The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in
our attitude toward them.
I mean to keep a positive attitude toward a Happy Friday!
Jan 4, 2013
Time
The new year is a good time to think about time. In
1903, the Wright brothers performed their first successful flight.
In 1941, 38 years later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. (Mount Rushmore was completed in 1941).
In 1969, just 28 years after that, man landed on the moon. In 66 years man went from flight a few feet off the earth to flying to the moon.
In 2012, 109 years after the Wright brothers flight we landed a craft on Mars and it is communicating back to us with pictures.
Wikipedia lists the names of 41 people born during or before 1903 that are still living.
In 1941, 38 years later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. (Mount Rushmore was completed in 1941).
In 1969, just 28 years after that, man landed on the moon. In 66 years man went from flight a few feet off the earth to flying to the moon.
In 2012, 109 years after the Wright brothers flight we landed a craft on Mars and it is communicating back to us with pictures.
Wikipedia lists the names of 41 people born during or before 1903 that are still living.
Life Span vs. Life Expectancy
There are two kinds of life
span. One is maximum life span, the greatest age reached by any
member of a species. In humans this is currently about 120 years.
(The oldest confirmed recorded age for any human is 122 years).
The other is average life span, the average age reached by members
of a population.
Life expectancy is the number of remaining years an individual can expect to live, based on his or her current age and average life spans. Life expectancy generally quoted is the ''at birth'' number which is an average that includes all the babies that die before their first year of life as well as people that die from disease, war, etc. For example, the Life Expectancy table at the University of Texas shows ''at birth'' the life expectancy was 25, but at the age of 5 it jumped to 48. So life expectancy changes with your age.
Mozambique has the lowest life expectancy for its population at 39.2. Japan is the highest at 82.7 and the US is 38th at 78.2 years.
Life expectancy is the number of remaining years an individual can expect to live, based on his or her current age and average life spans. Life expectancy generally quoted is the ''at birth'' number which is an average that includes all the babies that die before their first year of life as well as people that die from disease, war, etc. For example, the Life Expectancy table at the University of Texas shows ''at birth'' the life expectancy was 25, but at the age of 5 it jumped to 48. So life expectancy changes with your age.
Mozambique has the lowest life expectancy for its population at 39.2. Japan is the highest at 82.7 and the US is 38th at 78.2 years.
Quirky Idea
Here is something to get your creative juices
flowing in the new year. A website, quirky.com will accept your
idea for an invention, vet it, and if it makes sense will produce
the product and get it sold in thousands of stores. Check the site
at the link below and you can see some of the items it produces as
well as take a look at the invention submission process.
It costs ten dollars to submit an idea and this pays for evaluation and suggestions. If they like your idea, just sit back, relax, and wait for the royalty checks to begin pouring in.
LINK
It costs ten dollars to submit an idea and this pays for evaluation and suggestions. If they like your idea, just sit back, relax, and wait for the royalty checks to begin pouring in.
LINK
Three Kings Debunked
Since the feast of The Three Kings,
or Epiphany is coming up this Sunday, January 6, I thought this
might be interesting. Oh the heresy - The famous “three kings”
from the Biblical birth of Christ narrative were not:
1. Three in number - the number isn’t mentioned.
2. Kings – Likely from Psalm 71:11 (72:11 in protestant bibles): “And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.”
3. Traveling on camels - Matthew 2:1–2 says: “When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” It says a little later that they offered Him gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Since there were three gifts, the number of wise men has been assumed to be three. In the East, the number is twelve.
Historical references depict the three variously as scholars, or noblemen, or kings.
Incidentally, Magi is the origin of the word magic.
1. Three in number - the number isn’t mentioned.
2. Kings – Likely from Psalm 71:11 (72:11 in protestant bibles): “And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.”
3. Traveling on camels - Matthew 2:1–2 says: “When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” It says a little later that they offered Him gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Since there were three gifts, the number of wise men has been assumed to be three. In the East, the number is twelve.
Historical references depict the three variously as scholars, or noblemen, or kings.
Incidentally, Magi is the origin of the word magic.
Jan 1, 2013
New Year Resolution
Here is a good resolution for the new year. Consider
reviewing your will.
The Internet has complicated things for family and executors of wills. Many of us have multiple online accounts spread across the web and they should be dealt with if something unforeseen happens. If you have multiple online accounts, make sure your online friends are notified of your death and your accounts and email accounts are handled the way you want them to be handled. The best way to do that is to update your will and provide information about your multiple accounts and how you would like them dealt with.
There are many online services now that allow people to register an account, and safely store all their passwords, account information and more so that when they die, a copy of a death certificate to that company will allow all the information to be released to the next of kin or estate executor.
Facebook allows three methods. The first is easy, if you have the account name and password, you can log in and delete it. Second, you can have the account memorialized, meaning it will not change, but specific information will be removed. Third, you can have the account removed by sending a copy of the death certificate to Facebook and ask that it be deleted.
Most other online services offer the same types of options. Too many to get into here, but check the 'Help' files and you can find what you need. Let's hope none of us need to use this info for a long time.
The Internet has complicated things for family and executors of wills. Many of us have multiple online accounts spread across the web and they should be dealt with if something unforeseen happens. If you have multiple online accounts, make sure your online friends are notified of your death and your accounts and email accounts are handled the way you want them to be handled. The best way to do that is to update your will and provide information about your multiple accounts and how you would like them dealt with.
There are many online services now that allow people to register an account, and safely store all their passwords, account information and more so that when they die, a copy of a death certificate to that company will allow all the information to be released to the next of kin or estate executor.
Facebook allows three methods. The first is easy, if you have the account name and password, you can log in and delete it. Second, you can have the account memorialized, meaning it will not change, but specific information will be removed. Third, you can have the account removed by sending a copy of the death certificate to Facebook and ask that it be deleted.
Most other online services offer the same types of options. Too many to get into here, but check the 'Help' files and you can find what you need. Let's hope none of us need to use this info for a long time.
Capitonyms
These are words that change their meaning based
on whether the first letter is capitalized or not. Capitonyms are
particularly troublesome when they appear at the beginning of a
sentence, as there is no way, based on the single word alone to
tell which meaning is being referred to.
Examples of these include: August vs. august (month vs majestic or venerable); Calorie vs. calorie (1000 calories (food) vs. 1 calorie); Divine vs. divine (related to God vs. to discover by intuition or insight); etc.
Examples of these include: August vs. august (month vs majestic or venerable); Calorie vs. calorie (1000 calories (food) vs. 1 calorie); Divine vs. divine (related to God vs. to discover by intuition or insight); etc.
Visions of Sugar Plums
Left over thoughts of holiday sweets
led me to wonder about some familiar candies.
The 3 Musketeers bar was originally split into three pieces with three different flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. When vanilla and strawberry flavoring became hard to come by during WWII, Mars decided to go all chocolate.
When M&Ms were first introduced in 1941 they were red, brown, yellow, green and violet. The first M&Ms came in a cardboard tube and were given to soldiers in their rations, because the chocolate was a good energy source, and the candy-coated shell kept the chocolate from melting in their hands.
Milky Way was the first commercially distributed filled candy bar in 1923. It came in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The vanilla version came covered in dark chocolate. They were sold separately for several years, then sold as a two-piece candy bar just like 3 Musketeers was sold as a three-piece candy bar. Mars continued to sell the vanilla and dark chocolate version under a new name – the Forever Yours bar. It was rebranded again as the Milky Way Dark, and these days you’ll find it on shelves under the name “Milky Way Midnight.” The name of the bar was inspired by the flavor of a milkshake.
Starbursts were originally named Opal fruits and came in four flavors: orange, lemon, lime, and strawberry. When the name switched to Starburst in 1967, lemon and lime were combined into one flavor so blackcurrant chews could be added to the mix.
When Jelly Bellys were first launched, there were eight flavors; Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape Jelly, Licorice, A&W Root Beer, and A&W Cream Soda. Now Jelly Bellies have 50 official flavors, nine rookie flavors, five Cold Stone Creamery-inspired flavors, and lines that include soda flavors, sour beans, sport beans, Harry Potter’s Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and smoothie blends.
Life Savers first came in Pep-O-Mint when they were introduced in 1913 Later they added Wint-O-Green, Cl-O-ve, Lic-O-Riche, Cinn-O-Mon, Vi-O-let and Choc-O-Late. The familiar fruit flavors of today were developed in 1925: grape, orange, lemon, and lime.
PEZ gets its name from the first flavor it ever came in – Pfefferminz, German for peppermint. They came in little cigarette lighter-like cases to conveniently dispense mints to smokers. In the 1950s PEZ decided to expand their market to children and used the fun dispensers to do so. Santa, a robot, and a Space Gun were the first dispensers for children.
Tootsie Pops started with Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry. There is a sixth flavor that alternates between Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, and Banana.
The first Mentos flavor was a peppermint flavored caramel candy when it was introduced in 1932. Cinnamon Mentos in the US and fruit-flavored Mentos in Europe came 40 years later. Mentos around the world now come in raisin, lemon yogurt, cola, grape ‘n’ cream, black licorice, red orange and others.
The 3 Musketeers bar was originally split into three pieces with three different flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. When vanilla and strawberry flavoring became hard to come by during WWII, Mars decided to go all chocolate.
When M&Ms were first introduced in 1941 they were red, brown, yellow, green and violet. The first M&Ms came in a cardboard tube and were given to soldiers in their rations, because the chocolate was a good energy source, and the candy-coated shell kept the chocolate from melting in their hands.
Milky Way was the first commercially distributed filled candy bar in 1923. It came in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The vanilla version came covered in dark chocolate. They were sold separately for several years, then sold as a two-piece candy bar just like 3 Musketeers was sold as a three-piece candy bar. Mars continued to sell the vanilla and dark chocolate version under a new name – the Forever Yours bar. It was rebranded again as the Milky Way Dark, and these days you’ll find it on shelves under the name “Milky Way Midnight.” The name of the bar was inspired by the flavor of a milkshake.
Starbursts were originally named Opal fruits and came in four flavors: orange, lemon, lime, and strawberry. When the name switched to Starburst in 1967, lemon and lime were combined into one flavor so blackcurrant chews could be added to the mix.
When Jelly Bellys were first launched, there were eight flavors; Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape Jelly, Licorice, A&W Root Beer, and A&W Cream Soda. Now Jelly Bellies have 50 official flavors, nine rookie flavors, five Cold Stone Creamery-inspired flavors, and lines that include soda flavors, sour beans, sport beans, Harry Potter’s Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and smoothie blends.
Life Savers first came in Pep-O-Mint when they were introduced in 1913 Later they added Wint-O-Green, Cl-O-ve, Lic-O-Riche, Cinn-O-Mon, Vi-O-let and Choc-O-Late. The familiar fruit flavors of today were developed in 1925: grape, orange, lemon, and lime.
PEZ gets its name from the first flavor it ever came in – Pfefferminz, German for peppermint. They came in little cigarette lighter-like cases to conveniently dispense mints to smokers. In the 1950s PEZ decided to expand their market to children and used the fun dispensers to do so. Santa, a robot, and a Space Gun were the first dispensers for children.
Tootsie Pops started with Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry. There is a sixth flavor that alternates between Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, and Banana.
The first Mentos flavor was a peppermint flavored caramel candy when it was introduced in 1932. Cinnamon Mentos in the US and fruit-flavored Mentos in Europe came 40 years later. Mentos around the world now come in raisin, lemon yogurt, cola, grape ‘n’ cream, black licorice, red orange and others.
Drone Delivered Food
In a video posted on YouTube, an engineer sets a location for the Burrito Bomber to drop its payload and another loads a burrito into a drop canister with a parachute. Within minutes, the bomber flies to the GPS-set location and drops the burrito, where a happy recipient opens the canister and takes a bite.
Drones have been increasingly used by government and military for many uses, like checking on fishing hatcheries, border surveillance, specifically directed bombs, search and rescue, and more. Sizes range from mere inches to larger ones that can fly thousands of miles at heights of 15,000 feet.
Delivering food by drone is still prohibited by the FAA, but the recently signed FAA Modernization and Reform Act requires the FAA to allow drones built by private companies to fly in US airspace, and could open up a pathway for drone delivery of parcels, mail, and food. Gives a whole new meaning to home delivery.
Dec 29, 2012
Happy Friday
Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts.
I have placed my heart, mind, and soul into having a Happy Friday!
I have placed my heart, mind, and soul into having a Happy Friday!
Dead Sea Scrolls
As we look to the future, sometimes it is
also good to look at the past. Here is a site that features the
actual dead sea scrolls. Brilliant pictures and descriptions. It
allows you to view, enlarge, scroll, etc.
Fragments of every book of the Hebrew Bible, except the Book of Esther were found in the Qumran caves, the most famous of the Dead Sea Scrolls sites. Some of these ancient copies are identical to the traditional text of the Hebrew Bible that is used today. Other copies preserve differences in the text, which was in the process of standardization.
Fascinating to see the original manuscripts. LINK
Fragments of every book of the Hebrew Bible, except the Book of Esther were found in the Qumran caves, the most famous of the Dead Sea Scrolls sites. Some of these ancient copies are identical to the traditional text of the Hebrew Bible that is used today. Other copies preserve differences in the text, which was in the process of standardization.
Fascinating to see the original manuscripts. LINK
Candy Cane Myths and Facts
The myth is the white base color
of the candy cane symbolizes Jesus’ purity; the red stripes
symbolize Jesus’ blood when he died on the cross; and the J shape
was chosen to represent the J in Jesus. These and all other
religious connotations have been debunked or not able to be proven
as fact.
The facts - Candy canes started as white sugar sticks with no hook as early as the 1600s. There is no reference to calling them candy "canes" until the mid to late 1600s. No fact as to why the sticks were changed into canes, although many believe it was so the candy could be hung on a Christmas tree.
The red stripe was not added until the early 1900s. No one knows who invented the stripes, but Christmas cards prior to the year 1900 showed only all-white candy canes. Christmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes.
The bottom line is that we do not know who started making them, why, or who added the hook, but most people love candy canes and that is a fact.
The facts - Candy canes started as white sugar sticks with no hook as early as the 1600s. There is no reference to calling them candy "canes" until the mid to late 1600s. No fact as to why the sticks were changed into canes, although many believe it was so the candy could be hung on a Christmas tree.
The red stripe was not added until the early 1900s. No one knows who invented the stripes, but Christmas cards prior to the year 1900 showed only all-white candy canes. Christmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes.
The bottom line is that we do not know who started making them, why, or who added the hook, but most people love candy canes and that is a fact.
Personal Genome Map for $99
What a great way to begin the
New Year. Get your genome mapped. A few years ago it cost over ten
thousand dollars. LINK
Strange Christmas Traditions
On Christmas in Caracas they skate to mass on roller skates. Firecrackers pop to wake the citizens, who put on their skates for the pre-dawn trip to mass. Streets are closed in the mornings to allow the skating churchgoers to pass.
In Catalonia, the traditional nativity scene has an extra figure. El Caganer can be found somewhere on the periphery of the scene, crouched in the squatting position of a bowel movement. It is believed “The Defecator” in the nativity scene will fertilize the coming year with a good harvest of wealth and prosperity. The statue can be a monk, a shepherd, a popular sports star, or celebrity, but he is always wearing his signature red Catalan hat as he squats above a pile.
In Italy, the gift-bringer is a kind but hideous witch named La Befana. She missed seeing the Christ-child, because she was busy when the wise men told her to come. La Befana comes late, several days after Christmas Day, but leaves gifts at each house in case the holy infant is there.
In Ireland it is traditional to leave out mince pie and Guinness as snacks for Santa.
Norwegians legend says witches and evil spirits come out on Christmas Eve to steal brooms and ride around causing mischief.
In the Ukraine, Christmas trees are adorned with silver and gold spider webs. This tradition came from the story of a poor woman without means to decorate for the holiday. As she slept, spiders spun webs of pure gold and silver to beautify her tree and bring her wealth.
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