Timely nuggets of information and ideas we want to share with you.

Photo from The New York Times

French athletes use Parkour for their “Lights Off” operations:

I was in Paris recently and discovered what Parkour sport is, and how it’s being used currently throughout Paris to reduce light pollution and conserve energy.  Parkour sport occurs in urban settings and involves running, swinging, somersaulting, and vaulting within urban spaces.  There are ‘kill’ switches placed on the outside of most buildings in France to let emergency services turn off power in the event of a fire.  The athletes are supporting the Paris City Hall order that stores must turn off all signs and window displays in the middle of the night.  There has been little compliance or enforcement of the order.  The coming energy crisis this winter has created support from the French people to reduce wasteful energy use, and a number of Parkour groups are joining in the effort.

To see the athletes in action, watch this video.  It’s athletic and efficient!

Currently flying around the internet is a Cardi B video of the singer making her favorite dip. Check out her fingernails. I couldn’t resist trying it.  Here is a link to the video if you are a Cardi B fan, but beware of foul language!

Cardi B’s Dip Recipe

Equipment:

Countertop blender

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese

¾ cup sour cream

½ an avocado

2 oz of pickled jalapenos (more if you like really spicy food)

Juice of 1 lime

¼ bunch of fresh Cilantro

1 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chicken bouillon

Instructions:

Wash and pat dry and chop the cilantro including stems

Scoop avocado out from skin

Cut lime in half and squeeze juice out.

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend together.

I think it’s delicious and lovely to look at!

Have you come across drawers in your house stuffed with bags of old electronics and their accessories? We seem to be coming across them everywhere.  Here is how to get rid of them responsibly and relieve yourself of all that clutter.

If you just want to get rid of the stuff –

Best Buy offers free electronics recycling – just drop off your stuff at the nearest store.

Donate to the Salvation Army or other charitable organizations that accept old tech items.

If you want to sell the items –

You can sell old iPhones and iPads at Gazelle and Amazon’s Trade-in program.  They will ask a few questions before issuing you a prepaid shipping label.

Sell them yourself –

You can sell the items on Ebay – look up similar items on Ebay to get a sense of what you can ask, take photos, write a description of the item and post.

Note: Before you get rid of old phones, read this article from Fast Company on the four steps to take to clean your phone of all your information, ‘Find my…” settings and iCloud connection.  These steps should also be performed on tablets and computers.