Aug 10, 2018

Wallet Tip

Many times people in other than ordinary situations lose their phone. Since we never remember phone numbers these days, it is a good idea to keep a little note in your wallet or purse with the top five most important numbers to call if you need help. One of those numbers should also be an emergency contact number that someone else could call for you.

5G Requirements

Many have heard or seen phone companies touting their 5G tests around the country. 5G is required to be backward compatible with current technology at current speeds. So there is no need to worry about forced change. . . yet.

However, your current phone is not 5G capable and will not be. You will need to buy a new phone to have it connect to 5G. Motorola is pushing to have the first 5G phone available this month ($480 from Verizon). Others will follow and by early next year there will be more choices.

Also, your current modem/router will not work with 5G, nor will your PC. Intel is currently working with Acer, ASUS, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and Lenovo to deliver laptops and convertibles with the new 5G standard. Companies are working on 5G modems that will fit into phones, cars, smart-home devices and other device forms that have yet to be developed, like maybe carrying a puck type portable modem in your pocket.


Bottom line, if your phone works and your cable or streaming service works for TV now, do not be in a hurry to change all your equipment. Let others suffer the slings and arrows (and costs) of the new technology. Be patient and do not be first in line. It will take a few years to have 5G available everywhere. 5G phone service will be available before home 5G. When home 5G does, be prepared to spend big bucks and deal with learning new equipment. Incidentally, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to broadcast in 5G with 8K TV resolution.

Loving Life

Amor fati (love of fate) is characterized by an acceptance of the events or situations that occur in your life, such as treating each moment, no matter how challenging as something to be embraced, not avoided. It allows a person embrace it, love it, be better for it, and provides a sense of contentment with one's life and an acceptance of it. Like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential.

We do not control most of what happens in life, but we do control what our reaction is to those events. What we tell ourselves they mean to us and how we will integrate them into our lives. On one hand, we are powerless, but on the other we are empowered. Most of what happens is outside of our control, but we have the power of being able to love, embrace, accept, and make the most of what does happen. Doing it with a smile is an extra bonus.


Bottom line, life is good if you choose to make it so.

Aug 3, 2018

Happy Friday

Regret lives in the past. Hope lives in the future. Happiness resides in the present.

I am presently very happy, especially on a Happy Friday!

Wordology, Pipe Dream

A 'pipe dream' is an unrealistic hope or fantasy. It is a reference to the strange dreams people have when smoking opium pipes. The term was used as early as the 1800s in America.

Uber 911

Recently Uber added a direct way for riders in the US to call 911 within its app. The emergency button is located in a new “safety center” menu accessible from the app’s home screen. It provides riders a quick way to contact first responders in the event that something goes wrong during their trip.

To dial 911, riders swipe up on the safety center icon, then tap '911 assistance'. They will then be asked to confirm they intended to dial 911 before the call is put through to emergency dispatchers.

It also announced a 911 integration pilot in a few markets that allows a rider’s location and trip details to be automatically sent to a 911 dispatcher. Location sharing is being tested in Denver, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Naples, Florida.

Lightning and Airplanes

Lighting has not brought down a plane since 1963, due to careful engineering that lets the electric charge of a lightning bolt run through the plane and out of it.

Astro Turf

It was originally named “ChemGrass” before being used by the Houston Astros Major League Baseball team in the Astrodome.

Contrary to popular belief, AstroTurf was not first used or invented for the Houston Astros. Before being used by the Astros, it was used at such sporting venues as Moses Brown School in Rhode Island, among others. AstroTurf was originally invented in 1964, two years before the Astros would use it, by Donald L. Elbert, James M. Faria, and Robert T. Wright, working for Monsanto Company. At the time, a subsidiary of Monsanto, Chemstrand, was developing synthetic fibers for carpeting and they decided to try their hand at also making an artificial playing surface for sports that would not require the extensive maintenance typical grass surfaces need when heavily used, as many sporting surfaces are.

During 1965, the Houston Astros organization began investigating artificial surfaces for the Astrodome baseball field. Originally, they attempted to use a special type of natural grass on the indoor field. Unfortunately, the semi-transparent ceiling panels did not let in enough sunlight and all the grass died within a few months. This resulted in the Astros organization having to paint the dirt field green, to make it appear more like a normal baseball field.

By the start of the 1966 season, the Astros decided to go with the relatively new ChemGrass. Due to there being a limited supply, though, they were only able to get the infield covered with ChemGrass for the first half of the season. The outfield was still just painted green dirt. Shortly after the All-Star break, the entire field was covered in ChemGrass and this artificial surface received national attention for the first time. This media attention after being successfully installed in the Astrodome was largely responsible for ChemGrass becoming popular over other similar synthetic grass surfaces being created at the same time.

Relatively shortly after being used in the Astrodome, other sporting teams began using ChemGrass, even some for outdoor stadiums, particularly those in colder climates where maintaining real grass can be difficult. Because ChemGrass became popular thanks to being used in the Astrodome, the product was subsequently renamed “AstroTurf”, by Monsanto. By 1987, AstroTurf had become so popular that Monsanto made it an independent subsidiary, named: AstroTurf Industries, Inc.

Wordology, Onychophagia

This is the technical term for biting your nails. It ranges from 20 to 33% during childhood and approximately 45% of teenagers are nail biters. By the age of 18 years the frequency of nail biting decreases; however it does persist in some adults

Nine More Google Facts

Google searches 30 trillion web pages, 100 billion times a month.

Google rents two hundred goats from California Grazing to mow the lawns and fields around its headquarters.

Type "solitaire" in the search box, or "pacman", and a screen with the game will appear under the box.

Type what sound does an emu, or other animal make and you will hear the sound.

The “I’m feeling lucky” button costs Google US $110 million per year, as it bypasses ads.

Google processes more than 2.3 million searches per second, or one hundred billion searches per month.

Over 60% of Google searches are on mobile.

Google still intends to scan all known existing (as of 2010) 129 million unique books by 2020.

Google offers various perks to its employees including free lunch, breakfast, dinner, haircuts, state-of-the-art gym, and the nap pod.

Superior Opinions

A recent study found that people who think their opinions are superior to others may be most prone to overestimating their relevant knowledge and ignoring chances to learn more.

Those people with the highest belief superiority also tended to have the largest gap between their perceived and actual knowledge. The belief superior consistently suffered from the illusion that they are better informed than they actually are.

Garbage Bag Hack

It is difficult to take an overloaded trash bag out of a garbage can. An easy fix is to drill several holes in the bin toward the bottom so that air is let in to prevent the vacuum effect, which is the reason the trash bag sticks to the garbage can. You are welcome.

Happy Friday

Smiles fund a happy retirement.

I am fully funded and gaining interest while celebrating a Happy Friday!

Funny Stuff

Came across this post on Reddit and had to share. It's a guy thing, made me laugh out loud. Fifty seconds long. Enjoy! LINK