Now you know.
Jan 7, 2010
Third World Countries
Did you ever wonder what the 'third world countries' are? Here is a picture of the first, second, and third world countries.
Now you know.
Now you know.
Audio Books
There is a web site, LibriVox, that makes audio books from public domain books and they are free to download. The range is wide, from Aesop to Emile Zola. LINK
Nice to have when you are driving, or just seeking a pleasant diversion. Also, great if you have someone in the family that does not see as well as they used to. I sampled "The Importance of Being Ernest" and it was read by a cast, just as if it were being acted on stage. Good stuff.
Nice to have when you are driving, or just seeking a pleasant diversion. Also, great if you have someone in the family that does not see as well as they used to. I sampled "The Importance of Being Ernest" and it was read by a cast, just as if it were being acted on stage. Good stuff.
Ebook Reader
This is a picture of a new ebook reader from Plastic Logic to be announced at CES this month. Looks like it is about as thick as a cover from a real book.
Another ebook reader, Skiff will be announced this week, also. It is 9 x 11 and is .268 inches thick. It also is bendable, with stainless steel substrate, instead of glass. Prices have not been announced yet, but will likely be in line with the other readers. Awesome technology.
Look for a spate of new readers this year and don't be surprised when your school age children call home and request one, so they do not have to lug around their backpack stuffed with paper books. A number of school book publishers are already making text books available for the readers.
Another ebook reader, Skiff will be announced this week, also. It is 9 x 11 and is .268 inches thick. It also is bendable, with stainless steel substrate, instead of glass. Prices have not been announced yet, but will likely be in line with the other readers. Awesome technology.
Look for a spate of new readers this year and don't be surprised when your school age children call home and request one, so they do not have to lug around their backpack stuffed with paper books. A number of school book publishers are already making text books available for the readers.
Jan 2, 2010
New Year's Eve
The last day of the year is New Year's Eve. Many people see the old year out with a party, welcoming in the New Year with toasts of champagne, and exchanging good wishes for a 'Happy New Year'. This celebration is particularly dear to the Scots. They call it Big Ben Hogmanay. All over Britain there are parties, fireworks, singing and dancing, to ring out the old year and ring in the new. As the clock Big Ben strikes midnight, people link arms and sing a song called 'Auld Lang Syne' to remind them of old and new friends.
A New Year superstition in Yorkshire, England - people say 'Black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits' during the closing seconds of the old year. Then they say, 'White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits,' as their first utterance of the New Year. This is suppose to bring good luck.
A New Year superstition in Yorkshire, England - people say 'Black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits' during the closing seconds of the old year. Then they say, 'White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits,' as their first utterance of the New Year. This is suppose to bring good luck.
Blue Moon
On December 31st, will be the second full moon of the month, or the 13th full moon of the year. These rare occasions are called a blue moon, as in “once in a blue moon.” There will also be a partial lunar eclipse on the 31st (visible in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia).
Quotable
Last year I made a list of things to do.
I’ll use that list again this year,
It’s still as good as new.
I’ll use that list again this year,
It’s still as good as new.
1959 Inventions
Looking back to fifty years ago, here is what was invented in 1959 -
Royal Crown Cola
Frosty O's (General Mills)
Ocean Spray brand products (name changed from National Cranberry Assn)
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream (nonsense name that was chosen for its sound)
Royal Crown Cola
Frosty O's (General Mills)
Ocean Spray brand products (name changed from National Cranberry Assn)
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream (nonsense name that was chosen for its sound)
Dec 31, 2009
New Year Poem
If New Year's Eve night-wind blows south,
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
If west, much milk, and fish in the sea;
If north, cold and storms there will be;
If east, the trees will bear much fruit;
If north-east, flee it, man and brute!
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
If west, much milk, and fish in the sea;
If north, cold and storms there will be;
If east, the trees will bear much fruit;
If north-east, flee it, man and brute!
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather for food and fun. Outdoor sports, such as soccer, horse racing, and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada. It is celebrated on December 26th and is a statutory holiday in the federal jurisdiction and Ontario. If it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the working day immediately preceding or following Boxing Day is considered a legal holiday.
Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen, after the first Christian martyr, originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. Many workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in wood or clay boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day".
Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed amongst the poor by the clergy on the day after Christmas.
When great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage. If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.
During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, and sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands.
Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen, after the first Christian martyr, originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. Many workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in wood or clay boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day".
Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed amongst the poor by the clergy on the day after Christmas.
When great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage. If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.
During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, and sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands.
Color of the Year 2010
Turquoise. Pantone has announced their selection for Color of the Year for 2010, and the winner is Turquoise. Turqouise, according to the color mavens, "evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being.”
Real turquoise (the mineral) was treasured in antiquity for "natural protection against the powers of darkness" and derives its name from the custom of the Turks to wear one in their turbans to ward off the "evil eye".
The Color of the Year for 2009 was "Mimosa".
The Color of the Year for 2009 was "Mimosa".
Language
There are an estimated 6,500 languages in the world and half or more of them could cease to exist by 2100.
Languages are dying out around the globe through globalization, social change, and a shift in populations from rural areas to cities. Of the 6,500 languages estimated to be still in use, only 11 are spoken by half the world's population, and 95 percent of the languages are spoken by less than five percent of the global population.
A new project, the World Oral Literature Project, by the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, aims to preserve the linguistic diversity being lost. The project is recording and documenting languages that face the prospect of dying out, with the goal of preserving their poems, chants, stories, and anything else that can be recorded. This is somewhat like the Rosetta Stone Project, which began about ten years ago and that has documented 2,500 languages for the same purpose.
The language used by most people is Chinese Mandarin, followed by English and Spanish. The language spoken by most countries is English, followed by French, then Spanish.
1.5 billion people speak Chinese, 1 billion plus speak English, and about 500 million speak Spanish. English is spoken in more countries than any other language.
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It has become common as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century. All y'all listen up?
Languages are dying out around the globe through globalization, social change, and a shift in populations from rural areas to cities. Of the 6,500 languages estimated to be still in use, only 11 are spoken by half the world's population, and 95 percent of the languages are spoken by less than five percent of the global population.
A new project, the World Oral Literature Project, by the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, aims to preserve the linguistic diversity being lost. The project is recording and documenting languages that face the prospect of dying out, with the goal of preserving their poems, chants, stories, and anything else that can be recorded. This is somewhat like the Rosetta Stone Project, which began about ten years ago and that has documented 2,500 languages for the same purpose.
The language used by most people is Chinese Mandarin, followed by English and Spanish. The language spoken by most countries is English, followed by French, then Spanish.
1.5 billion people speak Chinese, 1 billion plus speak English, and about 500 million speak Spanish. English is spoken in more countries than any other language.
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It has become common as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century. All y'all listen up?
US and GDP Equivalents
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