The
Aldi name is a syllabic abbreviation for Albrecht Diskont
(Discount)
Aldi is two different companies: Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, or
North and South. During the 1960s, Theo and Karl Albrecht could
not agree on whether or not they were going to allow their
stores to sell cigarettes. They came up with an interesting
solution; instead of compromising they divided the company in
half.
There is a line that
runs across Germany known as the "Aldi equator" and Theo took
the north while Karl took the south. You can tell the difference
by looking at the logo: Nord's logo is a basic blue and white,
Sud's logo is orange and blue. The southern Aldi is a bit
fancier. When it came time to expand to the rest of the world,
other countries were also divided. Stores in areas like the UK,
Ireland, and Australia are all Aldi Sud, while Aldi Nord took
France and Poland.
There is only one
country where Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud share pieces of the grocery
store pie, and that is in the US. Aldi Sud, with its blue and
orange logo does business as Aldi, and Aldi Nord uses another
name, Trader Joe's.
This year, 2018 Aldi and Kohl's announced Kohl's will sublet
space to Aldi in limited stores in the US.
Oct 19, 2018
Geography Trivia
Texas is larger than any country in Europe which is not
Russia.
Russia makes up 40% of the total area of Europe,
The population of China is significantly larger than the combined populations of South America (385,7 mil), North America (529 mil) and Australia (31.26mil).
The Pacific Ocean covers a larger area than all land masses of Earth combined.
The average depth of oceans water is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles). Maximum depths can exceed 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Washington Monument may be more famous, but things are bigger in Texas. The San Jacinto Monument of La Porte, Texas is 15-feet taller than the monument in DC and is the tallest stone column structure and war monument in the world. It is 9.6 feet (2.9 m) taller than the next tallest, the Juche Tower in North Korea.
Amarillo, Texas is home to 90% of the entire world’s helium reserves.
Texas is home to the largest bat colony in the world, Bracken Cave has over 20 million bats. The city of Austin is also home to the largest urban bat colony on the continent.
Dallas Cowboys may be America’s team, but they have not played football in the city of Dallas since 1971.
Russia makes up 40% of the total area of Europe,
The population of China is significantly larger than the combined populations of South America (385,7 mil), North America (529 mil) and Australia (31.26mil).
The Pacific Ocean covers a larger area than all land masses of Earth combined.
The average depth of oceans water is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles). Maximum depths can exceed 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Washington Monument may be more famous, but things are bigger in Texas. The San Jacinto Monument of La Porte, Texas is 15-feet taller than the monument in DC and is the tallest stone column structure and war monument in the world. It is 9.6 feet (2.9 m) taller than the next tallest, the Juche Tower in North Korea.
Amarillo, Texas is home to 90% of the entire world’s helium reserves.
Texas is home to the largest bat colony in the world, Bracken Cave has over 20 million bats. The city of Austin is also home to the largest urban bat colony on the continent.
Dallas Cowboys may be America’s team, but they have not played football in the city of Dallas since 1971.
Eyeglasses Origin
Salvino D’Armate an Italian likely invented wearable
eyeglasses towards the end of the 13th century. The earliest
differed from modern eyeglasses, because they did not have the
arms hooking behind the ears, and the lenses were only for
hyperopia (farsightedness). Lenses for myopia (nearsightedness)
were invented during the 15th century. Of course people did not
know how silly they looked, because mirrors were not invented
until 1835 by German chemist Justus von Liebig.
Incidentally, Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals, not glasses as many wrongly believe. Also, Leonardo da Vinci during 1508 produced the first known sketches that suggested the optics of the human eye could be altered by placing the cornea directly in contact with water as with contact lenses.
Incidentally, Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals, not glasses as many wrongly believe. Also, Leonardo da Vinci during 1508 produced the first known sketches that suggested the optics of the human eye could be altered by placing the cornea directly in contact with water as with contact lenses.
Transistor Size Changes
During 1971 the first commercial microprocessor
was 1,000 times bigger than today’s when it was released.
During 2007, the state-of-the-art for Intel was 3.3 million transistors per square millimeter. Now in 2018, 100 Million Transistors are in each square millimeter.
Intel has just announced the first microchip that contains more than two billion transistors - tiny switches that together perform the calculations in computers.
As of 2017, the largest transistor count in a commercially available single-chip processor is 19.2 billion— AMD's Ryzen-based Epyc. In other types of ICs, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), Intel's (previously Altera) Stratix 10 has the largest transistor count, containing over 30 billion transistors
Intel has just announced the first microchip that contains more than two billion transistors. The chip, known as Tukwila, marks a milestone in chip density technology.
Meanwhile software bloat diminishes the amazing hardware changes and common laptop computers still lag as they did a number of years ago. Just as with TVs, hardware is progressing faster than our ability to take advantage of it.
Intel's latest chips, based on Kaby Lake, are made using a 14-nanometer process, and the company is now moving to 10-nm with its upcoming Cannonlake chip, which was shown in a PC at CES 2017.
14 nm – 2014 still using in 2018
10 nm – 2017 (now 2019)
7 nm – 2018 (7nm pilot plant set in 2017 to determine how to make in volume)
5 nm – 2020
Incidentally, to offer perspective, nano means one-billionth, so one nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter (3.2 feet). There are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch. A strand of human DNA is 2.5 nanometers in diameter. A human hair is approximately 80,000 - 100,000 nanometers wide.
During 2007, the state-of-the-art for Intel was 3.3 million transistors per square millimeter. Now in 2018, 100 Million Transistors are in each square millimeter.
Intel has just announced the first microchip that contains more than two billion transistors - tiny switches that together perform the calculations in computers.
As of 2017, the largest transistor count in a commercially available single-chip processor is 19.2 billion— AMD's Ryzen-based Epyc. In other types of ICs, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), Intel's (previously Altera) Stratix 10 has the largest transistor count, containing over 30 billion transistors
Intel has just announced the first microchip that contains more than two billion transistors. The chip, known as Tukwila, marks a milestone in chip density technology.
Meanwhile software bloat diminishes the amazing hardware changes and common laptop computers still lag as they did a number of years ago. Just as with TVs, hardware is progressing faster than our ability to take advantage of it.
Intel's latest chips, based on Kaby Lake, are made using a 14-nanometer process, and the company is now moving to 10-nm with its upcoming Cannonlake chip, which was shown in a PC at CES 2017.
14 nm – 2014 still using in 2018
10 nm – 2017 (now 2019)
7 nm – 2018 (7nm pilot plant set in 2017 to determine how to make in volume)
5 nm – 2020
Incidentally, to offer perspective, nano means one-billionth, so one nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter (3.2 feet). There are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch. A strand of human DNA is 2.5 nanometers in diameter. A human hair is approximately 80,000 - 100,000 nanometers wide.
Carat vs. Caret vs. Karat vs. Carrot
A carat is a unit of
weight for diamonds, other gemstones, and pearls. One carat
equals 200 milligrams (0.200 grams).
A caret is a proofreader's mark showing where something needs to be inserted in a document. It shaped like a tiny pitched roof ^.
A karat is a measure of purity when referring to gold. You may have seen different types of jewelry referred to as 14-karat gold or 18-karat gold. Pure gold is known as 24-karat gold. Gold is a fairly soft metal, so it is not often used to make jewelry. Jewelry made of pure gold can be easily bent and scratched, so gold is often mixed with other metals, such as copper or silver, to form an alloy that can be used to make jewelry. A karat is equal to 1/24 pure gold, so an 18-karat gold ring would be made with 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal.
The orange vegetable carrot, that grows down into the ground is completely unrelated.
A caret is a proofreader's mark showing where something needs to be inserted in a document. It shaped like a tiny pitched roof ^.
A karat is a measure of purity when referring to gold. You may have seen different types of jewelry referred to as 14-karat gold or 18-karat gold. Pure gold is known as 24-karat gold. Gold is a fairly soft metal, so it is not often used to make jewelry. Jewelry made of pure gold can be easily bent and scratched, so gold is often mixed with other metals, such as copper or silver, to form an alloy that can be used to make jewelry. A karat is equal to 1/24 pure gold, so an 18-karat gold ring would be made with 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal.
The orange vegetable carrot, that grows down into the ground is completely unrelated.
Wordology, Pull Out All The Stops
To pull out all the stops means to make a
great effort to achieve something. The origin came from organs.
Organ consoles have knobs that are called ‘stops’. Without them the organist can play at a much higher volume, so ‘pulling out all the stops’ would let the organist achieve maximum volume. With all of the stops pushed in, there is no air movement, so there is no sound. Strategically pulling out stops allows the organist to influence the quality of the sound. Pulling out all of the stops activates all of the pipe sets, so it results in a very full sound, and maximum volume.
Organ consoles have knobs that are called ‘stops’. Without them the organist can play at a much higher volume, so ‘pulling out all the stops’ would let the organist achieve maximum volume. With all of the stops pushed in, there is no air movement, so there is no sound. Strategically pulling out stops allows the organist to influence the quality of the sound. Pulling out all of the stops activates all of the pipe sets, so it results in a very full sound, and maximum volume.
Robot Dance
Speaking of pulling out all the stops, watch this robot twerk.
One minute diversion to get your heart pumping. LINK
College Coach Salaries
A while back, a friend of mine Marilyn asked
about the very high college coach salaries and are they worth
it.
A head football coach is more impactful on the success of that team than virtually any other coaching position in sports. Some of their duties include:
recruiting his players, calculating what their future growth and maturity rates are, assemble a huge staff of talented assistants, deal with young people going through many emotional challenges, put together winning offensive and defensive schemes, and deal with the administration alumni and press. The monetary effect of producing packed stadium, alumni contributions, and huge television contracts are all a function of winning.
Regarding whether they are worth it, we must consider college sports as a business, which it is. For instance, USA Today reported Texas A&M’s athletic revenues totaled $192 million, the most of any school in the nation. Its coach is receiving 7.5 million dollars a year. From a business standpoint, it appears to be appropriate. When looked upon in the larger landscape of the success of an athletics program, coaches can be seen as the centerpiece
Ticket sales, advertising deals, merchandise sales, licensing agreements all increase by millions of dollars each year when the football program is winning and playing at a top level. Lucrative deals and extensions with Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour heavily depend upon the success of football.
This, of course does not answer the question of whether colleges should be in the business of sports vs. providing education.
A few examples of contracts below:
Alabama head coach Nick Saban signed a three-year contract extension in May that will pay the five-time national champion $11.125 million in 2017, according to USA Today. The deal, which is worth $65 million over eight years, made Saban the highest paid college coach across all sports. Record at Alabama: 119-19 in 11 seasons - National championships: 5 total (2003 at LSU; 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 at Alabama)
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made $7 million in 2017. Record at Michigan: 20-6 in three seasons
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made $6 million in 2017. Record at Ohio State: 61-6 in six seasons - National championships: 1 at Ohio State (3 total)
Penn State coach James Franklin signed a contract extension that guarantees him $34.7 million through 2022, bringing his annual base salary to $5.78 million (up from $4.6 million) with up to $1 million in incentives. Record at Penn State: 25-15 in four seasons
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher made $5.3 million in 2017 and will make $75 million over 10 years at Texas A&M. His record at Florida State: 78-17 in eight seasons. National championships: 1
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney inked a new deal that runs through 2021 and brings his average annual salary up to $5.125 million. Record at Clemson: 89-28 - National championships: 1
New Texas Longhorns coach Tom Herman signed a five-year deal worth $5 million per year, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin made $5 million in 2017. Record at Texas A&M: 44-21 in six seasons
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn signed a four-year extension in 2016 that will pay him $4.725 million per year. Record at Auburn: 35-18 in five seasons
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz signed a contract extension in 2016 that brought his base salary up to $4.5 million annually.
A head football coach is more impactful on the success of that team than virtually any other coaching position in sports. Some of their duties include:
recruiting his players, calculating what their future growth and maturity rates are, assemble a huge staff of talented assistants, deal with young people going through many emotional challenges, put together winning offensive and defensive schemes, and deal with the administration alumni and press. The monetary effect of producing packed stadium, alumni contributions, and huge television contracts are all a function of winning.
Regarding whether they are worth it, we must consider college sports as a business, which it is. For instance, USA Today reported Texas A&M’s athletic revenues totaled $192 million, the most of any school in the nation. Its coach is receiving 7.5 million dollars a year. From a business standpoint, it appears to be appropriate. When looked upon in the larger landscape of the success of an athletics program, coaches can be seen as the centerpiece
Ticket sales, advertising deals, merchandise sales, licensing agreements all increase by millions of dollars each year when the football program is winning and playing at a top level. Lucrative deals and extensions with Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour heavily depend upon the success of football.
This, of course does not answer the question of whether colleges should be in the business of sports vs. providing education.
A few examples of contracts below:
Alabama head coach Nick Saban signed a three-year contract extension in May that will pay the five-time national champion $11.125 million in 2017, according to USA Today. The deal, which is worth $65 million over eight years, made Saban the highest paid college coach across all sports. Record at Alabama: 119-19 in 11 seasons - National championships: 5 total (2003 at LSU; 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 at Alabama)
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made $7 million in 2017. Record at Michigan: 20-6 in three seasons
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made $6 million in 2017. Record at Ohio State: 61-6 in six seasons - National championships: 1 at Ohio State (3 total)
Penn State coach James Franklin signed a contract extension that guarantees him $34.7 million through 2022, bringing his annual base salary to $5.78 million (up from $4.6 million) with up to $1 million in incentives. Record at Penn State: 25-15 in four seasons
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher made $5.3 million in 2017 and will make $75 million over 10 years at Texas A&M. His record at Florida State: 78-17 in eight seasons. National championships: 1
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney inked a new deal that runs through 2021 and brings his average annual salary up to $5.125 million. Record at Clemson: 89-28 - National championships: 1
New Texas Longhorns coach Tom Herman signed a five-year deal worth $5 million per year, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin made $5 million in 2017. Record at Texas A&M: 44-21 in six seasons
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn signed a four-year extension in 2016 that will pay him $4.725 million per year. Record at Auburn: 35-18 in five seasons
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz signed a contract extension in 2016 that brought his base salary up to $4.5 million annually.
Quick Google Tip
If you
want to watch a show, but do not know where to find it, you
can search the word “watch” followed by the name of the show
in Google and it will show you all the sites and service from
which it is available.
Oct 13, 2018
Happy Friday
Smile and everyone
becomes your mirror.
I always smile and collect smiles back, especially on a Happy Friday!
I always smile and collect smiles back, especially on a Happy Friday!
Wordology, Sock and Buskin
The sock and buskin are the two masks, usually
seen together that symbolize the world of theater/drama or
comedians and actors. They represent the ancient symbols of comedy
and tragedy.
In Greek theater, actors in tragic roles wore a boot called a buskin that elevated them above the other actors. The actors with comedic roles wore a thin soled shoe called a sock.
Interesting to know that street buskers, although entertainers, get their name from a different source, busk from Italian buscare to procure, gain, or from Spanish buscar to look for. The term is not related to the buskin mask above. LINK
In Greek theater, actors in tragic roles wore a boot called a buskin that elevated them above the other actors. The actors with comedic roles wore a thin soled shoe called a sock.
Interesting to know that street buskers, although entertainers, get their name from a different source, busk from Italian buscare to procure, gain, or from Spanish buscar to look for. The term is not related to the buskin mask above. LINK
Seven More Uses for WD-40
The solvents contained in WD-40 are very helpful in
dissolving any grime in your toilet. Spray WD-40 on the toilet
bowl, leave it for a minute, and then scrub it with a toilet
brush.
To remove stains from lipsticks or other makeup products, spray some WD-40 directly on the spot, leave it for a couple of minutes, and wash as usual.
A good way to clean your grill is to spray WD-40 over it. Spray WD-40 and wait a couple of minutes before scrubbing off the residue. Remember to do this when the grill is cool. Remaining residue will burn off next time.
WD-40 can help a stubborn zipper slide easier. Just spray it on and try to distribute it evenly along your zipper. You can spray on cloth, then rub on zipper if you are afraid of overspray.
In a pinch, prevent wasps from building nests by spraying WD-40 in the nooks and crannies of your house. It sprays a long distance, like the 20 foot hornet spray.
To remove stickers, spray on WD-40 and leave it for 5-10 minutes. Then rub it with a sponge.
Spray a tight ring with WD-40 and it will easily slide off.
To remove stains from lipsticks or other makeup products, spray some WD-40 directly on the spot, leave it for a couple of minutes, and wash as usual.
A good way to clean your grill is to spray WD-40 over it. Spray WD-40 and wait a couple of minutes before scrubbing off the residue. Remember to do this when the grill is cool. Remaining residue will burn off next time.
WD-40 can help a stubborn zipper slide easier. Just spray it on and try to distribute it evenly along your zipper. You can spray on cloth, then rub on zipper if you are afraid of overspray.
In a pinch, prevent wasps from building nests by spraying WD-40 in the nooks and crannies of your house. It sprays a long distance, like the 20 foot hornet spray.
To remove stickers, spray on WD-40 and leave it for 5-10 minutes. Then rub it with a sponge.
Spray a tight ring with WD-40 and it will easily slide off.
Vegan vs. Vegetarian vs. Pescatarian vs. Pollotarian
A vegan is a person who
does not eat or use animal products, including eggs and dairy.
A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, or fish, with or without dairy products, such as honey and/or eggs.
A pescatarian is a vegetarian who also eats fish.
A pollotarian is a vegetarian who also eats chicken.
Incidentally, the Vegetarian Society says there are levels of vegetarians, such as Lacto-ovo-vegetarian eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet. Lacto-vegetarian eats dairy products, but not eggs. Ovo-vegetarian eats eggs, but not dairy products.
A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, or fish, with or without dairy products, such as honey and/or eggs.
A pescatarian is a vegetarian who also eats fish.
A pollotarian is a vegetarian who also eats chicken.
Incidentally, the Vegetarian Society says there are levels of vegetarians, such as Lacto-ovo-vegetarian eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet. Lacto-vegetarian eats dairy products, but not eggs. Ovo-vegetarian eats eggs, but not dairy products.
Iceberg A68 Scare
There was major news about the world effects last year when a
huge iceberg broke off the Larsen C shelf in Antarctica. On 12
July 2017, a lump of ice more than twice the size of Luxembourg
or the state of Delaware broke off the Larsen C ice shelf,
spawning one of the largest icebergs on record and changing the
outline of the Antarctic Peninsula forever.
Even though it has been proven that the break had no relation to climate change, a headline read, "If climate change continues unabated, ice-free areas on Antarctica will increase up to a quarter by 2100 - says a study on changes in the planet's southernmost continent." Another headline read, "Antarctica: Larsen C break off could have dire consequences." Many were worried about how far and where it would float and what damage it would cause before dissolving.
During the following months, observations showed the iceberg remained close, buffeting back and forth against the ice shelf. It was unclear what would happen to the berg, because they can remain in one place for years. A68 (sixth largest in recorded history) is now on the move and drifting out to sea with a gap of about 11 miles (18 km) between it and the shelf.
For B15, the second-biggest iceberg in recorded history, the process has taken nearly two decades. B15 snapped off Antarctica's Ross ice shelf in 2000. It had a surface area of 4,200 square miles - twice that of A68. Today it is drifting in warm waters near South Georgia (southeast of South America).
Incidentally, I had to scour about thirty web sites to find current details. Other than a few real scientists, not much interest lately. Bottom line, it broke off, we are all still safe, Meh.
Even though it has been proven that the break had no relation to climate change, a headline read, "If climate change continues unabated, ice-free areas on Antarctica will increase up to a quarter by 2100 - says a study on changes in the planet's southernmost continent." Another headline read, "Antarctica: Larsen C break off could have dire consequences." Many were worried about how far and where it would float and what damage it would cause before dissolving.
During the following months, observations showed the iceberg remained close, buffeting back and forth against the ice shelf. It was unclear what would happen to the berg, because they can remain in one place for years. A68 (sixth largest in recorded history) is now on the move and drifting out to sea with a gap of about 11 miles (18 km) between it and the shelf.
For B15, the second-biggest iceberg in recorded history, the process has taken nearly two decades. B15 snapped off Antarctica's Ross ice shelf in 2000. It had a surface area of 4,200 square miles - twice that of A68. Today it is drifting in warm waters near South Georgia (southeast of South America).
Incidentally, I had to scour about thirty web sites to find current details. Other than a few real scientists, not much interest lately. Bottom line, it broke off, we are all still safe, Meh.
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