White and Black

The Proto-Indo-European word bhel evolved into many modern words meaning "white," including Spanish blanco, French blanc, Italian bianco, and Portuguese branco, as well as white-related words such as bleach and blank. Bhel also referred to anything bright, like fire, and the result of fire is blackened, charred remains. Hence, black. Symbols and sayings about white and black:

White
A white flag is the universal symbol for truce.
White means mourning in China and Japan.
Angels are usually depicted wearing white robes.
The ancient Greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams.
The Egyptian pharaohs wore white crowns.
The ancient Persians believed all gods wore white.
A “white elephant” is a rare, pale elephant considered sacred to the people of India, Thailand, Burma, and in Sri Lanka it is either a possession that costs more than it is worth to keep or an item that the owner does not want, but cannot get rid of.
It's considered good luck to be married in a white garment.
White heat is a state of intense enthusiasm, anger, devotion, or passion.
To whitewash is to gloss over defects or make something seem presentable that is not.
A white knight is a rescuer.
A white list contains favored items (as opposed to a blacklist).
A whiteout occurs when there is zero visibility during a blizzard.
A white sale is a sale of sheets, towels, and other bed and bath items.
A whited sepulcher is a person who is evil inside, but appears good on the outside.
White lightning is slang for moonshine, a home brewed alcohol.
A white room is a clean room as well as a temperature-controlled, dust-free room for precision instruments.
White water is the foamy, frothy water in rapids and waterfalls.

Black
The ancient Egyptians and Romans used black for mourning, as do most Europeans and Americans today.
The Blackshirts were the security troops in Hitler's German army, also known as the S.S.
Black humor is morbid or unhealthy and gloomy humor.
A blackhearted person is evil.
If a business is “in the black,” it is making money.
A “blacklist” is a list of persons or organizations to be boycotted or punished.
Black is associated with sophistication and elegance. A “black tie” event is formal.
A black belt in karate identifies an expert.
A black flag in a car race is the signal for a driver to go to the pits.
A blackguard is a scoundrel.
The ancient Egyptians believed that black cats had divine powers.
Black lung is a coal miner's disease caused by the frequent inhaling of coal dust.
Blackmail is getting things by threat.
Black market is illegal trade in goods or money.
A black sheep is an outcast.
A blackout is a period of darkness from the loss of electricity, for protection against nighttime air raids, or, in the theater, to separate scenes in a play.
When you “black out,” you temporarily lose consciousness.

Roller Skate Dancing

Received this from my cousin and thought I would share this little skating, tap dancing, musical interlude. Four minutes long with amazing Gene Kelly. Enjoy! LINK

Internet, IP, Web, and URL

The Internet is a collection of computers and cables that form a communications network.

The Web (World Wide Web) is a collection of HTML (web) pages on the Internet. The Web is the user part of the Internet.

The term Interweb is a combination of the words Internet and Web. It is most often used in the context of joking or sarcasm.

A URL (universal resource locator) is synonymous with Internet address.  A URL is usually a combination of code and text, such as 'http://www.google.com', but numbers are also allowed. A URL always starts with a protocol prefix like http://, but most browsers will type those characters for you. URLs are internally converted to IP addresses

IP address (Internet Protocol address), is a unique identifying number given to every device on the Internet. Like a car license plate, an IP address is a special serial number used for identification, such as  208.185.127.40 = www.about.com.

Bottom line, all URLs have an IP address, but not all IP addresses have a URL.

Google News is Cool

Why read twenty newspapers to get a glimpse of what is going on around the world? Google News watches more than 4,500 news sources worldwide and you can search about 200 years of articles. You can personalize news to your specific taste if you have a Google account and you can get alerts of topics that interest you. It also works on your smartphone. Type google news in Google and it will take you to the site.

Computer on a Stick

Intel is coming out with a 'Compute Stick' that is a full personal computer. It is about the size of a USB memory stick. On one end, the device has a full-size HDMI plug which attaches to your TV or monitor. On its side is a microUSB port which plugs into the wall for power using a standard USB cable. A second, full-size USB port allows you to attach peripherals and a microSD card slot provides for memory expansion.

Not to get too technical, but it is a quad-core Atom-powered mini PC with 2GB of RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, running Windows 8.1. The price when it comes out later this spring should be about US $150.

It also has a power button, and in addition to its USB port, it can pair with a keyboard and mouse using Bluetooth. Since Bluetooth sends a signal to about 30 feet, you can sit in your easy chair and have the best of TV and PC on one device, with no extra wires or gadgets. It also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet and your home network. Now you can have a real PC TV with a keyboard, etc. No longer necessary to send YouTube videos from your PC as they are already on the screen. Am very sure I need one of these and hope by the time it is available I will be able to explain/justify to myself why.

You've Got Mail

This phrase and other familiar phrases spoken by your computer including 'Welcome', 'File’s done' and 'Goodbye' were voiced by Elwood Edwards. He said his wife worked for a company called Quantum Computer Services that became AOL and she volunteered his voice in 1989 to the then future CEO, Steve Case. He recorded the words on a cassette deck in his living room. The familiar voice made it into a movie of the same name and continues, even though Edwards has been retired for a few years.

Free Friday Smile

Happy Friday

Happiness is like a coin. It's better on the obverse.

I always flip over having a Happy Friday!   

Happy International Day of Happiness

Today is also known as International Happiness Day. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012. The General Assembly, says, "Recognizing also the need for a more inclusive, equitable, and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness, and the well-being of all peoples. Decides to proclaim 20 March the International Day of Happiness, invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to observe the International Day of Happiness in an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness-raising activities."

Happiness Activists are getting together to take action in cities across the globe, from Washington DC to London and Milan. Here is a short video of people around the world celebrating Happiness Day. LINK

International Pizza Expo

You might think this type of expo would be held in Italy, but it is held in the Las Vegas, NV Convention Center. The 31st Annual International Pizza Expo is billed at the World's Largest and Oldest Pizza Tradeshow. It is held March 23-26, 2015.

Air Traffic Control Towers

Air traffic control towers always have windows that slope toward the tower at the base. Many people assume they are designed that way to prevent the sun's reflection or glare from blinding incoming pilots.

The benefit is not for those outside the tower, but those inside it. Ordinarily, we see reflections in glass all the time, for example from computer monitors or car windows, but air traffic controllers must not have any distracting reflections as they monitor flights. By tilting the glass away, any light from inside the tower (such as video screens, lights, etc.) are reflected up onto the ceiling, which is painted black. That way, the glow from a wristwatch across the room won't be mistaken for an incoming UFO.

Foiling Garden Pests

Cut up small strips of used aluminum foil and mix in with garden soil to keep away aphids and other garden pests.

Canadian Coins

When Canada introduced its 1-dollar coin in 1987 with the queen on front and a loon on back, it became known as the “loonie” for the loon on its back.

When it introduced the 2-dollar coin in 1996 with a picture of the queen on front and a bear on the back, Canadians tried hard to find a nickname. Toonie or twoonie won. Some of the failed suggestions included “doubloonie,” “doozie,” and, “moonie.” Moonie was suggested, because the coin depicts the queen with a bear behind.

Wordology, Orchid

Take a look at certain orchids’ roots, and you will probably notice that they look like testicles. If not, you have set yourself apart from multiple generations of language-makers that simply could not help but name the whole plant family after this observation.

The contemporary word for the flower, introduced in 1845, comes from the Greek orchis, which literally translates as testicle. Speakers of Middle English in the 1300s came up with a phonologically different word inspired by the same exact dirty thought. They called the flower ballockwort from ballocks, or testicles, which itself evolved from beallucas, the Old English word for balls.