Curiouser and Curiouser

Curious and Interesting things I learned this morning --

• The biggest threat to the US economy is a steep rise in personal savings. Since the early 80s, the US savings rate has plummeted from 10% to 0% in 2005.
• The US ranks 15th in broadband penetration among developed countries, down from 12th only a few months ago. If just one building in an entire zip-code is connected, then the FCC counts all people in that zip-code as having access wether they do or not.
• Although Michael Bloomberg won the mayoral election in New York as a Republican, he was a lifelong Democrat and his views are more closely aligned with the Democratic presidential candidates than their Republican counterparts. However, he would not be eligible to run for VP with Hillary Clinton because the Constitution does not allow a president and vice-president from the same state.
• Pepsi's Aquafina and Coke's Dasani are really just bottled municipal tap water.
  

Rainout

Yesterday was my birthday. For the first time this season, I went to a Curve baseball game. Well, that's not exactly accurate. I went to the ballpark and waited patiently for a game that would never happen to begin.

It's hardly rained all month, but, not surprisingly, it surely let loose Wednesday night. But, I got to see some people I haven't seen lately and talk a bit, so it wasn't a total 'washout'.

What are You Thinking?

What was (or was not) in the mind of the designer who created this logo? Never mind the person who approved its use.I glimpsed a TV ad for this organization some time ago and have been trying to track it down since. I looked up at the TV screen and was shocked to see a trail of what appeared to be little swastikas across the picture.

Use a Tennis Ball to Unlock Your Car Door

FYI: I don't know if this really works, I don't have an old tennis ball with which to try it. But, at any rate, it's an interesting idea.

Put a small hole in an old tennis ball. Place the hole against the keyhole in the door. Press the ball hard to force air into the lock. This supposedly will pop the lock. I remain skeptical.


Blondie Unlocks Car - Click here for more free videos

Top 10 Uses For Used Coffee Grounds

Just thought you'd like to know ...
Top 10 Uses For Used Coffee Grounds �

Deodorizer, Plant Food, Insect Repellant, Cellulite Reducer, more

What You Need to Know

Newsweek is doing s series of articles on what Americans know and don't know. Following are links to three of these stories which I think you will find interesting.

Things Americans Should Know

To whom much is given, however, much is expected. Americans remain rich beyond most of the world's imagination—rich in property, in liberty, in security. None of these things is free, and all are vulnerable, either to market reversals, to grasping leaders, to terrorists. But we cannot survive and thrive if we do not know what that world is like—what it loves, what it hates, and why.

Things Americans Don't Know

... more Americans are able to name Jordin Sparks as the winner of the most recent season of American Idol (18 percent) than can identify John Roberts as the Supreme Court’s chief justice (11 percent).

Things That Are Not Essential to Know But May Prove Useful

When dining in a restaurant, signal your server that you have finished eating by placing your utensils across the dish horizontally and face down. If you need to momentarily leave the table and do not want your plate taken away, place both utensils diagonally on the plate, such that they are leaning off the side and touching the table.

The Two Lives of Hugh Beaumont

Last night I watched an old b&w movie, The Seventh Victim, from 1943. One of the stars of this picture was Hugh Beaumont. Beaumont played a lawyer secretly married to a member of a satanic cult. Through the course of the picture, he falls in love with the younger sister of his wife.

Hugh Beaumont is better known to most of us as the Beaver's father, from the TV series Leave it to Beaver.

The interesting twist, as I see it, is that the character from the film is named Gregory WARD while his TV character is named WARD Cleaver. Mere coincidence? I wonder.

Picture from filmbug.com

Disposable Phone Numbers

Recently I published a post about temporary, disposable email addresses. A similar service is now available for phone numbers.

We've all been reluctant to give out our phone number such as in an ad or to a short-term or unknown contact. Full of useful features, Numbr gives you the option to use a disposable number that will expire after a time period you specify. And, it's FREE!

You can also get a temporary number by calling (415) 234-5678

Pennsylvania Wind Farm Goes Online

Rendell Dedicates Locust Ridge Wind Farm

Pennsylvania is already a leader in wind energy production on the East Coast with 179 megawatts of capacity, including Locust Ridge. Within the next 12 months, the commonwealth expects new wind farm projects will add another 214 MW of capacity and more than double the state’s current capacity.

From GantDaily.com

Web Browsers Color Rendering

I learned today that Web images don't look the same on the same system in all browsers. Color rendering is processed in different ways by the various browsers.

Apple's Safari browser does the best job of rendering deeper, richer colors. It's reported the next version of Firefox (v3) will render better color.

My principal browser is Camino, an OS X browser that uses the same Gecko engine as Firefox but functions similarly to Safari. I also use Firefox for some activities which are handled nicely with FF extensions.

This web site tests how well your browser renders colors. I first visited with Camino and the image appeared like the third example at the bottom. I then opened it with Safari and the image looked like the first one.

I like Safari, it's very fast. But Safari is not supported by some sites I use frequently: Google Documents and Spreadsheets, Wikispaces, or editing in Blogger. Safari is now available for Windows as a beta version.

Firefox is a somewhat slower browser with a not-very-Mac-like interface. Camino, though, not perfect, is kind of the best of both worlds.

Perfect Glass

I've long been looking for some kind of glass cleaner that would not streak or leave a fuzzy residue on the windows of my car. Furthermore, I have several large mirrored surfaces in my home that I could never get to look the way they should.

I've tried various commercial products and home-made solutions, sprays, wipes, etc . . I'd think I had the windows or mirrors really clean. Then the light or my angle would change, and I would be amazed at how horrible the glass looked. Every time I saw a new product I would try it out.

Yesterday, in Lowe's, I saw a product called Perfect Glass. It came in spray and wipes. I decided to try the wipes. I am very impressed. Though not totally 100% streak-free, the results are very, very good. I recommend this product to anyone frustrated by their inability to get clean, streak-free glass.

100% STREAK FREE
Hopes' Perfect Glass is a new 100% streak-free glass cleaner specifically developed for those who are frustrated with the haze and residue that ordinary household glass cleaners can leave behind.

INNOVATIVE FORMULA!
Thanks to it's unique no-residue formula, Hope's Perfect Glass cleans quickly and completely, leaving windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces looking perfect!

SAFE AND PLEASANT!
Hope's Perfect Glass is ammonia free, pleasantly scented, and nontoxic. It is gentle on hands, safe for food preparation surfaces and will not harm tinted windows.

Adult(?) Responsibility

"Parents need to be parents and not their kids' friends," ... "You need to make the really difficult choices and a lot of times that means saying no."

Should Parents Be Liable For Boozing Teens? - MSNBC.com

This story is well worth reading. We wonder why kids are so irresponsible. Look at their role models!

World's Largest Tidal Turbine

1.2 MegaWatts: World's Largest Tidal Turbine To Be Installed (TreeHugger)

This is an intriguing source of green energy. Maybe they could put wind turbines on top them and multiply the energy output.

The impact on sea life may be an issue that needs more investigation.

Note: The fabrication of these turbines is being done at the same facility that built the Titanic.

Every Girl Crazy 'Bout a Sharp-Dressed Man

ESPN - Dressed to 49s: Nolan allowed to suit up at home - NFL

I love the NFL, but sometimes I wonder at the way the league tries to control every minute detail.

Recently, I learned that there is no food permitted on the sidelines during an NFL game. Now this. I understand the Reebok contract thing, but this is really kind of silly. Sew a little Reebok logo on the tie or the slacks. What's the big deal?

And, why only for home games? Anyone who's coached or played knows how superstitious coaches can be. They win a game, they want to keep everything the same, including what they wear.

Highest Paying Occupations in America

This morning, I saw a brief piece on CNN HN about the five highest paying occupations in the US. First was anesthesiologist followed by surgeon. The rest were also healthcare-related.

Having my curiosity piqued, I Googled "highest paying occupations", and checked a number of the links only to find these lists vary considerably. They do have one thing in common. Healthcare occupations dominate the top of each list.

According to CareerInfoNet, anesthesiologist is first, followed by internist, then OB-GYN, oral/maxillofacial surgeons, and orthodontists.

Careerbuilder.com lists physicians/surgeons, aircraft pilots, chief executives,electrical and electronic engineers, and lawyers/judges as the top five.

Family/general practitioners, podiatrists, lawyers, dentists, and OB-GYN are at the top of work-info.com's list.

Physicians occupy first place at bizjournals. Second is airplane pilots/navigators, then lawyers. Optometrists and college medical science teachers round out the top five.

Most of these lists provide annual income and other data.

MSN Money published a list of the 25 best- and worst-paying jobs in America. Health-related professions dominated the top end of this list with 13 of 15 top spots. Chief executive and airline pilot are the only non-health careers in the top fifteen.

"Why do financially pushy parents want their children to marry doctors? Because, as Willie Sutton said of banks, that is where the money is."

By the way, the worst-paying job in America is fast-food cook.

Stormy Friday

About 6:30 PM Friday evening a brief, but powerful storm rolled through our neighborhood.

The middle building of our group had a significantly large tree down on each side of it.

There was storm damage throughout the neighborhood. There were larger branches down all around as well as numerous smaller branches, twigs, and leaves. A neighbor's kiddie pool ended up in our backyard.

Whad' Ya Know at Penn State

Yesterday, I attended a presentation of Michael Feldman's live radio show, Whad' Ya Know?, at Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium.

I've been a fan of Whad' Ya Know? since it first aired on WPSU several years ago. I try to listen to at least some of the show every Saturday.

Whad' Ya Know? is a unique comedy-interview-music-game show featuring a fair amount of audience participation hosted by Michael Feldman. Feldman is joined by announcer Jim Packard, and band members John Thulin, Jeff Hamann, and Clyde Stubblefield.

It's always interesting to actually see people you've known only through their voices, how do they compare to the images of them you've created in your mind. Feldman was not all that different from what I had imagined, a bit shorter and a physical resemblance to Robin Williams I thought. Jim Packard was the biggest surprise. I knew he was an older man, but I had imagined him as being more robust rather than the tall, thin man he actually is.

I didn't think it was one of their best shows, but in all fairness, Feldman and his companions had to drive most of the night from Detroit after having three flights cancelled. However, I still found it very entertaining. I am very glad to have had the opportunity to see it in person.

Listen to the show

A New Era

Of course it's a cliche, but today really is the first day of the rest of my life.
Yesterday marked the final day of nearly 31 years of teaching math. I am now a retired gentleman of leisure. As yet, I have no specific plans for living in retirement. I want to first wind down and really come to terms with the fact that I no longer have to go to work.

Really, right now I don't feel anything different. Yesterday, I left school at 12:30, but so did everybody else. I suspect that the actuality of retirement is still two and a half months away.
I will certainly miss my fellow teachers. Most of them are terrific people. The early morning coffee meetings and lunch time will be the most missed things.

I'll miss working with and being around kids. On the other hand, there are a lot of them I'm glad to see the back of.

NCLB and PSSA will surely NOT be missed. In my humble opinion, these things are ruining teaching.

I'm looking forward to having the time and opportunity to expand and explore current and new interests. I think it will be nice to have the chance to do other things.

The Cash Cab

Cash Cab is a real TV game show that takes place in an actual New York taxi.

This is a really fun show. Actual taxi riders enter the cab and give their destination. Next the cab's ceiling light show illuminates and the game is explained to the passengers.

The passengers answer questions during the course of their ride. The questions begin at $25, $50, and $100 each. If three questions are answered incorrectly, the players are disqualified and kicked out of the cab. Players can "shout out" for help twice. There may be a "red light challenge" bonus for extra cash. At the end of the trip, there's an option to keep what's been won or risk it on a double-or-nothing video question.

The questions are not simple. Some are quite challenging. The host, Ben Bailey, is very talented and personable.

Repeat episodes air on the Discovery Channel Monday through Friday at 6:00 and 6:30. New episodes can be seen Wednesdays at 10 pm.

Discovery Channel :: Cash Cab

Wondering What to Get That Special Someone?

It seems the back story on the "Monster Pig" recently slain by an 11-year-old Alabama boy has an unusual and interesting twist.

The enormous hog had been raised on a farm after Rhonda Blissitt received it as a gift in December 2004 from her husband, Phil. Merry Christmas, Honey!

‘Monster Pig’ was huge — just not wild - MSNBC.com

Texas Leads in Carbon Emissions

Texas leads in carbon emissions - MSNBC.com

Texas, the leader in emitting ... greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas’ population.

The largest portion of U.S. greenhouse gases are the result of emissions from generating electricity, almost 40 percent. Close behind are transportation emissions, source of about one-third of U.S. production of carbon dioxide.

On a per-person basis, Wyoming generates more carbon dioxide than any other state: 138 tons of it a year. Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person, less than 23,000 pounds a year.

This Would Explain Alot

It was reported Thursday that scientists have discovered particles of cocaine, marijuana, caffeine and tobacco, in the air of Italy’s capital, Rome.

Something in the air in Rome: cocaine - MSNBC.com