Flashphone

Need to make a quick call to Gibraltar, or Iraq, or Uzbekistan, or basically anywhere else in the civilized world? Most people would ask you to pay for something like that... not Flashphone. This new Russian startup is offering free internet to phone calls to almost anywhere. The catch, you only get 3min per call and 3 calls a day. Sounds like just enough time to make that Islandic prank call you've been dreaming of. Here's the link...http://www.flashphone.ru/en/main
Have fun, or I guess I should say hafa gaman.
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2000 B.C. Temple Discovered in Peru

A temple built around 2000 B.C. was discovered in Peru and announced recently. It is located on the northern coast of Peru about 472 miles from Lima. Walter Alva director of the Royal Tombs of Sipan commented to Reuters saying, "what's surprising are the construction methods, the architectural design and most of all the existence of murals that could be the oldest in the Americans."

For you Mormons out there 2000 BC is around the time of the Brother of Jared. Hit this link for a very interesting read on the Jaredites in Peru.

Images from REUTERS/Ignacio Alva/Handout
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Learn to type faster!

How fast do you type? If you are like most people, It's probably not as fast as you would like. Well a great man spent his whole life working to make your typing faster by changing the layout of your keyboard. He proved his layout was far superior time time again, but he was basically ignored. This handy web comic will give you all the information you need to increase your typing speed and prove to the world that you are an open minded educated adapter!

Dvorak Web Comic

Switch to the Dvorak simplified keyboard layout today, save your fingers, save some time, save the world!

This article was typed using the Dvorak simplified keyboard layout. Try it for a week. You'll notice a huge difference.

Read more for more Dvorak resources

1. A great basic online typing tutor. It looks weird, but trust me it works.
2. A free downloadable typing tutor. Scroll to the bottom of the page for download link.
3. Java based online typing tutor A more in depth online tutor, but less user friendly.


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What are they: The Answer

So after another excursion into the hills of Hawaii, a sunburn, a belly and backpack full of fruit, and tons of scratches and scrapes on my calves and ankles I still had no answer.

Then today I was sitting around talking with a guy about my hike. He asked, "So did you see all the guava up there?" I replied, "Guava eh, are you sure that is what they are called?" Staring at me like I'm an idiot he says, "Yeah man, that's guava".

I sit there staring at him blankly thinking, naw I've seen guava before and it doesn't look anything like the stuff I've been eating. In fact I've guzzled my fair share of tasty guava nectar, and it doesn't taste like the stuff I've been chewing on. But, being the savvy traveler, I kept my mouth shut and ran off to wikipedia, as all savvy travelers should do when they aren't 100% sure about something. Turns out the Pilipino was right... Psidium guajava aka common guava or apple guava grows on shrubs all over the place. It is not native to Hawaii, and is actually considered a nasty pain in the neck. Here's a good picture!

Yeah, yeah I know guava is supposed to be red on the inside.. Well my friend we are in fact being misled by the fruit juice industry.. Here is the truth (from the always to be trusted and never to be questioned Wikipedia) "The fruit is edible, round to pear-shaped. It has a thin delicate rind, pale green to yellow at maturity in some species, pink to red in others, a creamy white or orange-salmon flesh with many small hard seeds, and a strong, characteristic aroma. It is rich in vitamins A, B, and C (a guava fruit contains more vitamin C than a typical citrus fruit – the rind contains over five times more vitamin C than an orange). It also contains high amounts of calcium – which is unusual in a fruit."

So there ya go, the answer is wild guava, and I don't care if it is considered a pest, or if some call it common. I call it délicieux.

Did you know that "Guava leaves are used for medicinal purposes, as a remedy for diarrhea!" Sweet.
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What are they?

So I went for a run up a hill and into the brush today in Hawaii. As I got near the top of the hill and far from the road I noticed bushes full of green and yellow fruits. I decided to take a closer look and noticed that native birds and small animals had had their fill of the tantalizing golden ones, but had wisely left the green ones to ripen. So I picked a few soft yellow globes from a nearby bush. Then after a few seconds of contemplation I daringly ripped one open and took a nibble. It was delicious, my mouth started jumping for joy. A few moments later, I noticed the clouds above me had taken on the most beautiful rosy pink hue. Suddenly, I was floating in the wind rising higher and higher until I felt on top of the world... hehe ok just kidding no pink clouds, or abnormal euphoric feelings were seen or felt. Yeah, too bad, huh.

Anyway, this tasty fruit is about the size of a golf ball with soft thin flesh and filled with 20-30 hard seeds that I can't break with my teeth. The fruit is kind of like a pomegranate with sweet juicy sacks surrounding each seed. The flesh of the fruit tastes kind of like a mango and the juicy sacks are just sweet goodness. I've eaten about 2.5 so far without any adverse effects, but I'd really like to eat them by the bushel full without reservation, so if you happen to know what these are please let me know. Thanks.. pictures attached (read more).

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