What's in a Name, Welsh Rarebit

It is cheese on toast with added ingredients. When it was devised in the 18th century, the English (by then well-established in their teasing of the Welsh) jokingly called it Welsh Rabbit - as a Welshman, supposedly too poor to have meat, had to eat cheese instead.

The earliest reference can be traced to 1725 and the diary of a poet called John Byrom who wrote, "I did not eat of cold beef, but of Welsh rabbit and stewed cheese."

Sixty years later, the rarebit popped up in Francis Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: ‘A Welsh rabbit is bread and cheese roasted, i.e. a Welsh rare bit.’

Yelp Changes

Speaking of food, Yelp, the site millions go to for reviews of local eating establishments may be changing, and not for the better. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, said that review site Yelp could manipulate its ratings for money.

So, if a small diner makes a big ad buy on the site, those extra dollars could possibly boost the diner's rating, thus potentially gaining it more customers.

Yelp says that it does not manipulate ratings, despite longtime accusations from business owners. It says it uses an automated process for star ratings on the site. There is no reason to believe that the company is or will be 100 percent fair about business ratings and placement just because it seems like the right thing to do. Take your Yelp reviews with a grain of salt from now on, as you should have been doing all along.

Windows Printing Tip

To print a web page, email, or selected text or picture hold down the CTRL key and press the letter p. You can select your PDF printer to create a page to read later.

Coconut Facts

There are more than 1,300 kinds of coconut, and they can be separated into two main genetic origins: the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. There are also over a thousand uses for coconut and its tree.

Coconut water is a workable short-term substitute for human blood plasma and was positively tested as emergency intravenous fluid as far back as the 1950s. Coconut water is also low in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars, and almost completely fat-free. In addition, it is high in ascorbic acid, B vitamins, and proteins. The soft meat inside the coconut helps to restore oxidative tissue damage and contains a source of healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Gas mask manufacturers in the US developed the use of steam-activated coconut char, obtained by burning coconut husks as an important component in gas mask production. They found that masks using coconut carbon were superior at filtering noxious substances. Coconut carbon is still an important ingredient in cleaning up radiation and was heavily used in the cleanup project at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Coconut lumber is a good building material, a fossil fuel alternative, and coconut trees can produce oil in workable quantities.

In the Philippines, sap from an unopened coconut flower is distilled into a potent drink called lambanog. It is 80 to 90 proof, but is organic and chemical-free. Lambanog is traditionally homemade, but some commercial distilleries have introduced several flavors into the market, such as mango, bubblegum, and blueberry.

Coconut armor consisted of a cap, body armor, back plate, leggings, and a close-fitting jacket. A high collar in the back protected the warrior from stones thrown from his own side.

Coconut butter is the flesh of the coconut which has been ground into butter. It is creamier than the oil, and makes a great dairy-free spread.

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts. Use coconut oil to remove heavy makeup. Rub into your skin, leave it on for a few minutes, and wipe it all off with a warm cloth. Treat dry, flaky cuticles by rubbing coconut oil into your nail beds. Use your fingers to massage some oil into the area and it will moisturize your hands.

Use coconut oil to lubricate a squeaky hinge

Coconut meat can be eaten raw, cooked, or as a preserve. You can top salads with shredded or grated, lightly toasted coconut meat. You can use a blender to make it into smoothies. Coconut meat is high in fiber, polyphenols, and phytosterols, and can decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol.

Wordology, Oche

It is the line behind which darts players must stand while tossing.

Friday Thought

Happy Friday

Those who live as if there is no tomorrow and those who live as if there are endless tomorrows are both wrong.

I try to live like every day is worth celebrating, especially on a Happy Friday! 

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Winners

Since 1982 the English Department at San Jose State University has sponsored the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, a whimsical literary competition that challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels. LINK  Fun read for all.

Baseball Trivia

The only man who hit a home run, but did not score on it was former Major League baseball player Benji Molina. He was so slow that he once hit a home run that he never scored on. What happened was Molina hit a home run that initially was ruled a single and a pinch runner, Emmanuel Burris was put in.

However, manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call and it was ultimately ruled a home run, but because the pinch runner had already been put in, the umpires ruled that Molina could not go back out to complete the home run. Burris was given credit for scoring the run, while Molina was credited with hitting the home run.

Smartphone Tips

Want to capture something on your phone's screen? Try this

iPhone - Press and hold the Home button along with the Sleep/Wake button. You should hear a shutter click. The screenshot will appear in your Camera Roll or Saved Photos section.

Android - Hold the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time. The image is saved to the "Captured Images" folder in your Gallery app. That only works in Android 4.0 and higher. For some Samsung Galaxy phones, hold the home and power off buttons at the same time.



Want to increase the font size to something a bit easier to see?
iPhone
Go to Settings>>General>>Accessibility and turn on Bold Text and Larger Text. You can choose either one or both, depending on your preferences. You will need to restart your phone for Bold Text to take effect.

Android
Go to Settings>>Accessibility. Under Vision, tap Font size and set it to Large. Some phones include an even larger 'Huge' option.


Want to have your phone read things out loud?
iPhone
Go to Settings>>General>>Accessibility and turn on VoiceOver. You will need to do some playing around to get used to it. For example you can touch and drag your fingers around the home screen to have it read what's there. Double tap to activate an app, while one tap will give you details about it. VoiceOver will read directions to you in Maps, have your camera tell you how many people are in your shot, and get spoken photo descriptions. You can also hand write notes and letters on the screen and have VoiceOver translate your messages into text for Mail and other apps.

Android
Go to Settings>>Accessibility and tap TalkBack. If you don't see it, you can download it from the Google Play store. Turn it on and your phone will read whatever you touch on the screen and incoming notifications. To perform a regular swipe gesture, you need to use two fingers instead of one. To adjust your TalkBack settings, go to Settings>>Accessibility and tap Text-to-Speech options. You can adjust the voice engine and speed rate. Then go to Settings and turn on Hands-free mode. This will tell you who is calling or messaging. (I tried this and it was so irritating, that I shut it off)

Want to control your phone camera with voice?
Android
Open the camera app and tap the gear to see the settings. Scroll down to Voice control and turn it on. Now you can take pictures with the commands, "Capture," "Shoot," "Smile" and "Cheese." If your phone doesn't have a built-in camera app with this feature, you'll need a third-party app like Say Cheese.

Homogamy, Hypergamy, Hypogamy

This is a marriage between individuals who are, in some culturally important way, similar to each other. Homogamy may be based on socioeconomic status, class, gender, ethnicity, or religion. Concerning age homogamy, there is an old maxim, "Never date anyone under half your age plus seven." This rule of thumb is sometimes used to judge whether the age differences in potential intimate relationships are socially acceptable within a Western-oriented culture. Homogamy can also refer to the socialization customs of a particular group; such that people who are similar in religion, class, gender, or culture tend to socialize with one another.

Hypergamy, or marrying up is the practice of marrying someone wealthier, or of higher caste or status than oneself. The term is not gender specific, but it is generally used by social scientists to refer to women marrying higher-status men, rather than to men marrying higher-status women.

Hypogamy typically refers to instances of marrying a person of lower social class or status. So, this hypergamist and hypogamist got married and lived happily ever after.

Scanner Radio App

One of the most valuable things in an emergency is real-time information. Now you can add an app to your smartphone to be informed. LINK

Get access to live police, fire, weather, and radio repeaters from around the world and add local stations to a favorites list. This app is free for Apple and Android smartphones.

Facebook Messenger

Now that Facebook has decided to separate the messenger service from Facebook it might be time to look at whether you want to use it. It only works for Facebook friends, so you still need another messenger service for non Facebook friends.

The new Messenger allows you to message ONLY your Facebook friends using a Wi-Fi connection or your data plan. It lets you include stickers in your messages and new messages will pop up on your screen while you are using other apps. The app lets you send picture and video messages like other mobile messaging services. Like Skype, now you can call your Facebook friends all over the world for free using your Wi-Fi connection. Of course Skype does not limit calls to only Facebook friends. Seems silly to add another messenger service that can only access some of your contacts. Caveat Emptor and absolutely do read the terms of service.

Wall Plug Tip

Wall plugs or outlets have no top or bottom. Unlike light switches, it does not matter which way is up or down. However, most buildings have switch-controlled outlets mounted upside-down with the center hole on top. Normal position for plugs is to have the center hole below the two prongs. Very handy to know when moving into a new place and you want to place a lamp that you want to be controlled by a light switch.