"The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle."
That's why I always practice having a Happy Friday!
Jan 18, 2013
Pop Goes The Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel - There are dozen versions of "Pop Goes the Weasel" around the world. Many are similar, but in North America, the opening line is generally "all around the mulberry bush," possibly due to confusion with a similar tune, "Here we go round the mulberry bush."
In the UK it is usually "All around the cobbler's bench." Most authorities think "Pop Goes the Weasel" describes the acts of weaving, spinning, and sewing. A weasel was a mechanism used by tailors, cobblers, and hatters that "popped" when the spool was full of thread.
A version popular in 19th-century English music halls includes "Up and down the City Road / In and out the Eagle / That's the way the money goes," etc. The Eagle was a London tavern and the song describes the consequences of spending too little time at the cobbler's bench and too much on a bar stool. Some suggest that “Pop” means to pawn and “weasel” is Cockney rhyming slang, “weasel and stoat” for coat. So pawning a coat to pay for drinks.
All around the cobblers bench,
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pull up his sock,
Pop! goes the weasel.
---------------------
Good Tech, Bad Tech, Cool Tech
Last week the annual
Consumers Electronic Show happened in Las Vegas. As usual, there
were thousands of whizzbang gadgets that will never hit the store
shelves. Car makers were out in force with devices to tech-up new
cars and take our minds off of driving. Hundreds of toys, games,
bots, and tablets were on display, but almost no PCs. The buzz is
that PCs are so yesterday.
According to Cisco, 1 trillion devices will be connected to the Internet in 2013. Interesting note that Apple iPhones only made a bit over 14% of smartphone shipments during the last quarter of 2012. How far it has fallen from leader of the pack.
TVs - Of course, there was a plethora of 4K and OLED TVs that are amazing in clarity (4k is four times the definition of your HD TV, OLED is same definition as current HD, but much better quality), size (up to 100 inches), and price (up to thirty+ thousand dollars). Only thing small on them is the width of the screen at just 23mm. Samsung introduced a TV that can display two shows simultaneously. The 3D TVs that were supposed to be the next best thing to sliced bread last year were said to be dead on arrival this year.
Here are a few of my other observations:
Bad Tech, iPotty
This is a training potty for youngsters with an ipad to distract them while they are supposed to learn what to do on the potty.
Cool Tech, Papertab - a tablet as flexible as paper and has a 10.7in plastic touchscreen display
It is as thin as a piece of paper with a fully interactive plastic touchscreen display. The tablet is powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 processor and aims to replace the need for paper. A few phones and pads will have bendable screens in the not too distant future. This technology has been discussed for a number of years, but finally has reached the demo stage and it is impressive. Samsung, who has been outselling Apple three to one has this 'Youm Flexible Display'. Awesome!
Dumb Tech, HAPIfork - This little device starts to vibrate if you are eating too fast.
Good Tech, Leap - My personal favorite (and I will be getting one when they come out in next few months) is a $69 sensor from Leap Motion that enables full control of PCs or other devices using hand and finger gestures.
The 3D motion control technology has the ability to track the movement of the user's hand (including all 10 fingers) at 290 frames per second, tracking movements to 1/100th millimeter. It will make any screen react as if it was touch screen, so you do not need to go buy a touch screen.
My observations and prognostications for the next few years: ubiquitous wireless everything, smartphones getting larger toward the 5 - 6 inch sweet spot, smartphones as the universal controller for everything from TV to stoves to robots, Apple needs a new device to remain competitive, the mouse will begin to go the way of the PC as new technologies, like touch screen and Leap become more common, personal privacy is dying faster than the rotary dial telephone, devices controlled by the mind are progressing beyond games and will continue to go mainstream, smaller proved to be not better as we went too small with phones, thinner is the new 'better'.
According to Cisco, 1 trillion devices will be connected to the Internet in 2013. Interesting note that Apple iPhones only made a bit over 14% of smartphone shipments during the last quarter of 2012. How far it has fallen from leader of the pack.
TVs - Of course, there was a plethora of 4K and OLED TVs that are amazing in clarity (4k is four times the definition of your HD TV, OLED is same definition as current HD, but much better quality), size (up to 100 inches), and price (up to thirty+ thousand dollars). Only thing small on them is the width of the screen at just 23mm. Samsung introduced a TV that can display two shows simultaneously. The 3D TVs that were supposed to be the next best thing to sliced bread last year were said to be dead on arrival this year.
Here are a few of my other observations:
Bad Tech, iPotty
This is a training potty for youngsters with an ipad to distract them while they are supposed to learn what to do on the potty.
Cool Tech, Papertab - a tablet as flexible as paper and has a 10.7in plastic touchscreen display
It is as thin as a piece of paper with a fully interactive plastic touchscreen display. The tablet is powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 processor and aims to replace the need for paper. A few phones and pads will have bendable screens in the not too distant future. This technology has been discussed for a number of years, but finally has reached the demo stage and it is impressive. Samsung, who has been outselling Apple three to one has this 'Youm Flexible Display'. Awesome!
Dumb Tech, HAPIfork - This little device starts to vibrate if you are eating too fast.
Good Tech, Leap - My personal favorite (and I will be getting one when they come out in next few months) is a $69 sensor from Leap Motion that enables full control of PCs or other devices using hand and finger gestures.
The 3D motion control technology has the ability to track the movement of the user's hand (including all 10 fingers) at 290 frames per second, tracking movements to 1/100th millimeter. It will make any screen react as if it was touch screen, so you do not need to go buy a touch screen.
My observations and prognostications for the next few years: ubiquitous wireless everything, smartphones getting larger toward the 5 - 6 inch sweet spot, smartphones as the universal controller for everything from TV to stoves to robots, Apple needs a new device to remain competitive, the mouse will begin to go the way of the PC as new technologies, like touch screen and Leap become more common, personal privacy is dying faster than the rotary dial telephone, devices controlled by the mind are progressing beyond games and will continue to go mainstream, smaller proved to be not better as we went too small with phones, thinner is the new 'better'.
Wordology, Junkie
Early heroin users supported their habits
by collecting and selling scrap metal, hence the name ‘junkie’.
Jan 15, 2013
Happy Birthday to You
AOL Time Warner owns the copyright of
“Happy birthday to You” and will do so until 2030 when the copyright
expires. For this reason movies often use different songs, which are
not in copyright or are owned by the studio for birthday scenes. AOL
Time Warner earns over $2 million per year from royalties for the
song.
Three Types of Burn Relief
Milk is an excellent compress
for minor burns. Soak the burned area in milk for about 15 minutes
or apply a milk-soaked cloth to the area. Whole milk's fat content
soothes burns and promotes healing. Of course, rinse your skin and
the cloth in cool water after or the milk will begin to stink.
A less known option is to use Preparation H, the hemorrhoid treatment cream for treating minor burns. Pat it on the area and you can reduce a few days off the healing time. This is because it contains a yeast derivative that speeds healing.
The most common option is to use cold water to soothe a new burn. However, using ice water can risk making the burn worse, because extreme cold can kill just as many skin cells as extreme heat. Cool water will stop the burning from spreading through your tissues and will act as a temporary painkiller.
A less known option is to use Preparation H, the hemorrhoid treatment cream for treating minor burns. Pat it on the area and you can reduce a few days off the healing time. This is because it contains a yeast derivative that speeds healing.
The most common option is to use cold water to soothe a new burn. However, using ice water can risk making the burn worse, because extreme cold can kill just as many skin cells as extreme heat. Cool water will stop the burning from spreading through your tissues and will act as a temporary painkiller.
Pantone Colors 2013
Pantone has chosen Monaco Blue as
the top fashion color for spring 2013.
Other shades listed on the Fashion Color Report include: Emerald, Dusk Blue, Tender Shoots, Lemon Zest, Linen, Poppy Red, Nectarine, African Violet and Grayed Jade.
Other shades listed on the Fashion Color Report include: Emerald, Dusk Blue, Tender Shoots, Lemon Zest, Linen, Poppy Red, Nectarine, African Violet and Grayed Jade.
Wearable Drums
Here is an interesting concept bound to
upset all those around.
It is a functional drum set built into a t-shirt. The drum pads on the front of the shirt let you tap out a beat using your fingers. The shirt also comes with a mini amplifier that clips on to your pants. It is cheap way at $29.99 to irritate everyone in close proximity. The one redeeming feature might be to start drumming when the irritating person next to you starts loudly talking on their phone. LINK
It is a functional drum set built into a t-shirt. The drum pads on the front of the shirt let you tap out a beat using your fingers. The shirt also comes with a mini amplifier that clips on to your pants. It is cheap way at $29.99 to irritate everyone in close proximity. The one redeeming feature might be to start drumming when the irritating person next to you starts loudly talking on their phone. LINK
Jan 11, 2013
Happy Friday
"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will
command the attention of the world."
It is common for me to have an uncommonly Happy Friday!
It is common for me to have an uncommonly Happy Friday!
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