy presents itself as mental confusion, staggering, and the paralysis of eye movements.  This is followed by Korsakoff’s psychosis, which is the loss of memory function in the brain. Alcoholics are often malnourished, and the reasons are two-fold. First, late-stage alcoholics typically maintain a poor diet by eating less than their body needs or by eating a diet of low-nutrient junk foods.

Secondly, chronic alcohol abuse affects your body’s ability to absorb thiamine, can deplete thiamine reserves in the liver, and can block an enzyme that helps activate the vitamin. Wet Brain is treated with thiamine and abstinence from alcohol while maintaining a nutritional diet that includes a regular intake of Vitamin B1. Over time there can be some improvements, but total recovery is very unlikely. Common Wet Brain symptoms can include:

·         Severe memory loss

·         An inability to form new memories

·         Confabulation, memory of events that never occurred

·         confusion, drowsiness and a paralysis of eye movements

·         ataxia, a staggering or irregular gait

·         Auditory and visual hallucinations

“A [drunken] man never tells a lie.” (Sayingspoint.com)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “What is Wet Brain and Delirium Tremens?” By Chris Clancy

·        “What is wet brain syndrome?” By Tim Wood

·        www.inspiremalibu.com/wet-brain-wernicke-korsakoff-syndrome/