Here's a nice article on World
Kindness Day, which is celebrated on November 13th, I just learned. It's
easy! Just be kind!
Someone took me by surprise today by tweeting the first part of the
first line:
"On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to
remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his wife.
Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that some day he would return
to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his friend, Oscar
Madison. Several years earlier, Madison's wife had thrown HIM out, requesting
that HE never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving
each other crazy?"
Thus began the establishing scenes for the
opening of The
Odd Couple telly show, which ran from 1971-1975. It followed the adventures
of two best friends who were polar opposites in housekeeping: the slob vs. neatnik concept actually had
five seasons' scripts in it. Jack Klugman and Tony Randall became household names in our
household.
The play, by Neil Simon, opened in 1965
with Walter Matthau and Art Carney in the lead roles. In 1968, a film starring
Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon was released. A
cartoon version, "The Oddball Couple" ran from 1975-1976 on Saturday mornings,
featuring the voices of Paul Winchell and Frank Nelson.
Oh, and that catchy, jazzy theme music: Neal Hefti.
Showing posts with label Notifiblog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Notifiblog. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Notifiblog: Birthday Begins Today!
In case you don't already know, I celebrate every birthday, including my own, for
three months. But the first day, I reserve to celebrate my 22nd birthday, every
year. That was the one that inspired me to stop trying to cram all that
goodness and happiness into only one day.
There's actually a Birthday Problem (aka Birthday Paradox) in probability theory. "In probability theory, the birthday problem or birthday paradox[1] concerns the probability that, in a set of n randomly chosen people, some pair of them will have the same birthday." Of course, if you have 367 people in the group, the probability is 100%. However, 99% probability is reached with as few as 57 people. There's something about assumptions in there. It's worth reading at least the first bit of the article.
There are maybe limitless reasons to celebrate one's un-birthday.
In East Asia, there are various ways of dating one's age. In Japan, for example, babies are born at "1 year" by tradtional counting -- accounting for the year one is working on. I've also been told by a reliable Japanese friend that everyone's age advances on New Year's Day (solar--celebrated Jan. 1)
In any event, please just be happy about something for me, especially today!
There's actually a Birthday Problem (aka Birthday Paradox) in probability theory. "In probability theory, the birthday problem or birthday paradox[1] concerns the probability that, in a set of n randomly chosen people, some pair of them will have the same birthday." Of course, if you have 367 people in the group, the probability is 100%. However, 99% probability is reached with as few as 57 people. There's something about assumptions in there. It's worth reading at least the first bit of the article.
There are maybe limitless reasons to celebrate one's un-birthday.
In East Asia, there are various ways of dating one's age. In Japan, for example, babies are born at "1 year" by tradtional counting -- accounting for the year one is working on. I've also been told by a reliable Japanese friend that everyone's age advances on New Year's Day (solar--celebrated Jan. 1)
In any event, please just be happy about something for me, especially today!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday!
I've been so busy, I've been
neglectful of Notifiblog. I can't really apologize: I've been busy working at
the job someone's paying me to do.
Today's "caught my attention" article from www.howstuffworks.com is 10 Science Questions You Should Really Know How to Answer. Per tradition, Notifiblog looks at the three I like best. Due to limited time, I'm forced to quote direcly from the HSW answer people.
Why is the sky blue? "The reason the sky appears blue is because of an effect called scattering. Sunlight has to pass through the Earth's atmosphere, which is filled with gases and particles that act like the bumpers on a pinball machine, bouncing sunlight all over the place. But if you've ever held a prism in your hands, you know that sunlight actually is made up of a bunch of different colors, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has a relatively short wavelength, so it gets through the filter more easily than colors with longer wavelengths, and as a result are scattered more widely as they pass through the atmosphere. That's why the sky looks blue during the parts of the day when the Sun appears to be high in the sky (though it's actually the spot on the planet where you are standing that is moving, relative to the Sun).
"At sunrise and sunset, though, the sun's rays have to travel a longer distance to reach your position. That cancels out blue light's wavelength advantage and allows us to see the other colors better, which is why sunsets often appear red, orange or yellow."
Today's "caught my attention" article from www.howstuffworks.com is 10 Science Questions You Should Really Know How to Answer. Per tradition, Notifiblog looks at the three I like best. Due to limited time, I'm forced to quote direcly from the HSW answer people.
Why is the sky blue? "The reason the sky appears blue is because of an effect called scattering. Sunlight has to pass through the Earth's atmosphere, which is filled with gases and particles that act like the bumpers on a pinball machine, bouncing sunlight all over the place. But if you've ever held a prism in your hands, you know that sunlight actually is made up of a bunch of different colors, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has a relatively short wavelength, so it gets through the filter more easily than colors with longer wavelengths, and as a result are scattered more widely as they pass through the atmosphere. That's why the sky looks blue during the parts of the day when the Sun appears to be high in the sky (though it's actually the spot on the planet where you are standing that is moving, relative to the Sun).
"At sunrise and sunset, though, the sun's rays have to travel a longer distance to reach your position. That cancels out blue light's wavelength advantage and allows us to see the other colors better, which is why sunsets often appear red, orange or yellow."
Why are bubbles round? "Well, actually, bubbles are not
always perfectly round all the time, as you probably have noticed if you've ever
used one of those toy thingies to blow soap bubbles. But bubbles want to be
spherical, and if you blow one that's more cigar-shaped initially, it struggles
to reshape itself. That's because bubbles basically are thin layers of liquid
whose molecules stick together because they are attracted to one another, a
phenomenon called cohesion [source: USGS]. This creates what
we think of as surface tension -- that is, a barrier that resists objects trying
to move through it [source: USGS]. Inside the
layer, air molecules that are trapped can't get out, even though they're pushing
against the water. But that's not the only force acting on that layer. On the
outside, more air is pushing inward at them. The most efficient way for the
liquid layer to resist those forces is to assume the most compact shape, which
happens to be a sphere, in terms of ratio of volume to surface area [source: Popular
Science].
"Interestingly, scientists have figured out ways to make bubbles that aren't
round, so they can study the geometry of the surfaces. They're able to create
bubbles that are cubical and even rectangular, by suspending a thin layer of
liquid on a wire frame that that is molded into the desired shape [source: NEWTON]."
How do magnets work? "'[Bleeping] magnets: How do they
work?' That's the question that rappers Insane Clown Posse
posed in their single "Miracles" a few years back, which led those snarkmeisters at "Saturday Night Live"
to ridicule them unmercifully. And that was unfortunate, because it's a
perfectly reasonable thing to ponder. A magnet is any object or material that
has a magnetic field -- that is, a bunch of electrons flowing all around it in
the same direction. Now, electrons -- like rappers from Detroit who wear clown
masks, curse a lot, and
drink Faygo Cola -- like to
hook up in pairs, and iron has a lot of unpaired electrons that are all eager to
get in on the action. So, objects that are solid iron or have a lot of iron in
them -- nails, for example -- are going to be pulled towards a sufficiently
powerful magnet. The substances and objects attracted to magnets are called
ferromagnetic substances [source: University of
Illinois].
"Humans have known about the phenomenon of magnetism for a long, long time.
There are naturally occurring magnets, such as lodestone, but medieval travelers
figured out how to rub steel compass needles against those stones so that they
picked up electrons and became magnetized, which means that they developed their
own magnetic fields. Those magnets weren't particularly durable, but in the 20th
century, researchers developed new materials and charging devices that enabled
them to make more powerful permanent magnets [source: Stupak]. You can actually create a
type of magnet, called an electromagnet, from a piece of iron by wrapping an
electrical wire around it and then connecting the ends to the poles of one of
those big batteries with the clips on top [source: University of
Illinois]."
Who knew? Now we do!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Notifiblog: Notifiblog: Remember Music on Vinyl?
It's being a busy week! At the
weekend, I was doing a little Wikipedia hiking and landed on the article for "His Master's
Voice." That led to HMV,
which reminded me of this
inane YouTube item. (There's another one where he calls HMV.)
All this led to an exploration of limited edition Gramophone records. Finally, I landed on Unusual types of gramophone records. That's how a Hikipedia expedition goes, eh!
Unusual grooving: Most vinyl LPs have but one groove! (Remember that if you play Trivial Pursuit!) However, there are a few that were released with parallel grooves. Ever heard of Monty Python's three-sided album? Can't guarantee its content on any of its three grooves (one on one side, two on the other) is SFW. There are others!
Unusual shapes: As long as the content groove is spiral, the outer edge of the disc can be in any shape an artist pleases. Tangerine Dream released "Warsaw in the Sun" in the shape of Poland. These unusually-shaped records are often also picture discs.
Unusual speeds: I remember Mum's old stereo console had four speeds for the record player: 78, 45, 33, and...wha?..16?! "This speed was used almost exclusively for spoken word content, in particular for the "talking books" used by the visually impaired, though it was also employed in the Seeburg 1000 Background Music System." Apparently in some countries (US must have been one of them), inclusion of the 16-2/3 RPM setting was compulsory. At least by the time I came along, there weren't a lot of proprietary formats that required playback at anywhere from 60-130 RPM!
It was so much fun to watch all the mechanics in the player speed up when 78 was selected. I've always been easily entertained.
Funny, we slowed down our "long-playing" records, but we speeded up our CDs. Now, with MP3 and its growing family, there may be nothing to revolve!
All this led to an exploration of limited edition Gramophone records. Finally, I landed on Unusual types of gramophone records. That's how a Hikipedia expedition goes, eh!
Unusual grooving: Most vinyl LPs have but one groove! (Remember that if you play Trivial Pursuit!) However, there are a few that were released with parallel grooves. Ever heard of Monty Python's three-sided album? Can't guarantee its content on any of its three grooves (one on one side, two on the other) is SFW. There are others!
Unusual shapes: As long as the content groove is spiral, the outer edge of the disc can be in any shape an artist pleases. Tangerine Dream released "Warsaw in the Sun" in the shape of Poland. These unusually-shaped records are often also picture discs.
Unusual speeds: I remember Mum's old stereo console had four speeds for the record player: 78, 45, 33, and...wha?..16?! "This speed was used almost exclusively for spoken word content, in particular for the "talking books" used by the visually impaired, though it was also employed in the Seeburg 1000 Background Music System." Apparently in some countries (US must have been one of them), inclusion of the 16-2/3 RPM setting was compulsory. At least by the time I came along, there weren't a lot of proprietary formats that required playback at anywhere from 60-130 RPM!
It was so much fun to watch all the mechanics in the player speed up when 78 was selected. I've always been easily entertained.
Funny, we slowed down our "long-playing" records, but we speeded up our CDs. Now, with MP3 and its growing family, there may be nothing to revolve!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday!
Vending machines have
always fascinated me. You put in some money, and out comes a prize. How
do they work?
The machine knows how much money you've inserted! Inside is a currency detector to read your paper money, and there's coin detector that trips certain electromagnets when particular coins are inserted.
"The keypad is not only the vending machine’s main input device but also the home for its central computer. When you press a key combination on the pad, it tells the central computer what it should do next." (HowStuffWorks.com)
"At the bottom of the vending machine, a line of laser beams determines if your product has been released by the metal spirals. Each laser beam is paired with an electronic light sensor. When your product falls it breaks this path, telling the computer that it was a successful transaction." (HowStuffWorks.com)
So that's why it thinks you have your prize when it's really stuck between that little door and you!
You can get some crazy stuff in Japan from vending machines. Maybe that's a good topic for another Notifiblog. Cheers!
The machine knows how much money you've inserted! Inside is a currency detector to read your paper money, and there's coin detector that trips certain electromagnets when particular coins are inserted.
"The keypad is not only the vending machine’s main input device but also the home for its central computer. When you press a key combination on the pad, it tells the central computer what it should do next." (HowStuffWorks.com)
"At the bottom of the vending machine, a line of laser beams determines if your product has been released by the metal spirals. Each laser beam is paired with an electronic light sensor. When your product falls it breaks this path, telling the computer that it was a successful transaction." (HowStuffWorks.com)
So that's why it thinks you have your prize when it's really stuck between that little door and you!
You can get some crazy stuff in Japan from vending machines. Maybe that's a good topic for another Notifiblog. Cheers!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday!
If I had gone into medicine as a
calling, I am certain I would have chosen to study the brain. Thus, I can't resist
exploring an article on HSW called,
"Top
10 Myths About the Brain."
Here are three to confound and maybe fascinate you, too!
Myth: Listening to Mozart makes you smarter. "In the 1950s, an ear, nose and throat doctor named Albert Tomatis (ed. Wikipedia gives his first name as "Alfred") began the trend, claiming success using Mozart's music to help people with speech and auditory disorders. In the 1990s, 36 students in a study at the University of California at Irvine listened to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata before taking an IQ test. According to Dr. Gordon Shaw, the psychologist in charge of the study, the students' IQ scores went up by about 8 points. The "Mozart effect" was born." A researcher involved in that project later asserted there was never any claim it actually made anyone smarter; it just increased performance on certain spatial-temporal tasks. Even that is questioned today.
Myth: You Can Learn Through Subliminal Messages. "A subliminal message (meaning, below "limen," or our conscious perception threshold) is a message embedded into images or sound meant to penetrate into our subconscious and influence our behavior. The first person to coin the term was James Vicary, a market researcher. In 1957, Vicary stated that he inserted messages into a showing of a movie in New Jersey. The messages, which flashed for 1/3000th of a second, told moviegoers to drink Coca-Cola and eat popcorn." However, Vicary's assertion that sales of Coke and popcorn increased by 18% was a flat-out lie. Another experiment done in Canada over television failed completely. Sorry, you can no longer commit a crime and then tell the judge a suggestion in a song made you do it.
Myth: The Human Brain Is the Biggest Brain. It's not. "The relationship between brain size and intelligence isn't really about the actual weight of the brain; it's about the ratio of brain weight to the entire body weight. For humans, that ratio is about 1-to-50. For most other mammals, it's 1-to-180, and for birds, it's 1-to-220. The brain takes up more weight in a human than it does in other animals." Humans have the most cerebral cortex, and therein is the difference, apparently.
Cheers, eh!
Here are three to confound and maybe fascinate you, too!
Myth: Listening to Mozart makes you smarter. "In the 1950s, an ear, nose and throat doctor named Albert Tomatis (ed. Wikipedia gives his first name as "Alfred") began the trend, claiming success using Mozart's music to help people with speech and auditory disorders. In the 1990s, 36 students in a study at the University of California at Irvine listened to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata before taking an IQ test. According to Dr. Gordon Shaw, the psychologist in charge of the study, the students' IQ scores went up by about 8 points. The "Mozart effect" was born." A researcher involved in that project later asserted there was never any claim it actually made anyone smarter; it just increased performance on certain spatial-temporal tasks. Even that is questioned today.
Myth: You Can Learn Through Subliminal Messages. "A subliminal message (meaning, below "limen," or our conscious perception threshold) is a message embedded into images or sound meant to penetrate into our subconscious and influence our behavior. The first person to coin the term was James Vicary, a market researcher. In 1957, Vicary stated that he inserted messages into a showing of a movie in New Jersey. The messages, which flashed for 1/3000th of a second, told moviegoers to drink Coca-Cola and eat popcorn." However, Vicary's assertion that sales of Coke and popcorn increased by 18% was a flat-out lie. Another experiment done in Canada over television failed completely. Sorry, you can no longer commit a crime and then tell the judge a suggestion in a song made you do it.
Myth: The Human Brain Is the Biggest Brain. It's not. "The relationship between brain size and intelligence isn't really about the actual weight of the brain; it's about the ratio of brain weight to the entire body weight. For humans, that ratio is about 1-to-50. For most other mammals, it's 1-to-180, and for birds, it's 1-to-220. The brain takes up more weight in a human than it does in other animals." Humans have the most cerebral cortex, and therein is the difference, apparently.
Cheers, eh!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Notifiblog: Saw it on TV, but does it work?
Found a site I need to bookmark: http://www.consumersearch.com/as-seen-on-tv.
We get tired of those "As Seen on TV" mail order gadget adverts. But finding
out if they really work can be a bit of fun.
Let's look at three:
magicJack is a device that can be plugged into a USB port to provide VoIP type of service. It costs $40 for the harware, then a $20 annual fee keeps the service going. Vonage is a big competitor for magicJack.
Let's look at three:
magicJack is a device that can be plugged into a USB port to provide VoIP type of service. It costs $40 for the harware, then a $20 annual fee keeps the service going. Vonage is a big competitor for magicJack.
Verdict: Works but with limitations.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to install
Cons
- Poor customer service, technical support
- Call quality depends on Internet service
- Conflicts with other hardware, software
- Computer must be on to receive or place phone calls
"Vince" demonstrates ShamWow! as the
ultimate solution for cleaning up large spills and leaks. Sadly, there's no
Wikipedia article about ShamWow! that's not embedded in Vince's article. Vince, the
demo guy, creeps me out, but
what about the product?
Verdict: Works for SOME spills.Pros
- Works on some spills
- Makes a decent towel
- Washable and reusable
Cons
- Not as absorbent as advertised
- Tends to smear, not absorb spills
- Rough on the skin
I just love the name of this product: The Slanket. It's
the sleeved blanket
product that actually beat the Snuggie to market. Slanket rules! Or does
it?
Verdict: Better than Snuggie but expensive for what it isPros
- Comfortable
- Machine washable
- Available in various colors
Cons
- Expensive
- Some complain of backlogged orders
- Not must better than a blanket
See if you can work the word
"Slanket" into a sentence today during an ordinary conversation! Extra credit
if you use "Slanket" in a work-related meeting!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Notifiblog: Out with the Clutter!
My home is undergoing a huge cleanout. We have too much stuff. Now, I learn I
may be at risk for compulsive
hoarding. Let's not let that happen, eh!
I read some of the symptoms, and I see myself! I'm not quite there yet:
"They tend to hold onto a large number of items that most people would consider not useful or valuable. For example:
I read some of the symptoms, and I see myself! I'm not quite there yet:
"They tend to hold onto a large number of items that most people would consider not useful or valuable. For example:
Yikers! I like to think I'll make craft things out
of ...well just never mind: it's going into the recycling bin TODAY! I
can craft with what I have when I'm actually sitting down with my trusty glue
stick!
True compulsive hoarding is not a joke. It's
recognized as a type of OCD
(Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), but there is no ICD-10 code that I know of for
it, yet.
I pledge to organize the true supplies I have (such
as yarn and origami paper), and to
discard all the catalogues and junk-mail things I keep thinking would make a
cool collage someday. It can
make a fine collage in the recycling bin, thanks!
(Yes, TODAY!)
(Yes, TODAY!)
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Notifiblog POST #100: How Stuff Works Thursday!
I have to love this one: 10
Crazy Examples of Horrible Movie Science.
There is no sound in outer space, Star Wars and Star Trek fans. The only work of television or movie science fiction I've seen thus far that gets it right is the movie Serenity and its related short-lived TV series, Firefly.
Catching someone from a fall from a really big fall isn't really going to help. If you're falling off a New York City skyscraper, even Spider-Man's gentle web won't stop you from bursting like a dropped watermelon hitting the ground. Sorry, Spidey.
I saved HSW's first one for the last: the night sky in the ORIGINAL release of James Cameron's Titanic was noticeably (to an astrophysicist) wrong. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson gleefully pointed out the Rorschach test-like sky to Cameron, who apparently is an insufferable stickler for detail.
Ah, well, as The Handsome One often tells me, "Suspend your disbelief." It IS more fun that way, I'll admit.
There is no sound in outer space, Star Wars and Star Trek fans. The only work of television or movie science fiction I've seen thus far that gets it right is the movie Serenity and its related short-lived TV series, Firefly.
Catching someone from a fall from a really big fall isn't really going to help. If you're falling off a New York City skyscraper, even Spider-Man's gentle web won't stop you from bursting like a dropped watermelon hitting the ground. Sorry, Spidey.
I saved HSW's first one for the last: the night sky in the ORIGINAL release of James Cameron's Titanic was noticeably (to an astrophysicist) wrong. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson gleefully pointed out the Rorschach test-like sky to Cameron, who apparently is an insufferable stickler for detail.
Ah, well, as The Handsome One often tells me, "Suspend your disbelief." It IS more fun that way, I'll admit.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Notifiblog: AC power plugs and sockets!
Yes, you read it right. I got curious about the differences amongst electric
outlets and plugs around the world. You can't just take your favorite electic
lamp anywhere and get it to work, y'know. I have limited blog time today, so
I'll let this
Wikipedia article do most of the talking.
(from Wikipedia) "When electricity was first introduced into houses, it was primarily used for lighting. At that time, many electricity companies operated a split-tariff system where the cost of electricity for lighting was lower than that for other purposes. This led to portable appliances (such as vacuum cleaners, electric fans, and hair driers) being connected to light bulb sockets using lampholder plugs."
(from Wikipedia) "There are two basic standards for voltage and frequency in the world. One is the North American standard of 120 volts at a frequency of 60 Hz, and the other is the European standard of 220–240 volts at 50 Hz. The differences arose for historical reasons as discussed in the article mains electricity. Usually NEMA type sockets and plugs are used on 60 Hz systems, and CEE and other types are used on 50 Hz systems, but exceptions exist."
Ever wonder why one blade is larger than the other on a polarized plug? "Where the building wiring system defines a "neutral" conductor that is connected to earth, it is an advantage for appliance designers to preserve that distinction. This requires a plug that can only be connected in one way to the socket, so that the energised and neutral conductors are not interchanged. Such "polarized" plugs are not interchangeable with non-polarized sockets. Wiring systems where both circuit conductors have a significant potential with respect to earth do not benefit from polarized plugs."
The rest of the article covers the various size, number and combination of blades and pins--even the distance between blades! There are photos of plugs and sockets from around the world--and some obsolete types, too!
BTW, today is my 99th Notifiblog post since I began posting "worldwide." :-)
(from Wikipedia) "When electricity was first introduced into houses, it was primarily used for lighting. At that time, many electricity companies operated a split-tariff system where the cost of electricity for lighting was lower than that for other purposes. This led to portable appliances (such as vacuum cleaners, electric fans, and hair driers) being connected to light bulb sockets using lampholder plugs."
(from Wikipedia) "There are two basic standards for voltage and frequency in the world. One is the North American standard of 120 volts at a frequency of 60 Hz, and the other is the European standard of 220–240 volts at 50 Hz. The differences arose for historical reasons as discussed in the article mains electricity. Usually NEMA type sockets and plugs are used on 60 Hz systems, and CEE and other types are used on 50 Hz systems, but exceptions exist."
Ever wonder why one blade is larger than the other on a polarized plug? "Where the building wiring system defines a "neutral" conductor that is connected to earth, it is an advantage for appliance designers to preserve that distinction. This requires a plug that can only be connected in one way to the socket, so that the energised and neutral conductors are not interchanged. Such "polarized" plugs are not interchangeable with non-polarized sockets. Wiring systems where both circuit conductors have a significant potential with respect to earth do not benefit from polarized plugs."
The rest of the article covers the various size, number and combination of blades and pins--even the distance between blades! There are photos of plugs and sockets from around the world--and some obsolete types, too!
BTW, today is my 99th Notifiblog post since I began posting "worldwide." :-)
Monday, July 15, 2013
Notifiblog: Return of the Twinkie? Hmm...
I grew up with Hostess snack
cakes. Well, sort of. They were a sometimes treat, which is probably what made
them so...treat-y. However, it wasn't 'til this weekend, when I was having a
tweety conversation with a lady in the UK that I realized we had some dodgy
names for our snacks! I had a laugh.
The conversation started quite innocently with a mutual friend's thoughts of having breakfast delivered while he was up very early with his toddler. I thought having a breakfast delivered from the UK to MY house (half the world away) would be a lovely idea. But I was willing to let the others have my black pudding. (Hint: ew!) The other early riser (it was 7AM their time, 11 PM ours) wanted to donate her black pudding to the toddler's dad, too. I told her we'd give him our black puddings and we could have Twinkies! She apparently had a huge laugh at the dodgy-sounding suggestion.
It just went downhill from there. I spent my childhood consuming Twinkies, (gulp) Ding Dongs, and (oh dear) Ho Hos. I'd never thought of it that way!
I loved her reply: "#FILTH" To which I had to respond, "If you think the names are bad, you should see what they do to people's arteries."
Indeed, #FILTH!
In the spirit of transparency, protecting my health is not the primary reason I will avoid partaking of the Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-Hos and Donettes phenomena: Hostess Brands (now known as "Old HB") killed over 18 thousand jobs and blamed a bakers' strike. Not entirely true. J2 does not like that kind of business...what's the opposite of ethic?
The conversation started quite innocently with a mutual friend's thoughts of having breakfast delivered while he was up very early with his toddler. I thought having a breakfast delivered from the UK to MY house (half the world away) would be a lovely idea. But I was willing to let the others have my black pudding. (Hint: ew!) The other early riser (it was 7AM their time, 11 PM ours) wanted to donate her black pudding to the toddler's dad, too. I told her we'd give him our black puddings and we could have Twinkies! She apparently had a huge laugh at the dodgy-sounding suggestion.
It just went downhill from there. I spent my childhood consuming Twinkies, (gulp) Ding Dongs, and (oh dear) Ho Hos. I'd never thought of it that way!
I loved her reply: "#FILTH" To which I had to respond, "If you think the names are bad, you should see what they do to people's arteries."
Indeed, #FILTH!
In the spirit of transparency, protecting my health is not the primary reason I will avoid partaking of the Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-Hos and Donettes phenomena: Hostess Brands (now known as "Old HB") killed over 18 thousand jobs and blamed a bakers' strike. Not entirely true. J2 does not like that kind of business...what's the opposite of ethic?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday! (On Tuesday!) (Why Not, Eh!)
I'm taking this Friday off, so today is, in effect, my Thursday. So, I'm going
to treat it like a Thursday all the way! This week: How
Fireworks Work!
According to the www.howstuffworks.com article referenced for this posting, aerial fireworks represent two types of pyrotechnic activity:
"The pattern that an aerial shell paints in the sky depends on the arrangement of star pellets inside the shell. For example, if the pellets are equally spaced in a circle, with black powder inside the circle, you will see an aerial display of smaller star explosions equally spaced in a circle. To create a specific figure in the sky, you create an outline of the figure in star pellets, surround them as a group with a layer of break charge to separate them simultaneously from the rest of the contents of the shell, and place explosive charges inside those pellets to blow them outward into a large figure."
Couldn't have said it better myself. There is more to the article, of course. There is a lot to appreciate about the work that goes into creating an aerial fireworks show. Way to go Chinese people who invented gunpowder, eh!
Bonus: The Japanese word for fireworks is hanabi (hana: flower + hi [or bi for a pleasant sound]: fire). Hanabiko (花火子) is the full name of the world-famous signing gorilla we call Koko--whose birthday is right on July 4th.
According to the www.howstuffworks.com article referenced for this posting, aerial fireworks represent two types of pyrotechnic activity:
"Firecrackers have been around for hundreds of years. They consist of either black powder (also known as gunpowder) or flash powder in a tight paper tube with a fuse to light the powder. Black powder, discussed briefly in How Rocket Engines Work, contains charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate. A composition used in a firecracker might have aluminum instead of or in addition to charcoal in order to brighten the explosion.
"Sparklers are very different from firecrackers. A sparkler burns over a long period of time (up to a minute) and produces extremely bright and showery light. Sparklers are often referred to as "snowball sparklers" because of the ball of sparks that surrounds the burning portion of the sparkler. If you look at Patent #3,862,865: Sparkler composition, you can see that a sparkler consists of several different compounds:
- A fuel
- An oxidizer
- Iron or steel powder
- A binder
"An aerial firework is normally formed as a shell that
consists of four parts:
- Container - Usually pasted paper and string formed into a cylinder
- Stars - Spheres, cubes or cylinders of a sparkler-like composition
- Bursting charge - Firecracker-like charge at the center of the shell
- Fuse - Provides a time delay so the shell explodes at the right altitude"
"The pattern that an aerial shell paints in the sky depends on the arrangement of star pellets inside the shell. For example, if the pellets are equally spaced in a circle, with black powder inside the circle, you will see an aerial display of smaller star explosions equally spaced in a circle. To create a specific figure in the sky, you create an outline of the figure in star pellets, surround them as a group with a layer of break charge to separate them simultaneously from the rest of the contents of the shell, and place explosive charges inside those pellets to blow them outward into a large figure."
Couldn't have said it better myself. There is more to the article, of course. There is a lot to appreciate about the work that goes into creating an aerial fireworks show. Way to go Chinese people who invented gunpowder, eh!
Bonus: The Japanese word for fireworks is hanabi (hana: flower + hi [or bi for a pleasant sound]: fire). Hanabiko (花火子) is the full name of the world-famous signing gorilla we call Koko--whose birthday is right on July 4th.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Notifiblog: Happy Canada Day!
Once again, 1 July has arrived:
it's Canada Day!
It's been a busy Monday, so I'm happy someone has posted an article on WikiHow called, "7 Tips on How to Celebrate Canada Day!"
The Google Doodle on www.google.ca has been updated to reflect Canadians' public national image. It's a Parliamentary building, I believe. Not a Canadian beer, sorry.
In 1927, the US had a plan to invade Canada! I think it had little to do with harrassing British subjects, and a LOT to do with when Prohibition in Canada was repealed. I'm glad the plan was dropped by 1928.
You may be Candian! Check out this video to see! It's 100% True! (Even with the exchange rate.)
So...Happy Canada D'Eh!
It's been a busy Monday, so I'm happy someone has posted an article on WikiHow called, "7 Tips on How to Celebrate Canada Day!"
The Google Doodle on www.google.ca has been updated to reflect Canadians' public national image. It's a Parliamentary building, I believe. Not a Canadian beer, sorry.
In 1927, the US had a plan to invade Canada! I think it had little to do with harrassing British subjects, and a LOT to do with when Prohibition in Canada was repealed. I'm glad the plan was dropped by 1928.
You may be Candian! Check out this video to see! It's 100% True! (Even with the exchange rate.)
So...Happy Canada D'Eh!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday! (on Friday)
I had a topic already in mind
yesterday, but the worky people needed me more than the Notifiblog did. So,
today let's look at How
Corrective Lenses Work! Thanks to www.howstuffworks.com, we can do just
that...
(from HSW.com) "The strength of a lens is determined by the lens material and the angle of the curve that is ground into the lens. Lens strength is expressed as diopters (D), which indicates how much the light is bent. The higher the diopter, the stronger the lens. Also, a plus (+) or minus (-) sign before the diopter strength indicates the type of lens.
(from HSW.com) "When you look at something, three things must happen:
- The image must be reduced in size to fit onto the retina.
- The scattered light must come together -- that is, it must focus -- at the surface of the retina.
- The image must be curved to match the curve of the retina."
(from HSW.com) "The strength of a lens is determined by the lens material and the angle of the curve that is ground into the lens. Lens strength is expressed as diopters (D), which indicates how much the light is bent. The higher the diopter, the stronger the lens. Also, a plus (+) or minus (-) sign before the diopter strength indicates the type of lens.
"Plus and minus lenses can be combined, with the total lens type being the
algebraic sum of the two." There are 12 standard steps to grinding most lens
blanks into the correct shape to correct vision. There is so much good
information that won't fit here, so I strongly recommend reading
the article at least from page 6!
Benjamin Franklin
is credited with inventing the bifocal corrective lens, but who came up with
the idea of putting a curved piece of glass to the eye to improve vision?
Sadly, that name is lost to history. However, the first person to copy this
invention and share it with the world is believed to be Giordano's colleague
Friar Alessandro della Spina of Pisa (d. 1313). (Sorry, no Wikipedia page
exists for him, yet.) He began making eyeglasses in Italy around 1286
CE.
Everyone in my family--even the ones to whom I'm not biologically related--
wears glasses or contact
lenses. I'm next. At least I understand what I'm getting when I get
glasses. (I'm probably not a contact lenses person, but who knows, eh!)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Notifiblog: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
I read public domain
literature on my Kindle. The current classic book is Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. I'm nearly 70%
through the book, so if there are any spoilers to be divulged, you won't get
them from me. I've never even seen a movie about it.
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers was published in 1870. (from Wikipedia) "It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus, as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax. The original edition had no illustrations; the first illustrated edition was published by Hetzel with illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou."
The descriptions Jules Verne wrote makes the story terribly slow--but also terribly believable in places! I admit to skimming over some of the more tedious details. But maybe the coordinates of longitudes and latitudes often cited in the text may be of interest to people who navigate the seas themselves.
The story has been depicted in at least six films -- Disney's 1954 film was the third one and the first with sound! (from Wikipedia) "One of the inaugural rides at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom was called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage and was based on the Disney movie."
One last thing: the journey is 20,000 leagues. That's a measure of distance, not a measure of depth. Didn't know that 'til I started reading and did a little (very little) research!
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers was published in 1870. (from Wikipedia) "It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus, as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax. The original edition had no illustrations; the first illustrated edition was published by Hetzel with illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou."
The descriptions Jules Verne wrote makes the story terribly slow--but also terribly believable in places! I admit to skimming over some of the more tedious details. But maybe the coordinates of longitudes and latitudes often cited in the text may be of interest to people who navigate the seas themselves.
The story has been depicted in at least six films -- Disney's 1954 film was the third one and the first with sound! (from Wikipedia) "One of the inaugural rides at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom was called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage and was based on the Disney movie."
One last thing: the journey is 20,000 leagues. That's a measure of distance, not a measure of depth. Didn't know that 'til I started reading and did a little (very little) research!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Notifiblog: How Does Pixar Do That?!?
In the interest of transparency, I will tell you now that I am in love with
Pixar movies, and it's not just because I'm in love with a second (?) cousin of
the guy who runs the creativity piece of the joint. Sadly, those Lasseters are
not in contact with my Lasseters, so I have to do this research the same as
anyone else: Google and Wikipedia, mostly.
In just about every Pixar movie is a little rubber ball with a big, red star on it. It's an homage to the film that won John Lasseter his first Academy Award nomination, Luxo Jr.
I know it would be fab to be able to talk with the man who creates characters and animations that convey deep stories, even without words. But it would be enough for me to learn how they render that little rubber ball with a big, red star on it!
Pixar's latest short, which has been released with Monsters University, is another work of wordless brilliance, The Blue Umbrella. This short employs the latest technology in the realm of photorealism. And the detail!! Note the sign outside "The Parapluie Café." Parapluie is French for umbrella. ADORBZ!
It's just not enough for me to hear, "They use special CGI software." I want to know HOW THEY DO THAT! Please.
In just about every Pixar movie is a little rubber ball with a big, red star on it. It's an homage to the film that won John Lasseter his first Academy Award nomination, Luxo Jr.
I know it would be fab to be able to talk with the man who creates characters and animations that convey deep stories, even without words. But it would be enough for me to learn how they render that little rubber ball with a big, red star on it!
Pixar's latest short, which has been released with Monsters University, is another work of wordless brilliance, The Blue Umbrella. This short employs the latest technology in the realm of photorealism. And the detail!! Note the sign outside "The Parapluie Café." Parapluie is French for umbrella. ADORBZ!
It's just not enough for me to hear, "They use special CGI software." I want to know HOW THEY DO THAT! Please.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Notifiblog: How to Navigate a Grocery Store the Zombie Way
What is it about going out to
acquire food in an American urban setting that turns us against one another?
Just about every time we go to the local grocery store, I find
myself having to navigate carefully around the wheeled vehicles of doom. Aka,
shopping carts or shopping
trolleys.
I have found that the most aggravating part of shopping in our local supermarkets is not the waiting in line, nor the struggling for items placed on shelves so high only professional basketball players can reach them. It's those infernal shopping carts.
Actually, it's the people maneuvering them. It's like the cart is an instrument that automatically allows them to walk in a straight line without any thought of consequences to others' bodies or toes. Almost as bad as people are with baby strollers. You've seen it; you know what I mean.
So, I have learned to blend in with them. I walk slowly and steadily, rarely averting the cart or my eyes, muttering under my breath, "Braaaaaiiiins! Or Tuna. Tuna is fine." (quoting one of my all-time favorite LOLCats)
Try it! If nothing else, it's fun to see little kids react.
I have found that the most aggravating part of shopping in our local supermarkets is not the waiting in line, nor the struggling for items placed on shelves so high only professional basketball players can reach them. It's those infernal shopping carts.
Actually, it's the people maneuvering them. It's like the cart is an instrument that automatically allows them to walk in a straight line without any thought of consequences to others' bodies or toes. Almost as bad as people are with baby strollers. You've seen it; you know what I mean.
So, I have learned to blend in with them. I walk slowly and steadily, rarely averting the cart or my eyes, muttering under my breath, "Braaaaaiiiins! Or Tuna. Tuna is fine." (quoting one of my all-time favorite LOLCats)
Try it! If nothing else, it's fun to see little kids react.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Notifiblog: How Stuff Works Thursday! (on Friday!)
Yesterday, I was swamped and stumped. Couldn't settle on a topic for
HSWThursday. I think I found something to remedy this situation: tetrachromacy!
Tetrachromacy is the ability to see colors using four types of cone cells in the eye. Most humans are trichromats.
We learn about three primary colors and their amazing combination qualities when we are very young. The fourth cone a tetrachromat human possesses is believed to lie between the red and green cones. (from Wikipedia) "One study suggested that 2–3% of the world's women might have the kind of fourth cone that lies between the standard red and green cones, giving, theoretically, a significant increase in color differentiation. Another study suggests that as many as 50% of women and 8% of men may have four photopigments and corresponding increased chromatic discrimination in comparison to trichromats."
(from Wikipedia) "In June 2012, after 20 years of study of women with four cones (non-functional tetrachromats), neuroscientist Dr. Gabriele Jordan identified a woman (subject cDa29) who was able to detect a greater variety of colors than trichromatic ones corresponding with a functional tetrachromats (or true tetrachromats)."
Can you imagine how she sees the world around her? Of course, it's normal to her. Makes one wonder if there are other functional tetrachromats amongst us who have no idea they have such an ability! What would we call those colors?
Tetrachromacy is the ability to see colors using four types of cone cells in the eye. Most humans are trichromats.
We learn about three primary colors and their amazing combination qualities when we are very young. The fourth cone a tetrachromat human possesses is believed to lie between the red and green cones. (from Wikipedia) "One study suggested that 2–3% of the world's women might have the kind of fourth cone that lies between the standard red and green cones, giving, theoretically, a significant increase in color differentiation. Another study suggests that as many as 50% of women and 8% of men may have four photopigments and corresponding increased chromatic discrimination in comparison to trichromats."
(from Wikipedia) "In June 2012, after 20 years of study of women with four cones (non-functional tetrachromats), neuroscientist Dr. Gabriele Jordan identified a woman (subject cDa29) who was able to detect a greater variety of colors than trichromatic ones corresponding with a functional tetrachromats (or true tetrachromats)."
Can you imagine how she sees the world around her? Of course, it's normal to her. Makes one wonder if there are other functional tetrachromats amongst us who have no idea they have such an ability! What would we call those colors?
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Notifiblog: Forecasting - It's not just for meterorologists!
One of the duties of project
management in my company is to provide a monthly forecast of expected
expenditures as each project matures. Forecast is so much nicer a term
than well-educated guess.
Simply put, (from Wikipedia): "Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes (typically) have not yet been observed." Couldn't have said it better myself!
Here in the Pacific Northwest, meteorologists are celebrities. We enjoy an overall mild climate, but we still like to think we know what to expect from our often grey skies. It's not enough to look outside a window!
The Canadian band, The Guess Who, would never have reached such popularity if they had called themselves "The Forecast Who." I'm convinced.
So what kind of day will we have today? I forecast a good one!
Simply put, (from Wikipedia): "Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes (typically) have not yet been observed." Couldn't have said it better myself!
Here in the Pacific Northwest, meteorologists are celebrities. We enjoy an overall mild climate, but we still like to think we know what to expect from our often grey skies. It's not enough to look outside a window!
The Canadian band, The Guess Who, would never have reached such popularity if they had called themselves "The Forecast Who." I'm convinced.
So what kind of day will we have today? I forecast a good one!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Notifiblog: Small, Medium, and Large
Today I'm attending a (free!) webinar put on by Rally TeamStart about Agile Estimation.
Comparison sizing, a part of project estimating, inspired today's topic! But you know I don't usually stick to the predictable.
Small: There is a journal of nanoscience called "Small." (from Wikipedia) "Small publishes research in science and technology on the micro- and nanoscales in the form of Communications, Reviews, Concepts, Highlights, Essays, and Full Papers."
Medium: Medium isn't just a size! (from Wikipedia) "In astronomy, the interstellar medium (or ISM) is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy."
Large: "Large" is a word that combines nicely with the word "dieffeomorphism," which, of course, is why I selected this particular article from the Large (disambiguation) list. (from Wikipedia) "In mathematics and theoretical physics, a large diffeomorphism is a diffeomorphism that cannot be continuously connected to the identity diffeomorphism (because it is topologically non-trivial)."
I hope you had as much fun considering Small, Medium, and Large outside soft drink cups and t-shirts as I did!
Comparison sizing, a part of project estimating, inspired today's topic! But you know I don't usually stick to the predictable.
Small: There is a journal of nanoscience called "Small." (from Wikipedia) "Small publishes research in science and technology on the micro- and nanoscales in the form of Communications, Reviews, Concepts, Highlights, Essays, and Full Papers."
Medium: Medium isn't just a size! (from Wikipedia) "In astronomy, the interstellar medium (or ISM) is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy."
Large: "Large" is a word that combines nicely with the word "dieffeomorphism," which, of course, is why I selected this particular article from the Large (disambiguation) list. (from Wikipedia) "In mathematics and theoretical physics, a large diffeomorphism is a diffeomorphism that cannot be continuously connected to the identity diffeomorphism (because it is topologically non-trivial)."
I hope you had as much fun considering Small, Medium, and Large outside soft drink cups and t-shirts as I did!
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