The Evolution of Music…

You might not think music is really a science. After all, it’s a bunch of sounds that have been calibrated into a collection of…

(84 notes)

It’s more like 120 notes when you think about the upper and lower limits of hearing. Yet, only thirty-six are used to produce most of the music we hear unless you happen to be…

(That’s Mariah, not Miley…)

But when it comes to how many different types of music we can make with just those few dozen notes, the answer is well, awesome.

Over two thousand five hundred!

If you don’t believe me, head on over to the website, Every Noise At Once to go through the list. You can even hear examples of each genre. Just be sure to give yourself lots and lots and lots of time…and do it AFTER you listen to this week’s SASScast, to which you can listen while you read: https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/evolving-rhythms

On this show, we focus on how these genres came to be. It turns out that there are two major reasons. One is societal evolution – or maybe revolution – and technology.

When it comes to the development of new music, there is no better expert than…

(Alan Cross)

He’s been the host of The Ongoing History of New Music for over twenty-five years and his anthology of how music and society have changed is a wonder to be had…and heard.

We first talk about technology and how the evolution over the last hundred years has allowed musicians to create new and sometimes unheard types of compositions. From the electric guitar to the synthesizer to the ability of having hundreds of tracks on a single song,  Alan gives us a glimpse into how those 2,500 genres have come to exist…including…

(How we listen to them…)

We then get into society and let me tell you, it was a great discussion. We’ve heard for some time that music has been the reason for changes in human culture. But is that true? Alan has been not just observing but has been involved in understanding the culture of different music genres. His insight is simply awesome. We get into some of the major players in music’s effect on society and learn about how one advancement in music lead to a unbelievable backlash from the community…

(The Waltz…)

In our SASS Class, we head into the realm of using music to improve your workout. Music is almost a given in any exercise routine these days but research has been trying to decide which may be the perfect playlist to maximize your effort. Which is why we reach out to Associate Professor Of Exercise Science And Sport Studies and the Director For Sport And Exercise Psychology at Springfield College in Massachusetts,

(Dr. Jasmin Hutchinson)

She has been looking at the effect of music on our ability to perform and her results have given us significant insight into what works best and what might not be so useful. You’ll learn quite a bit but I’ll give away one thing here…if you remember these…

(Anyone still have theirs?)

Then you were probably doing it right.

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. We’re filling our slate for the year and we have already taken several suggestions and put them on the grid. If you have a burning question for science, let me know and maybe it’ll end up being a theme for a future show.

Have a great week, enjoy some of that Valentine’s Day spirit, and as always, keep playin’ that SASS!

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WHAT IS LOVE?

When we first came up with the idea of the Super Awesome Science Show, one of the first topics suggested was whether love was real or just a collection of chemicals rushing through the brain.

As far as I was concerned, there was only one person who could give us the answer…

(Dr. Helen Fisher)

Since 1975, she has been changing our perception of love and has taken it from a subject of art and philosophy to one that includes biology, neuroscience, and psychology.

Because of the incredible amount of work she has done over the years, we devote the entire show to her. When you listen to it, you’ll appreciate why. You can find the show on your favorite podcast platform or you can listen to it now while you read. Just click here and scroll down.
https://curiouscast.ca/podcast/321/super-awesome-science-show-sass/

In the first segment of our interview, we learn about what sparked Dr. Fisher to venture into this subject, which for the record is probably just as complicated as immunology. We also dive into her book…

(A fascinating read…)

It was first released in 1994 but was reissued in 2016 after an almost complete rewrite. Thanks to Dr. Fisher’s work over the years and the advancement of technology capable of looking into the brain, our understanding of the biology of love has expanded exponentially. It’s encapsulated here in a way only she can offer.

We next get into how to find the right person for you. The term ‘chemistry’ has been used for ages to describe what happens when two people just seem to match. Now, Dr. Fisher has been able to prove that chemistry really is what happens. She has developed a means to understand how the chemicals circulating in your body and brain can give you a personality type. Dr. Fisher even has a way to measure it. It’s called…

(The Fisher Temperament Inventory)

You can read the paper yourself by clicking here.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0078734

If you would rather know what her test offers, she has been gracious enough to translate all of her findings into this much simpler table…

(What colours are you?)

Once you happen to know your colour, you can then figure out what kind of person you happen to be based on your chemistry…

(What is your mix?)

At this point, you might be able to improve your ability to find a match. You will even get to hear what I happen to be (hint, it kinda matches how I live my life…just DO)

Of course, if you want a much better explanation, you can pick up Dr. Fisher’s book on how matches happen…

(Again, another wonderful read)

For our SASS Class, we take a 180 degree turn and head away from love and straight into another aspect of love that many of us experience…

(Rejection…)

Dr. Fisher has gone deep into the brain to explore what happens when a relationship ends. The results are eye-opening and may give you some appreciation of why moving on after losing a love is so painful.

Thankfully, Dr. Fisher also provides us with some tips on how to get over the sadness. Although I won’t tell you here, what I can offer is this…you might be tempted to watch…

(And maybe partake in some pecaaaaan pie…)

But you might be better off being around your…

(You get the idea…)

This show was important for me as I have been wanting to talk with Dr. Fisher for years. This show gave me that opportunity. I want to thank every person who chooses to listen to this show and am grateful for those who have subscribed and listen in each week.

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. We’re starting to fill our slate for the year and we have already taken several suggestions and put them on the grid. If you have a burning question for science, let me know and maybe it’ll end up being a theme for a future show.

Have a great week, enjoy some of that Valentine’s Day spirit, and as always, keep showin’ your love for SASS.

 

It’s The LEGO Episode…

Imagine back to 1932 in Billund, Denmark, when Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a Danish carpenter, came up with the idea to make toys like…

(The original LEGO duck…)

and of course, the product you all probably know better…

(What a perfect design…)

Could you even conceive that this company, LEGO, which is a merger of the Danish phrase, Leg Godt, or play well, would become the international legend it is today? Probably not. Yet, despite all of its successes, the company has maintained its philosophy of providing healthy hours of development, imagination and creativity, all while playing.

On this week’s show, we are taking a look at what LEGO can do to improve education with some of the world leaders in this realm. You can find this episode at our home location, The Curiouscast website.

We get things started with one of the champions for LEGO as an educational resource…

(Dr. Chris Rogers)

By day, he is the Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts but by afternoon, he’s all about the LEGO with that University’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach. He has developed programs that span the educational realm – including teachers – giving everyone a chance to enjoy LEGO. You could almost say LEGO is in his…

(DNA…to scale by the way)

We next talk with one of the people helping to enable students to take part in LEGO based education. He’s been doing this for years in New Hampshire but his work has inspired people in countries as far away as Ghana. He’s the Executive Director for White Mountain Science Inc. (otherwise known as “Whimsy”) and is a true LEGO champion…

(William Church)

He has been going around the state putting together camps and even has his own mobile lab so he can take LEGO to you. The best part, no experience needed. All you have to do is have an open mind and you too may be able to put a project together that will amaze and inspire others…kinda like this…

(A legend indeed…)

In our SASS class, we learn how you can get involved in LEGO based educational activities with one of the most interesting people you’ll ever get to know…

(Barbara Bratzel)

She’s a science teacher by trade but she has also become a LEGOvangelist! She’s not only working to improve education using LEGO but she also wants everyone out there to learn how. You don’t have to meet her in person to make it happen either. All you need to do is…

(Pick up one of her books)

I had so much fun making this episode and I hope you all enjoy it. If you do, please head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts and give us a rating and maybe a kind review. We’re working on episodes for the year and I guarantee you are going to love every one of them.

Also, if you happen to be heading to the theatres this weekend, don’t forget to catch…

(The inspiration for this epsiode)

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. I’ve enjoyed virtually meeting some of you and am thankful you are liking the show. I hope maybe one day we’ll all get to know each other and collectively, show some SASS.

The SASS on Sharing Stress…

Have you ever found yourself having one of those days when everything seems to be going right and then out of nowhere, someone who is having a far worse day enters your realm and before you know it…

(You get the idea…)

Believe it or not, we can share stress with one another in a number of ways and on this episode, we learn a little more about how and why this happens and explore ways to reduce the chances of being “infected” with stress.

You can listen to the show on your favorite podcast platform or you can click here to listen to it right now: https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/stress – although the entire show is awesome, you’re going to want to listen to the first three and a half minutes.

Our first guest has been looking at why we tend to share another person’s stress, especially if we happen to be close to that individual. She is an ecological neuroscience professor at the University of Michigan…

(Dr. Stephanie Preston)

As you’ll find out, the cause may due to an emotion we all express although usually it’s not associated with stress…

(Empathy)

When you care about someone, you naturally attempt to feel what they are experiencing. If that person happens to be troubled, you begin to adopt those same sensations. It’s a fascinating and necessary part of our social biology.

Feeling for another person isn’t the only way we can share stress. As our next guest has revealed – in mice – we may be able to smell a person’s stress. He’s a professor at the University of Calgary and performs what he likes to call, stressynomics…

(Dr. Jaideep Bains)

His tests have revealed that mice exude a particular chemical that he calls an “alert pheromone.” In mice, it comes from the rear end but in humans, if it does exist, it most likely comes from…

(Even more reason to use deodorant perhaps…)

In our SASS class, we learn how stress is really like an infectious disease. Our guest teacher has been studying how emotions are contagious and depending on your mood, one or more people may end up being inoculated. He’s an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga…

(Dr. Loren Martin)

He’s done some incredible work on how stress is shared and most importantly how to keep yourself from being overly affected. Although I won’t give away the answer, what I will tell you is that this particular method will not work…

(But you already knew that, right?)

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Super Awesome Science Show and would love it if you shared it with your friends, family, and even strangers! Just tell them to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and pretty much every other platform.

Also, if you happen to have a podcast, can you head over to the Canadian Podcast Awards website and give our little show a boost by voting for us here…

(Link: https://awards.podcamptoronto.com/)

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. Your Emails have been awesome we’re already taking some of your suggestions and turning them into future episodes. I couldn’t be more grateful and truly am happy that you’re showin’ some SASS.

Beans and Genes…

This week on The Super Awesome Science Show, we tackle one of my favorite subjects…

(Joe, Java, Mud, etc)

But we take a very different look at this beloved beverage. Instead of focusing on how to make the perfect cup, we take a look at a factor that is of utmost importance even if it doesn’t get much attention…

(Genetics)

If you haven’t already subscribed to the SASScast on your favorite podcast platform, you can always listen to it here: https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/sass-ep9-coffee-rough-version-2

I’ve talked about coffee before in the media and on the blog in the context of health as it continues to be a hotly debated topic. Depending on which studies you might read, coffee may be the best thing for you or it could lead to an early death. There seems to be no consensus.

As this episode reveals, genetics may be the reason behind the lack of agreement. It has to do with minor changes in our DNA known as…

(Polymorphisms)

Our first guest is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University who is a polymorphism expert. Her name is…

(Dr. Marilyn Cornelis)

She’s been studying the links between our genes and the effect of coffee on a variety of different bodily functions. But the reason I wanted to talk to her was that she learned that small changes in our genetic code could lead us to find coffee well…

(You get the idea…)

It’s a fascinating discussion that will open your eyes to what your tongue is telling you and how that could relate to your health.

Another area of the coffee realm upon which people cannot agree is which coffee is best. There are dozens of different types from all over the world and each one has its own taste.

While climate and soil are important for a particular coffee’s taste, there is one contributor few discuss…

(Yeast…)

That’s right. Before your coffee bean reaches store shelves, it is fermented. I explain the process on the program and reveal that the yeasts used to give coffee its flavour are as diverse as the coffees themselves.

How this great diversity occurred is a rather fascinating tale that can be traced through history using genetics and my next guest has examined this with incredible depth. She’s an Investigator with the Pacific Northwest Research Institute and a yeast genetics expert. She is…

(Dr. Aimee Dudley)

Her account of what has happened to coffee over the generations as a result of her studies in yeast will captivate you as well as make you realize how much coffee has been a part of our civilization.

For our SASS Class, I wanted to take a look at how genetics may be useful in helping us to sustain our coffee addictions. Although you may not know it, coffee plants are in trouble as a result of a nasty enemy…

(Coffee Leaf Rust)

It’s a fungus that slowly destroys the plant making it difficult to produce fruit. The fungus has been causing serious damage in some regions of the world and may spread to affect regions you value the most. To discuss how genetics – and ecology – can help to stop the spread of this disease, I reached out to University of Michigan Professor…

(Dr. John Vandermeer)

He’s been studying the fungus and its impact on the coffee plant. We learn how bad it has gotten and how different strategies including genetics may offer some hope for a better future.

I hope you enjoy this caffeinated episode of the Super Awesome Science Show. If you do, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and pretty much every other platform.

Also, if you happen to have a podcast, can you head over to the Canadian Podcast Awards website and give our little show a boost by voting for us here…

(Link: https://awards.podcamptoronto.com/)

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. Your Emails have been awesome and I look forward to hearing from you about how you are showin’ some SASS.

Go Go Keto!

It’s been quite the week at the Super Awesome Science Show. We’ve been getting some good attention from the media and the podcast world. Also, if you happen to listen to this week’s show, you may notice something a little different…

(We call it…funding)

This is a huge step for us and we couldn’t be happier to have the ability to continue show the world some SASS.

This week, you’re in for a blast as we tackle one of the biggest health crazes out there…

(The Ketogenic Diet…)

You’ve probably heard of it over the last few years as being one of the most effective ways to lose weight and improve your health. The funny thing is, when it comes to this particular diet, they’re right!

In the first segment, I take you through some of the history of the ketogenic diet including why it was developed in the 1920s and how it went from obscurity to stardom in the 1990s. You’re going to want to listen because I take on a dream job if only for a minute…

(Infomercial announcer…)

All fun aside, we get right into what the keto diet happens to be and how following it can help your health with my good friend and amazing dietitian…

(Desiree Nielsen…)

She’s been one of Canada’s best diet advisers with books, a television show, and an incredibly useful website for anyone who wants to learn about nutrition. You can find it here…

https://desireerd.com/

She explains how the keto diet works and tells us what we need to know about one of the most important factors – fat. We even get into the raging debate of…

(Which oil is better?)

Although you may not have known it (but you will after you listen to the first segment), the keto diet was first used as a treatment for epilepsy. Our next guest feels it may have a use to help another major concern. He’s…

(Dr. Roger McIntyre)

He’s a researcher with the University Health Network in Toronto. His work has revealed that adhering to a keto diet may help balance many of the neurochemicals responsible for our…

(Mood…)

Although going keto to have a better outlook on life is not ready for prime time yet, Dr. McIntyre suggests with more time and studies, we may one day see a ketogenic styled nutrition plan to help us maintain a healthy mind.

Of course, most of us think of the ketogenic diet as a means to control our…

(You get the idea…)

You hear of all the weight you CAN lose but very few talk ketovangelists talk about how much you will ACTUALLY lose. In our SASS Class, you’re going to find that out with the help of…

(Adrienne Lindblad)

She’s a knowledge translator with the Canadian Family Physicians and she recently published a paper called, “Ketogenic diet for weight loss.” You will want to listen to this interview as it will make you think about whether keto really is right for you.

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Super Awesome Science Show. If you do, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

Also, if you happen to have a podcast, can you head over to the Canadian Podcast Awards website and give our little show a boost by voting for us here…

(Link: https://awards.podcamptoronto.com/)

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. Your Emails have been awesome and I look forward to hearing from you about how you are showin’ some SASS.

Finding The Best Way To Sleep…A Bedtime Story

Here’s a question for you. How well are you sleeping?

If you happen to be like many Canadians, it’s probably not like this…

(Although most of us wish it would be…)

On this week’s episode of the Super Awesome Science Show, we attempt to find out why a good night’s sleep can be hard to achieve. To listen along while you read, head on over to the SASS site and click the play button.

(https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/sleep)

Our first guest is an expert in sleep biology…

(Dr. Michael Antle…)

We take a fantastic exploration into the brain and how a small little piece known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (or SCN) is the regulator of the entire process. We also get into how our sleep patterns can be disturbed by various exposures in our daily lives.

But best of all, Dr. Antle also works in psychology and helps us to understand how we might be able to improve our ability to get that good night’s sleep. Without giving too much away, the answer may be less of this…

(Unless you’re in an Empire State of Mind…)

and more of this…

(It’s OMazing…)

Next, we learn of a possibly better way to get those forty winks. It’s officially known as bibliotherapy but we tend to call it…

(Bedtime Stories…)

It may be hard to believe but research has revealed that reading can help us get to sleep as well as if not better than some pills. You get to sleep faster and the quality of that sleep is better.

But there’s something even better than reading by yourself. It’s having someone read a story to you. And that’s where our next guest comes in…

(Kathryn Nicolai)

She is the host of a podcast called “Nothing Much Happens.” People tune in to her and listen to a bedtime story designed for adults. Her goal is to help you fall asleep to her podcast. Which is an interesting ambition considering most of us out in the podcast world are hoping not to see this…

(Remember those ear muffs?)

Speaking of sleeping children, our SASS Class happens to focus on of all things…

(Schools…)

Our guest teacher for the class has been studying the effects of sleep – or lack thereof on kid’s health including their ability to think and also their weight. She is…

(Dr. Genviève Gariépy)

As you’ll hear, her work has shown that the timing of the opening bell has a significant effect on kids. In essence, starting school later might actually be good for them. While you might think this isn’t a great idea, a story emerged recently that showed she is indeed right. You can read the study here: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/12/eaau6200.

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Super Awesome Science Show. If you do, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

Also, if you happen to have a podcast, can you head over to the Canadian Podcast Awards website and give our little show a boost by voting for us here…

(Link: https://awards.podcamptoronto.com/)

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. I’ve already heard from a number of people and their contributions are indeed awesome.

New Year’s Rehabilitation

Happy New Year!!!

Before we get into the show, I wanted to pass on some good news. The show has been nominated for Best Science and Medicine Podcast at the Canadian Podcast Awards!

We’ll have more details on this soon but for now let’s just say…

(I love this shot…)

Okay, so it’s 2019. The old year is gone and the new one brings promise of better times and for many, a healthier self thanks to those…

(Yeah, you know…)

Of course, it all sounds great at first. We’re definitely going to be better! But as many of us have realized in the past, the usual outcome after a few weeks, days and for some, hours is…

(Can you relate?)

This week on the SASS cast, we take a look at why resolutions fail. As the title of the episode implies, the resolutions we make could be better described with another word…

REHAB

Click above and you can listen to the show while you read along here. Or just click on the following link…

https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/sass-ep7-rehab-final-rough

When you think about it, resolutions are really about gaining self control. As we have learned for decades, this is not an easy proposition to make. We can control others but controlling ourselves can be nearly impossible.

It’s why we reached out to a person who has spent his whole life looking at the idea of personal behaviour in the context of consumerism. He is…

(Dr. Lalatendu Acharya)

I had a blast speaking with him on a variety of issues regarding resolutions and how we might be able to achieve them. Although I don’t want to give anything away, the answer to success may be to ensure we never act alone.

If you have known anyone who has gone through recovery from addiction, you’ll recognize how important that is. If not…then you need to watch…

(I love this show…)

Our next guest has another artistic perspective when it comes to why resolutions don’t work. But instead of a fun loving comedy on how to deal with the affliction of addiction, this one has to do with the hardships of…

(Hermione Granger…)

Yes, everybody’s favorite Harry Potter character suffers from a condition we all experience and it can get in the way of completing your New Year’s Resolutions. It’s known as Social Desirability Bias or SDB and it isn’t an easy phenomenon to understand. But thankfully, we have the perfect person to tell us all about it.

(Courtney Bir)

I honestly loved talking with Courtney as we had fantastic discussions on a variety of different topics including…

1. SDB as it relates to health policy.
2. SDB and New Year’s Resolutions.
3. Why no one likes Ron Weasley.
4. Can SDB happen on a deserted island?

For the record, I think it is possible thanks to…

(Wilson is more than just a volleyball…)

In our SASS Class, we learn about one of the most troubling obstacles to our ability to keep those weight loss resolutions. Making it worse is that it’s an important part of our everyday lives…

(The grocery store…)

Back in 2014, there was a study that revealed our habits when it comes to calories purchased tend not to go down after the Holidays even though we promise to eat less and lose weight. In many cases, the amount of calories goes up!

The person behind this very cold glass of realism is…

(Dr. Lizzy Pope…)

You simply have to listen to her discuss the article and how it applies to every one of us. It’s fascinating to learn about why we can’t seem to buy less and also how our social calendar never really affords us the opportunity to dial back on our eating habits.

We also get into another problem encountered at this time although it may not be considered such by everyone…

(We’re not talking about his diet…)

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Super Awesome Science Show. If you do, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. You could even make listening to the show a Resolution that is bound to be achieved.

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. I’ve already heard from a number of people and their contributions are indeed awesome.

The Smells of The Season

We are well into the Holiday Season and on this week’s special episode of the Super Awesome Science Show, we’re going to learn how one of our five senses can impact the celebrations.

(Smell…)

To hear the SASS cast, just click on the nose or, if you wish, here:
https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/sass-ep6-smells-final-rough

We all know about the sights and sounds but when you think about it, no Holiday celebration is complete without one or more of the traditional aromas gently wafting into our nostrils.

You probably know most of them simply by sight…

(Can you name them all?)

When you inhale their fragrance, you can be brought into a sense of calm, peace, and expectation of good tidings. How this happens is in a word…awesome.

We first get into the science of smell, known as olfaction, with an expert on the topic…

(Dr. Leslie Cameron)

She takes us through how we smell and how an odour impacts our brain. She also helps us to understand how we may be able to recognize a certain aroma and yet not be able to put a name to it. It’s more common thank you think. In a recent study, Dr. Cameron revealed the only smell that is instantly associated with a name happens to be…

(Who would have thought?)

While naming odours may not be our strong suit, we do have an apparently magical ability to pick up an aroma and be transported in memory to a previous time and place. To talk more about this, there is no one better than the “Smellosopher” herself…

(Dr. Ann-Sophie Barwich)

Dr. Barwich has spent much of her time examining how our brains decode odours in a philosophical way. She explains the concept of “autobiographical aromas” and how she herself can be taken to places and times simply through detecting a certain fragrance such as…

(Gluhwine…)

For the record, this particular scent brings me to European Christmas Markets and the joy of celebrating the Holidays with friends and loved ones abroad.

In our SASS class, we examine how the use of both recognition and memory can be used to help us to increase not just our levels of joy but also our…

(Holiday spending…)

To help us understand how smells can lead to more purchases, I speak with one of the researchers in this area…

(Dr. Jenny Lin)

She uses neuroscience to help marketers figure out how we interpret odours and how that may convince us to stay in a store and maybe spend a little more. Her research is a fascinating combination of two very different fields and a must listen to anyone who wants to figure out how to avoid the temptation to shop spurred on by following one’s nose.

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Super Awesome Science Show. If you do, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and tell everyone about the show during your Holiday celebrations.

If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. I’ve already heard from a number of people and their contributions are indeed awesome.