Affect v. Effect

Be honest, do you really know the difference between the two?  I called a writer friend of mine the other day, and he even had a hard time explaining the distinction.  So when I was surfing Divine Caroline and came across “Eleven Writing Mistakes Even Smart Writers Make,” I finally found a clear answer:

“Here is a rule to follow: use affect as a verb and effect as a noun. An affect (noun) is an artificial air that someone puts on. Do you pretend to have a British accent? That’s an affect. To affect something (verb) is to change it. An effect (noun) is the result of someone or something affecting something. To effect (verb) means to accomplish or make something happen.”