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Do It Yourself Vusion Can Save You A Lot Of Money
IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not affiliated with any of the things discussed in my article. I have no financial stake. I’m not promoting anything. I don’t have an ax to grind. I’m simply sharing what worked for me because I think others may benefit from my experience as I did.
Do you use Vusion? If you do, I’ve got some great news for you: you never have to pay Vusion’s ridiculously high price again, nor get a prescription to buy it. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about anything illegal, so you can continue to read without that concern.
Vusion is effective, so I’m not bad-mouthing it. What I have a problem with is how incredibly expensive it is considering it’s made from inexpensive Over-The-Counter ( OTC ) products, and the fact that you need a prescription to buy it. Even with coupons and insurance coverage, it’s still extremely expensive. I couldn’t afford it anymore so I had to find an alternative, and I found one.
So get ready to save a lot of money as I show you how to make your own Vusion from inexpensive OTC products.
Before we go further, let’s examine what’s in Vusion. It has three main ingredients (the rest are just “filler”). Those three ingredients are:
- miconazole
- zinc oxide
- petroleum jelly (also known as petrolatum or white petrolatum or by its brand name Vaseline. In this article we will refer to this ingredient as petrolatum).
What do those three things do?
- MICONAZOLE is an antifungal med that has been used for years in OTC anti-fungal products that treat things like athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch (in case you wanted to know, all three of those things are caused by a fungal infection called tinea [pronounced TIN-eee-uh]). Miconazole is extremely common, inexpensive, and can be found OTC pretty much anywhere. It is available in a variety of forms such as a cream or a spray-on. Just search for products used to treat athlete’s foot and you’ll find one that has miconazole.
- ZINC OXIDE is used in calamine lotion (which you’ve probably heard of) and many other products as an antibacterial and deodorizer. I’ll explain later where to look for it.
- PETROLATUM (aka petroleum jelly) is so common and has been around so long that pretty much everyone knows what it is and people usually refer to it by its brand name Vaseline. When used on chapped lips, it helps by sealing in the moisture to help with cracked, dried lips. Likewise with skin anywhere else on the body. Petrolatum can found pretty much anywhere as well.
So knowing what was in Vusion, I was able to find a combination of inexpensive OTC products that when used together achieve the exact same result as Vusion for a fraction of the price and without the need for a prescription. I’ll tell you how I do it and you can do the same thing as me or change it to whatever works best for you. You may use whatever products you choose as long as you make sure that you have those three key ingredients.
Here’s what I do: I bought Lotrimin, which is used for athlete’s foot (it contains miconazole, one of the three key ingredients we’re looking for). Next, I bought a product called “Triple Paste medicated ointment for diaper rash”, which comes in a little tub with a screw-on lid. This stuff is basically just petrolatum with zinc oxide in it (the other two key ingredients we’re looking for), and so this product allowed me to kill two birds with one stone because it has both.
So I only needed to buy two products, and both were inexpensive, OTC, and common enough to be found pretty much anywhere. With those products, whenever I had reason to use Vusion, I instead applied the Lotrimin (miconazole) and then applied the “Triple Paste medicated ointment for diaper rash” (zinc oxide and petrolatum). Same results! 
That’s how I did it. I hope that helps. Please feel free to leave feedback if you have any questions or comments.
How Has Apple Changed The World Of Technology?
When someone says “Pass me a Kleenex,” you know what they really mean is “Pass me a tissue.” But the brand Kleenex has been so successful that the word has become synonymous with the product. The tech company Apple has likewise left such an imprint with its ubiquitous iPod, which spawned the term “podcasting.” Most people now realize that a podcast doesn’t require an iPod, but the term has stuck. This is a testament to how Apple has left its mark on the world of technology, and even in popular culture.
Steve Jobs was the visionary behind the company Apple. His recent death was prominent in the news and it has prompted a look at the legacy that is Apple.
It’s clear that Apple has made such a dramatic impact on the world, but why is that? And are Apple products really as great as they’re hyped up to be? Or is it merely slick marketing?
As technology expert Leo Laporte explained, Apple was not the first to come up with their technologies; rather, they were the ones who took those technologies and made them mainstream. Edison and Ford didn’t invent the light-bulb and the automobile, respectively. Instead, they brought it to the masses and thus became the popularizers of their day. A quick look back at Apple’s history confirms this unmistakable pattern.
In the early days of computers, people used keyboard text commands to operate their computers. Apple brought personal computers into the average person’s home by having a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which consisted of windows that you could open, close, and manipulate with a mouse. It was such a success that Microsoft soon followed suit with its own “Windows” operating system.
Next came portable music players. Apple wasn’t the first one to make a portable music player that could store and play mp3s, but their product was so sleek and simple to use that suddenly iPods were everywhere and people who had never before heard of mp3s were now listening to them on their iPods.
When Apple introduced touch-screen capabilities to their devices, they weren’t the first ones to invent such technology. But again, they brought it to the masses. The pattern repeats itself with the iPhone storming its way into the smartphone market, and then the iPad setting the bar for the tablet market. By this point, Apple had changed our culture. Everywhere you look, you can see people using their mobile devices, and you can bet that a good portion of them are Apple devices.
There’s no denying that Apple’s been successful. But what is their secret? Are their products truly better than all the others? That is the never-ending debate amongst tech enthusiasts. When a student is shopping for a computer, smartphone, or other device, how are they supposed to decide whether they should by an Apple product or something else?
The truth of the matter is not black and white, but it can be simplified. Apple does indeed make high quality products. This is reflected in their high price tags. But their marketing campaign has been almost as equally impressive as their products. Through advertising, they have managed to convince many consumers that their product defines them and that buying an Apple product means the purchaser is stylish, creative, unique, ahead of the curve, and not bogged down by technical mumbo-jumbo: “it just works.” This marketing technique has been immensely effective. People identify their personalities with their Apple products.
However, the marketing is just that: marketing. While it is true that Apple makes good products, it is not true that they never break or that they break less than competing products. They certainly are stylish, but when it comes to getting the most for your money, Apple is not the place to turn. For those who can afford the higher prices and prefer the style of Apple products, there’s nothing wrong with them. But for a student on a budget, look elsewhere. An Apple computer can cost hundreds of dollars more than an equivalent computer of a different brand. And iPhones have serious competition from Android phones.
The bottom line is this: there is no doubt that Apple has revolutionized our modern tech culture. For those who have the extra money to spend and prefer the style of Apple products, they won’t be disappointed. However, for those looking to get the most “bang-for-the-buck” or don’t necessarily care for Apple styling, the competing products are just as good and cost a lot less.
Fun with the new Droid Bionic
I was a devoted BlackBerry user and the Droid Bionic converted me. That says a lot right there.
First of all, I am not paid to give praise to this device nor the carrier. I am
just a customer who is so happy with my new gadget that I feel like a
kid on Christmas and I wanted to share my experience with others.
When I decided to try out the Bionic, I knew I could return it within two weeks if I didn’t like it, so I had two weeks to decide if I wanted to keep the Bionic or return it and get a different phone.
There were many things I was worried about:
-I was worried that without a physical keyboard, I would not be able to type well on the touch screen keyboard.
-I was worried that with the new OS, I wouldn’t be able to configure and tweak everything to get it working exactly the way I like it.
-I was worried about it being too big to easily fit into my pocket.
-I was worried that the battery wouldn’t last me through the day.
-And I was worried that the 4G LTE (which is one of the Bionic’s selling points) would not be available in my area.
Every single worry that I had was blown away and I am 100% satisfied with my Droid Bionic. I could not be happier with my purchase:
-The touchscreen keyboard provides a tactile response with both vibration and sound which made it much easier for me to learn how to type on a touchscreen keyboard (if you don’t like the vibration and sound, you can turn them off). Within four days I was already proficient with the touchscreen keyboard.
-Android has matured a great deal since I last tried an Android phone (about two years ago) and now the settings have all the options I desire so I can configure and customize the phone to my exacting standards (some might call them obsessively exacting standards but that’s just the way I am).
-The Bionic is bigger than my previous BlackBerry, but when I slid the Bionic into my pocket (no “That’s what she said” jokes), it fit perfectly and I have so far never had a problem with the Bionic being too bulky in my pocket; I don’t even notice that it’s there.
-Regarding battery usage: these days, every single smartphone on the market that has a large high resolution display and 4G data capability is going to have to contend with massive energy consumption, there’s just no way around it with current battery technology. So when I compared the Droid Bionic to several of my friends’ smartphones (Android, iPhone, and even Windows Phone 7), the Bionic was slightly better. They were all very close and I think it comes down to how you use your phone. There are many battery-saving settings on the Bionic that you can customize till your heart’s content. So the bottom line is that considering what the Bionic is, it does not hog battery, and in fact with the right settings it can make the battery last for a very long time.
-I’ve tried all three of the US’s major carriers in the following order: AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Granted, different phones will produce different results, but when I got my Bionic on Verizon, I was blown away by the speed. It might have also been the Bionic’s hardware, but whenever I was in range of 4G LTE, the speed was blazing fast: better than any other in my experience. However, when I was with Sprint, the ONLY time I was in range of their 4G network was when I was at the airport, and that was for about 10 minutes. With my Bionic on Verizon’s 4G LTE, I was pleasantly surprised to be in range almost everywhere, including where I live which is a notorious “Dead Zone” for cell phone reception. (P.S. Of course I use the Bionic’s WiFi whenever possible because that’s just common sense).
I’m in love with my phone (I think I’ll marry it). But I feel obliged to find something wrong with it. However, this may be just me being too stupid to figure it out, but I can’t find a way to make a homescreen shortcut that toggles the “Data enabled” on/off. I’ve been able to do it with wifi, but I can’t figure it out for data. It may be a shortcoming of the phone, or it may be I just haven’t figured it out. If it’s the latter and anyone out there wants to enlighten me, please do so, and remember, “A Lannister always pays his debts.” P.S. Let’s assume I’m a Lannister
New: www.reddit.com/r/JOC
Alright all my internet hipsters, you are getting the opportunity to get in on the ground level of a very interesting new online forum, the Johnson O’Connor ‘subreddit,’ “a community for 17 hours.” Newer than Google + and way more underground, you too can have a story to tell as you make posts with an ironic signature and an avatar toting lense-less frames.
If I explain much more it would be way less cool, so I am just going to copy the first revision background. Come to think of it, I probably should not have told you how to get there.
Description:
To discuss the aptitude testing battery administered by the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation…
Cop at Government Center in Idiocracy
Are you a JOC?
Often, the most valuable part of your aptitude test is not the scores you receive or the careers suggested for you, but rather discussing your results with fellow JOCs.
Join the conversation.
This sub will gladly host a link to
- a job opening only for an ‘ideaphoria’ elite
- a flash game only beatable by those with the best ‘pitch discrimination’
- a thread decoding the aptitudes of Steves Jobs
- proof of the dating compatibility of ‘subjectives’ and ‘objectives’
If you post any of your results, make sure to remove any personal identifying information!
John[son O']Connor: The whole thing goes: The future’s not set. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
“They are ants, Michael, they ARE ants!”
In one episode of Family Guy, Bill Gates is flying through the air on a jetpack with Disney CEO and chairman Michael Eisner, who says “God, the people look like ants from up here”, to which Gates replies, “They are ants, Michael, they ARE ants!”
You may feel this way when listening to the following cast on public opinion surveys performed in the US.
Included:
Why is public opinion relevant?
Do Americans want free speech?
What is the median voter theory?
What makes war more popular?
Was giving women the vote a good thing?
Did propaganda make East Berliners more socialist?
What are 3 types of public spending that Americans always want more of?
What is 1 type of public spending that Americans always want less of?
Link:
Public Opinion for Libertarians
file:
Public Opinion for Libertarians.mp3
30 minute long lecture followed by about 20 minutes of questions.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Round Two; Hayek v Keynes
Yo yo yo yo! Dis yo boi JDM bringing da fly new track! Now the first single was so tight, you knew dey gonna be droppin’ it again right here y’all! Give it up for Hayyyyyy-eksplosive and K-k-k-k-iller Keynes!
Debate: Is There An Afterlife? With Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, David Wolpe, and Bradley Artson, moderated by Rob Eshman
On 2011-02-17 in Los Angeles, California, there was a debate entitled “Is There An Afterlife?” featuring such prominent figures as Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, David Wolpe, and Bradley Artson.
I attended this debate in person and it was very enjoyable. The topic of discussion may seem a bit silly, and in fact Sam Harris joked about this at the beginning of the debate saying, “I’ve been very worried about this, that all of you [in attendance] have given up a perfectly serviceable Tuesday evening only to hear the four of us tell you every which way that we have no idea what happens after death.” Despite this, it turned out to be very interesting. I found each of the panelists to be articulate, entertaining, concise, and witty. The only exception in my opinion was Artson, who was rambling, boring, and just kept droning on and on, talking in circles as well as going off on tangents rather than addressing the issues put forth to him by the others. It seemed to me Artson did not belong up there with the others who are the top dogs in their field and masters of their craft. But like I said, overall the event was great. The moderator Rob Eshman did an admirable job as well, and he wrote a good summary of the whole event which you can read here: http://www.jewishjournal.com/bloggish/item/hitchens_wolpe_harris_artsen_and_the_afterlife_excerpts_20110222/ In fact, if you watched the debate and didn’t know anything about Eshman, you would have a very difficult time determining which side of the issue he agreed with, and that is definitely the mark of a good debate moderator so I laud him for that.
At one point the conversation turned to the idea of dualism, the notion that the mind exists separately from the body and that a person is more than just the “sum of their parts.” Obviously this is closely tied in with the notion of an afterlife. One (or both) of the rabbis brought up the phenomenon of near-death experiences inducing a spiritual feeling in the person going through the experience, and used this as an argument for making their case for the existence of dualism. I was surprised and disappointed that Harris (who has a doctorate in neuroscience) did not refute this argument as many have done already. There is a growing body of evidence showing that the spiritual or religious feel of a near-death experience is a manifestation of biochemical processes going on in the brain. For example, researchers have been able to artificially induce this spiritual/religious feel of a near-death experience by stimulating the brain of a person in a certain way. There’s much more to be said about that topic but I will save it for another time; I merely brought it up to express my disappointment that Harris didn’t talk more about that, for whatever reason.
One other minor thing to note is that some of the audience was having trouble hearing Hitchens who had fairly recently undergone treatment for esophageal cancer (i.e. throat cancer). This was remedied when someone finally gave him a better microphone.
Feel free to watch the debate below. For the most part the entire discussion is fascinating and entertaining, regardless of your own personal beliefs on the issues. If you are interested in the topics of religion, death, afterlife, god, or a lack thereof, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the debate as much as I did.
Operation: Teach Myself Guitar
I love video games. Who doesn’t, right? Well, some people, but they’re not technically human anyways.
I recently purchased the Squier Stratocaster by Fender that acts as a controller for Rock Band 3. This is the world’s first real guitar/game controller. Unlike the previous plastic Rock Band/Guitar Hero guitars, this thing is an actual factual guitar that you can plug into an amp with and jam, as well as use as a game controller for Rock Band 3. The guitar has sensors built into the frets that sense where your fingers are pressing down, as well as which strings you are strumming with your strumming hand.
The reason I spent my hard earned cash on this art and science amalgam is that I wanted to teach myself guitar. I correctly assumed that I would be able to use the fact that I love video games to trick my brain into learning a difficult task. Rock Band 3 has so called Pro Guitar Tutorial mode which slowly weans you onto the instrument with increasingly difficult fingering exercises (hold the sex jokes, I’m not talking about summer camp). These exercises are made, like all good video games, to provide the perfect level of challenge and reward so you gradually improve your skill without becoming overly frustrated.
The ultimate goal is to be able to play the songs in the game on expert mode, which is exactly what one would play in order to play the real guitar part in that song! Pretty sweet! I’ve only been playing for a few weeks now, but I am already able to play most of the basic chords and I’m learning some advanced ones as well.
It has previously been discussed on this blog how video games can be used as a tool to teach us new things. This is just one example of how such an idea can be pulled off so well.
Educational deficiencies
Many people these days are aware of problems with schools. It’s an extremely complex issue with no easy answer. So I’m not proposing anything or trying to make any kind of grand sweeping generalization, or claiming I know how to fix the problems. But I want to share with you a personal example of a deficiency in my education (through no fault of my own).
I always paid attention in history class (or at the very least read all the assigned reading and did all the assigned work). So while I may not be a history whiz, I should at least know some of the basics, right?
Today I was on wikipedia reading about the Industrial Revolution. I’ve heard the term before, but we never covered it in school. Someone may have mentioned it in passing, but I really knew nothing about it until I started reading about it today. In the opening paragraph, it states “Economic historians are in agreement that the onset of the Industrial Revolution is the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals and plants.”
As I learned more about the Industrial Revolution, I began to see that this statement about the importance of the Industrial Revolution is not an exaggeration. Every single one of us lives the way we do because of what happened during the Industrial Revolution. I learned about economic growth. Mechanization. Worker exploitation. Labor unions. Collective bargaining. These things are huge. They matter, in a very direct and real sense. I’ve only skimmed the surface but now I at least have a foundation of knowledge about that subject. So many things in our every day lives are a direct result of global changes that took place during the Industrial Revolution, and having now learned the basics of it, I have a much better understanding of the world.
So what’s my point? Well, we’ve already talked about how we’re autodidacts. I just want to continue the conversation. There is so much to learn out there about the universe we live in. The more you learn, the more pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that comprises our reality fit into place. Let your curiosity guide you. And know that there’s always so much more to be learned. You just have to teach it to yourself. It’s empowering.
EDIT 2011-10-16: The following videos about the future of education and how it can be changed for the better are both inspiring and jarring:
Both videos are TED talks regarding the current state of and the future of the educational system. In the first video, Salman Kahn (of Kahn Academy fame) talks about how he has begun working with schools to revolutionize teaching. The second video, which is a bit more bleak, has Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame) talking about the consequences of the budget cuts to education as well as the possibilities for fixing the problems.
JayAaroBe
Johnteezey
Melays
MaximumSpazz
