I'm starting in this Thursday with nary a clue about what to explore. FYI.
Ah! Found something: Fake Scarcities. How Stuff Works has assembled a gallery of ten items whose supply has been altered to create more demand. Let's have a look at three of them here.
Mobile Data!? Who knew? Despite claims, watchdogs point out that only about 1/3 of the available spectrum is being used in the US. Even today. Even if you use a Hello Kitty cell phone. (They make 'em!!)
ERMAHGERD! The "Disney Vault" is just a myth! You know when you see those adverts that urge you to buy your Disney movies now, before they go "into the vault"? You may not be able to buy the movies from Disney for an undisclosed time period, but they're always available elsewhere.
Diamonds are on the list. The De Beers family is credited with creating a control on the supply of diamonds. Come to think of it, have you ever notice no store has a "no diamonds" sign posted out front? Nor have I!
Bonus
Awesome reuse/recycling idea: check out what these (Altoids) "Tinnovators" have done with those iconic metal boxes!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Notifiblog: Peeps Show and Off-Label Pharms (not in the same paragraph!)
First, we have our Peeps Show VII diorama winners! No promises you will or won't find anything that offends.
Today is the 15th anniversary of the FDA's approval of a little blue pill (spoiler alert: the topic is very medical; makes some blush) that was originally approved to study for heart issues. And the world has been a lot happier ever since then.
Off-label use of an FDA-approved drug is NOT illegal in the US. In short, this means a pharmaceutical company can market a drug only for whatever purpose the FDA approves it, but a doctor can review other non-marketing material and prescribe the drug to take advantage of any therapeutic side effects.
(straight from Wikipedia) Gabapentin, approved for treatment of seizures and postherpetic neuralgia in adults, has side-effects which are useful in treating bipolar disorder, essential tremor, hot flashes, migraine prophylaxis, neuropathic pain syndromes, phantom limb syndrome, and restless leg syndrome
A more familiar off-label use of a drug may be using aspirin for its antiplatelet effects on blood vessels, thus reducing occurence or severity of stroke and heart attack.
I think it's interesting when they go on a treasure hunt for gold, they find diamonds, too. In a metaphoric sense.
Bonus: Another t-shirt J2 needs reads, "When Life Gives You Mold, Make Penicillin"
Today is the 15th anniversary of the FDA's approval of a little blue pill (spoiler alert: the topic is very medical; makes some blush) that was originally approved to study for heart issues. And the world has been a lot happier ever since then.
Off-label use of an FDA-approved drug is NOT illegal in the US. In short, this means a pharmaceutical company can market a drug only for whatever purpose the FDA approves it, but a doctor can review other non-marketing material and prescribe the drug to take advantage of any therapeutic side effects.
(straight from Wikipedia) Gabapentin, approved for treatment of seizures and postherpetic neuralgia in adults, has side-effects which are useful in treating bipolar disorder, essential tremor, hot flashes, migraine prophylaxis, neuropathic pain syndromes, phantom limb syndrome, and restless leg syndrome
A more familiar off-label use of a drug may be using aspirin for its antiplatelet effects on blood vessels, thus reducing occurence or severity of stroke and heart attack.
I think it's interesting when they go on a treasure hunt for gold, they find diamonds, too. In a metaphoric sense.
Bonus: Another t-shirt J2 needs reads, "When Life Gives You Mold, Make Penicillin"
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Notifiblog: The Easter Bunny Approaches!
This Sunday, according to my ever-reliable Hello Kitty wall calendar, is Easter for the Western world. The Eastern Orthodox Easter falls this year on May 5th, so if you have to miss the Western one, the Eastern one is still available.
Have you ever wondered why Easter falls on a different day each year? Maybe that was just me. There's a complex formula, called Computus, which, according to its Wikipedia article seems to take into account solar and lunar events--and from the look of all those numbers and chicken scratches, I'm guessing that's where the bunnies come in. You can see 17 pages of the Computus Runicus, or the Runic Calendar from Gotland from 1328 here.
As you likely know, the Easter Bunny hops from house to house, rewarding well-behaved children with basket of candy and hidden, decorated hard-boiled eggs. At least that's how it worked when I was growing up. The idea of an egg-laying hare came from German immigrants. It wasn't Cadbury's idea. (Though those creme eggs are delish...)
Of course, no Easter is complete without some encounter with the nearly-indestructible Peeps. Every year, the Washington Post has a Peeps Diorama contest, called...wait for it....Peeps Show. This year's winners will be announced TOMORROW! At this link!
Keep on hoppin'!
Have you ever wondered why Easter falls on a different day each year? Maybe that was just me. There's a complex formula, called Computus, which, according to its Wikipedia article seems to take into account solar and lunar events--and from the look of all those numbers and chicken scratches, I'm guessing that's where the bunnies come in. You can see 17 pages of the Computus Runicus, or the Runic Calendar from Gotland from 1328 here.
As you likely know, the Easter Bunny hops from house to house, rewarding well-behaved children with basket of candy and hidden, decorated hard-boiled eggs. At least that's how it worked when I was growing up. The idea of an egg-laying hare came from German immigrants. It wasn't Cadbury's idea. (Though those creme eggs are delish...)
Of course, no Easter is complete without some encounter with the nearly-indestructible Peeps. Every year, the Washington Post has a Peeps Diorama contest, called...wait for it....Peeps Show. This year's winners will be announced TOMORROW! At this link!
Keep on hoppin'!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Notifiblog: Happy Waffle Day!
Sorry, if I'd known there even WAS a Waffle Day, I would have decorated my house and sent appropriate Waffle Day greeting cards. Today we celebrate yet another holiday that isn't listed on my Hello Kitty 2013 wall calendar. I hope you will deign to accept this humble post as marking the day with at least a modicum of its due respect.
A waffle is a batter- or dough-based cake. The word, "waffle" first appeared in the English language around 1725, but it had different spellings and pronunciations in other languages, going back possibly to the 12th Century, CE, from a Frankish root word.
Waffles don't get their happy little syrup-collecting divots by hand: hoorah for whoever invented the waffle iron! Are you surprised to learn I have a Hello Kitty waffle iron?
Ordinarily, I'd put in a good word for any place called Waffle House, but I have since learned that The Original Pancake House has its origins in Portland, Oregon! I will eat a hat-shaped waffle if Portland's Original Pancake House doesn't serve waffles.
Ha! They do serve waffles!
8601 S.W 24th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97219
503-246-9007
The Handsome One and I will have to go there and try to re-start our erstwhile J1 & J2's Breakfast Blog with this one! Cheers!
A waffle is a batter- or dough-based cake. The word, "waffle" first appeared in the English language around 1725, but it had different spellings and pronunciations in other languages, going back possibly to the 12th Century, CE, from a Frankish root word.
Waffles don't get their happy little syrup-collecting divots by hand: hoorah for whoever invented the waffle iron! Are you surprised to learn I have a Hello Kitty waffle iron?
Ordinarily, I'd put in a good word for any place called Waffle House, but I have since learned that The Original Pancake House has its origins in Portland, Oregon! I will eat a hat-shaped waffle if Portland's Original Pancake House doesn't serve waffles.
Ha! They do serve waffles!
8601 S.W 24th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97219
503-246-9007
The Handsome One and I will have to go there and try to re-start our erstwhile J1 & J2's Breakfast Blog with this one! Cheers!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday!
We change our clocks twice a year in most of our country (and some others, too). It's a good time to change your smoke detector batteries. But how does Daylight Saving Time work?
Benjamin Franklin probably wasn't the only person who observed that candle wax could be saved if we adjusted our collective schedule to perform our diurnal activities when there was more sunlight. He's just credited with the discovery because he's on the US$100 bill, and we Americans listen to anyone whose face is on our money. Still, adjusting the clocks makes a lot better sense than having someone set off a cannon every morning to wake people up, which was his prototype solution.
Our most recent rules of the Time Road were set by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005. But one important rule, especially if you have relatives in several areas of the country, is that changing time to Daylight Saving Time is not required. It's all about saving energy! I guess.
Fast-forward to 1907, when William Willett publishes a pamphlet called "The Waste of Daylight."
I'm out of time! Have a great day!
Benjamin Franklin probably wasn't the only person who observed that candle wax could be saved if we adjusted our collective schedule to perform our diurnal activities when there was more sunlight. He's just credited with the discovery because he's on the US$100 bill, and we Americans listen to anyone whose face is on our money. Still, adjusting the clocks makes a lot better sense than having someone set off a cannon every morning to wake people up, which was his prototype solution.
Our most recent rules of the Time Road were set by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005. But one important rule, especially if you have relatives in several areas of the country, is that changing time to Daylight Saving Time is not required. It's all about saving energy! I guess.
Fast-forward to 1907, when William Willett publishes a pamphlet called "The Waste of Daylight."
I'm out of time! Have a great day!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Notifiblog: Vernal Equinox
The lyrics by the inimitable math professor and musical humorist Tom Lehrer float in my mind today...
Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here. Life is skittles and life is beer. I think the loveliest time of the year Is the spring! I do - Don't you? 'Course you do. but there's one thing that makes spring complete for me and makes every Sunday a treat for me...
(SING IT WITH ME!)
...All the world seems in tune On a spring afternoon When we're poisoning pigeons in the park ...
Of course, one can't stop at that charming ditty! One or two choruses of The Elements (to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance) seem in order, too.
And, while we're singing into Spring, why not visit Tom Lehrer's New Math, which is built around subtracting 173 from 342 in decimal and octal. The tagline of the song is, "It's so simple, so very simple, that only a child can do it."
There are more...but some of them verge on NSFW. Maybe you've heard that tango piece?
Happy Spring! I'm headed to a park...
(SING IT WITH ME!)
Of course, one can't stop at that charming ditty! One or two choruses of The Elements (to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance) seem in order, too.
And, while we're singing into Spring, why not visit Tom Lehrer's New Math, which is built around subtracting 173 from 342 in decimal and octal. The tagline of the song is, "It's so simple, so very simple, that only a child can do it."
There are more...but some of them verge on NSFW. Maybe you've heard that tango piece?
Happy Spring! I'm headed to a park...
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Notifiblog: Cringeworthy or Terribly Funny?
There are some commonly misused items of English that make me cringe. Physically and emotionally. No one's perfect, but I do strive to eliminate apostrophe abuse, use of "utilize" when "use" will do, and that favorite of people who are terrified of the word "me": the unnecessary reflexive.
But some constructions, especially when paired with snarky comments, leave me rolling on the floor laughing. Figuratively, ROTFL, actually.
The Gallery of Misused Quotation Marks has left me with tears streaming down my face. There is now a "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks, I see! The fun continues! Not to mention a book!
It's only natural: misusing quotation marks leads to apostrophe abuse. It's such a simple rule: never use an apostrophe to pluralize anything, even if that anything ends in a vowel.
And then there's "me." The mighty little objective cousin of "I" that terrifies people so much, they think must be avoided in polite company. It physically HURTS me when someone says, "Please contact myself about this issue." Look, Bud, I can talk to myself; you can talk to yourself; it's physically impossible to for you to talk to myself.
Ah, English, you are a complicated friend.
But some constructions, especially when paired with snarky comments, leave me rolling on the floor laughing. Figuratively, ROTFL, actually.
The Gallery of Misused Quotation Marks has left me with tears streaming down my face. There is now a "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks, I see! The fun continues! Not to mention a book!
It's only natural: misusing quotation marks leads to apostrophe abuse. It's such a simple rule: never use an apostrophe to pluralize anything, even if that anything ends in a vowel.
And then there's "me." The mighty little objective cousin of "I" that terrifies people so much, they think must be avoided in polite company. It physically HURTS me when someone says, "Please contact myself about this issue." Look, Bud, I can talk to myself; you can talk to yourself; it's physically impossible to for you to talk to myself.
Ah, English, you are a complicated friend.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Notifiblog: Today's Topic is Delayed. No really, it is!
Delays can be annoying. Some delays can be actually not so bad. Broadcast delays are actually legally required for censorship purposes.
The seven-second broadcast delay, introduced by station WKAP in Allentown, PA, was a technically creative workaround to a law prohibiting the broadcast of a live telephone conversation. Because the delay involved using tape that was played back on a seven-second delay, technically their "Open Mic" show did not broadcast technically live conversations.
John Nebel pioneered the first radio talk show in 1954. He's the one we can blame.
Although we've come to associate the phrase "talk show" with politically charged or laughably (?) dodgy content, some of the most famous and intellectually-stimulating interviews have been done on television talk shows. For the record, Meet the Press is the longest-running show on American television, and it's a talk show.
The seven-second broadcast delay, introduced by station WKAP in Allentown, PA, was a technically creative workaround to a law prohibiting the broadcast of a live telephone conversation. Because the delay involved using tape that was played back on a seven-second delay, technically their "Open Mic" show did not broadcast technically live conversations.
John Nebel pioneered the first radio talk show in 1954. He's the one we can blame.
Although we've come to associate the phrase "talk show" with politically charged or laughably (?) dodgy content, some of the most famous and intellectually-stimulating interviews have been done on television talk shows. For the record, Meet the Press is the longest-running show on American television, and it's a talk show.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday!
First, happy "Pi Day"! (In my part of the world, today's date is written "3/14"...3.14... Just you wait 'til STAR WARS DAY!
Today, let's look at a few 1970s fads!
Mood rings just scream, "You want to learn how we work!" In a quietish way, of course. They're back--The Handsome One bought one for me (with my name emblazoned on it!) at the (famous?) Toy Room shop in Bandon, Oregon. I wear it every day. And wash the black stuff off my finger every night. (When I think of it, I put clear nail polish inside to avoid the black marks.)
CB (Citizens' Band) radios were all the rage! Way before yappin' away there on your cell phone was even possible, people were putting CB radios in their cars and trying to mimic the slang shared previously only amongst truckers. How the antennae for CB radios work is ...learnable.
Pet rocks were so attractive to a ten-year-old kid who was growing up in an apartment in Southeast Portland. However, I was more of a Rock-rights activist, capturing and caring for feral rocks as opposed to obtaining them from disreputable rock mills. Why am I including this in a How Stuff Works Thursday post? I don't know, either...but I loved the idea of a Pet Rock. Think of all the unconditional love a Pet Rock can provide.
Maybe later we can explore good names for Pet Rocks.
Today, let's look at a few 1970s fads!
Mood rings just scream, "You want to learn how we work!" In a quietish way, of course. They're back--The Handsome One bought one for me (with my name emblazoned on it!) at the (famous?) Toy Room shop in Bandon, Oregon. I wear it every day. And wash the black stuff off my finger every night. (When I think of it, I put clear nail polish inside to avoid the black marks.)
CB (Citizens' Band) radios were all the rage! Way before yappin' away there on your cell phone was even possible, people were putting CB radios in their cars and trying to mimic the slang shared previously only amongst truckers. How the antennae for CB radios work is ...learnable.
Pet rocks were so attractive to a ten-year-old kid who was growing up in an apartment in Southeast Portland. However, I was more of a Rock-rights activist, capturing and caring for feral rocks as opposed to obtaining them from disreputable rock mills. Why am I including this in a How Stuff Works Thursday post? I don't know, either...but I loved the idea of a Pet Rock. Think of all the unconditional love a Pet Rock can provide.
Maybe later we can explore good names for Pet Rocks.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Notifiblog: Soapy Clean!
Sorry for the absence: I was heads down on a WORK assignment! (Insert happy dance here.)
Today's topic has been waiting in the back of my mind for several days now: Soap! We love it, we hate it, we're allergic to it, but in our world we need it.
Soap is defined nicely in the Wikipedia article I've linked here. But I have my favorite individual soaps. It's my blog...
It's not cheap ($6 at Fred Meyer), but my current favorite is an overly scented soap aimed at a male audience: "Dusk" by Herban Cowboy. Ha! Men use it so others will find them attractive. The Handsome One figured out how to eliminate the middle-man: he gave me a bar of my own for Christmas! It smells soooooooo nice! Of course, I gave him a bar, too. My mama didn't raise NO fools! Oh, the bar is really black. Looks very attractive in a white shower.
I have no idea who really makes the popular Chinese export, Bee & Flower soaps, but I love the jasmine scented one. It's usually under $1, and because we are on the Pacific Rim, we don't have to go to specialty Asian stores to find it.
I do plan to return for another visit to England. At least one more time. And when I do, I'm sending myself a CASE of Sainsbury's "Calm" shower creme. I came to associate the scent with Adventure when I actually set foot on England in 1999. Happy memories. And the soap is so dastardly cheap--it's the grocery chain's house brand! But I love it, and that's what counts, eh!
Today's topic has been waiting in the back of my mind for several days now: Soap! We love it, we hate it, we're allergic to it, but in our world we need it.
Soap is defined nicely in the Wikipedia article I've linked here. But I have my favorite individual soaps. It's my blog...
It's not cheap ($6 at Fred Meyer), but my current favorite is an overly scented soap aimed at a male audience: "Dusk" by Herban Cowboy. Ha! Men use it so others will find them attractive. The Handsome One figured out how to eliminate the middle-man: he gave me a bar of my own for Christmas! It smells soooooooo nice! Of course, I gave him a bar, too. My mama didn't raise NO fools! Oh, the bar is really black. Looks very attractive in a white shower.
I have no idea who really makes the popular Chinese export, Bee & Flower soaps, but I love the jasmine scented one. It's usually under $1, and because we are on the Pacific Rim, we don't have to go to specialty Asian stores to find it.
I do plan to return for another visit to England. At least one more time. And when I do, I'm sending myself a CASE of Sainsbury's "Calm" shower creme. I came to associate the scent with Adventure when I actually set foot on England in 1999. Happy memories. And the soap is so dastardly cheap--it's the grocery chain's house brand! But I love it, and that's what counts, eh!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Notifiblog: So Long, Stompin' Tom Connors
Usually, Thursday is How Stuff Works day, but today I saw some sad news on the crawler at the bottom of the Good Morning America screen. Canada--and the world--has lost a great Canadian singer: Stompin' Tom Connors has gone to that Great Hockey Arena in the Sky.
In 1972, Stompin' Tom wrote and began performing "The Hockey Song," which is just about the only song of his heard outside of Canada. The song is divided into three verses, each representing a period of hockey. He was known to use the home team's name as the game winner when he toured.
Tom got his nickname for the rythmic stomping of his left boot while he played his guitar and sang. After he received numerous complaints about damaged stage floors, he began brining his own plywood "stompin' boards." So great was Canada's love for him, he was able to auction off several of these boards for charitable causes. Of course, each one had a hole stomped straight through.
Sadly, this leaves us only with the wildly-suited blowhard, Don Cherry as a (gulp) recognized-by-Americans representative of Canada. Having listened to Don do more than his fair share of commentary on hockey and anything else he blurts out, this is, indeed, a sad day for Canada. He famously (?) complained that Alexander Ovechkin's hockey goal celebratory one-footed skate was "not the Canadian way." DUH! AO is RUSSIAN.
If you dare, click here for the funniest (and probably most offensive) 45 seconds of Don Cherry. (SFW...though I can't speak for the comments.) Hint: The Handsome One and I still get the giggles when we say, "...yappin' away there..."
Ah well, please remember:
The good ol' hockey game,
is the best game you can name,
And the best game you can name,
Is the good ol' hockey game.
RIP, eh.
In 1972, Stompin' Tom wrote and began performing "The Hockey Song," which is just about the only song of his heard outside of Canada. The song is divided into three verses, each representing a period of hockey. He was known to use the home team's name as the game winner when he toured.
Tom got his nickname for the rythmic stomping of his left boot while he played his guitar and sang. After he received numerous complaints about damaged stage floors, he began brining his own plywood "stompin' boards." So great was Canada's love for him, he was able to auction off several of these boards for charitable causes. Of course, each one had a hole stomped straight through.
Sadly, this leaves us only with the wildly-suited blowhard, Don Cherry as a (gulp) recognized-by-Americans representative of Canada. Having listened to Don do more than his fair share of commentary on hockey and anything else he blurts out, this is, indeed, a sad day for Canada. He famously (?) complained that Alexander Ovechkin's hockey goal celebratory one-footed skate was "not the Canadian way." DUH! AO is RUSSIAN.
If you dare, click here for the funniest (and probably most offensive) 45 seconds of Don Cherry. (SFW...though I can't speak for the comments.) Hint: The Handsome One and I still get the giggles when we say, "...yappin' away there..."
Ah well, please remember:
The good ol' hockey game,
is the best game you can name,
And the best game you can name,
Is the good ol' hockey game.
RIP, eh.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Notifiblog: Stuff That Glows in the Dark
I've always been fascinated with anything that is labeled "glow-in-the-dark." I have (somewhere) glow-in-the-dark nail polish. I've folded origami modles using glow-in-the-dark paper. (Yes! Someone has made that!)
Let's have a look at chemiluminescent products today!
Glow-in-the-dark nail polish (or nail varnish, if you prefer) is available cheaply around Hallowe'en. You do get what you pay for, of course.
The coolest origami models are folded from glow-in-the dark origami paper. My favorite models to make with this type of paper are tiny origami crane earrings (the paper starts at 1" x 1") and kusudama (modular ball origami). If you're interested, Tomoko Fuse is the QUEEN of modular origami designs. I should attempt a glow-in-the-dark senbazuru someday!
Finally, one of my all-time favorite glow-in-the-dark products is glow-in-the-dark GLITTER!!! I'm such a sucker for those little bottles of joy you don't have to be 21 to buy.
Let's have a look at chemiluminescent products today!
Glow-in-the-dark nail polish (or nail varnish, if you prefer) is available cheaply around Hallowe'en. You do get what you pay for, of course.
The coolest origami models are folded from glow-in-the dark origami paper. My favorite models to make with this type of paper are tiny origami crane earrings (the paper starts at 1" x 1") and kusudama (modular ball origami). If you're interested, Tomoko Fuse is the QUEEN of modular origami designs. I should attempt a glow-in-the-dark senbazuru someday!
Finally, one of my all-time favorite glow-in-the-dark products is glow-in-the-dark GLITTER!!! I'm such a sucker for those little bottles of joy you don't have to be 21 to buy.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Notifiblog: Next Steps
Background: Yesterday, I got the old "thanks but no thanks" email for a job I really wanted to try. With my company, no less.
Okay, so they don't want to take a chance on having a really good J2 Experience in Internal Communications. When one has sorrows, one must grieve for them and move on. My version of a shot of whisky is to apply for a different job. I threw in an application for a long-shot job at another company. I had a closer look at the in-house job postings this morning.
I found one that's more toward my direct work experience: I got my start in s
oftware development support. I've applied to a Business Systems Analyst Support Services. It looks plenty intriguing and it's really something I've thought about doing. It can be fun:
There are requirements to write and trace back to.
There's plenty of testing to be done, along with test plans and test cases to be written.
And, best of all, it's with (our company), where we do ethics, employee giving, and community service the best of all!
I refuse to give up hope of continuing to participate in healthcare innovation. (Digs in heels.)
Okay, so they don't want to take a chance on having a really good J2 Experience in Internal Communications. When one has sorrows, one must grieve for them and move on. My version of a shot of whisky is to apply for a different job. I threw in an application for a long-shot job at another company. I had a closer look at the in-house job postings this morning.
I found one that's more toward my direct work experience: I got my start in s
oftware development support. I've applied to a Business Systems Analyst Support Services. It looks plenty intriguing and it's really something I've thought about doing. It can be fun:
There are requirements to write and trace back to.
There's plenty of testing to be done, along with test plans and test cases to be written.
And, best of all, it's with (our company), where we do ethics, employee giving, and community service the best of all!
I refuse to give up hope of continuing to participate in healthcare innovation. (Digs in heels.)
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