Equinox vs. Solstice

You could almost think of them as opposites. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin roots "sol," meaning sun, and "sistere," meaning "stationary." That refers to the fact that during a solstice, the sun rises and appears to stop in the middle of the sky for a while before it sets. As a result, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year.
If you are on the opposite side of the globe from that sunny standstill, you would experience a winter solstice, the longest night of the year. The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and on June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. The summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and on December 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
The word "equinox," comes from the Latin roots "aequus," meaning equal, and "nox," meaning night. On the equinox, day and night last for exactly the same amount of time. Spring equinox means spring has arrived. The vernal equinox happens about March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and September 23 in the Southern Hemisphere. The autumnal equinox occurs near September 23 in the Northern Hemisphere and March 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
Picture the Earth as it circles the sun. Our planet does not sit directly upright as it rotates; its axis of rotation is actually tilted by about 23.4 degrees, always pointed in the same direction in space. In the same way you get more sun on your shoulders if you are sitting up in your beach chair than you will if you are lounging flat, some areas of the Earth get more sunlight depending on where its axis is pointing. That, in turn, depends on where the planet is in its revolution around the sun.
For example, when it's the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is at a point in its revolution where its axis points away from the sun and the Northern Hemisphere gets the least amount of sunlight. If you were standing at the North Pole, you wouldn't get any sunlight at all. The Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, would get its biggest helping of sunlight all year, making it the summer solstice there. In Antarctica, the sun never sets during this period.

Whereas the Earth's axis is tilted directly toward or away from the sun during a solstice, it's tilted directly askew from the sun during an equinox. To use the sunbathing example again, it's as if you rotated your body parallel to the towel clockwise you get the same amount of sun on your front and back as if you had rotated the other way. At this time, the sun is directly above the equator, and that means that day and night are of equal length. But not for long: A new season is upon you, which means shorter nights (or days!) and more (or less!) sunlight to enjoy.

Geeks Vs. Nerds

According to many, there are differences. The most significant differences between geeks and nerds are that geeks are more into pop culture references, such as picking out plot holes in Star Wars. Nerds are more interested in academic achievement and the pursuit of knowledge.

TV Antenna Usage

Fast Company reports on a survey by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) that found during 2018, 31% of US households had an antenna hooked up to at least one television, up from 28% in 2015, but among 25- to 34-year-olds, antenna adoption was even higher than average, at 45%. Among the 65 to 74 age demographic, only 19% used an antenna.


Income was not a factor in antenna ownership, suggesting that many are looking to escape cable’s high prices, regardless of financial status.

How Many of You

There are 329,525,658 people in the United States of America. The US Census Bureau statistics tell us that there are at least 151,671 different last names and 5,163 different first names in common use in the United States. Some names are more common than others. For instance, there are 47,647 people named John Smith in the United States. Here is an interesting site that allows you to input your name and see if there are any others who share the same name. LINK Happy Hunting!

Amazon Fire Vs. Roku

Amazon Fire TV, the set-top-box streaming platform, now says it has 34 million users, making it the leading OTT platform, overtaking Roku. Roku says it has 29.1 million active accounts. One in three smart TVs in US is a Roku.

Wordology, Balter

 I can balter and know others who balter, but many never admit it. Balter means to dance badly.

Average American and Phones

During 2019 the average American checks their phone 52 times a day, according to a consumer survey. The average age at which an American child receives their first phone is now 10.3 years old. 

Happy Friday

It is impossible to fill your heart with happiness, love, and joy. There is always room for more.

Expand your heart by celebrating a Happy Friday!

Save on Streaming

The beauty of cutting the cable habit of by-appointment-TV is that you can cancel non-cable anytime without penalty. A good way of finding alternatives and varying your watching is to sample different services for a week or month.
Once you paid for a month of HBO Now, CBS All Access, or pretty much any other streaming TV service, you are entitled to that full month even after you cancelled. These companies do not do prorated refunds, which is unfortunate if you forget to cancel a free trial, but it is great for avoiding automatic renewal in the first place. With so many new services offering their own exclusive shows, subscribing in one-month increments is a great way to keep your monthly TV bill in check and finding more variety of entertainment.


Cancelling a streaming service is still much easier than shutting off cable or satellite TV, as most providers have direct links or clear instructions on how to stop service without the problem of talking to a person trying to get you to not cancel.

Internet Update

It has been about 30 years since the beginning of the internet. As of April 2019, an estimated 4.4 billion people around the world use the internet. That is about 56% of the world's population, and 81% of the developed world.

Microwave Tips

Before you chop onions, place the whole onion in the microwave for 45 seconds. By heating the onion before cutting it, you help break down the chemicals that cause your tears.
Peeling garlic does not have to be a daunting task. Pop a full bulb in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften it, making peeling easier. The cloves will slide right out of their skins with no mess or sticky, smelly garlic juices.
Get every last drop out of lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits. If a recipe calls for citrus juice, zap the fleshy fruit in the microwave for about 10 to 20 seconds. Then, slice it in half and squeeze.

Steam all types of vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, asparagus, green beans, and artichoke. You only need some water in a microwave-safe bowl and a microwave-safe plate to cover it.

Wordology, Cataglottism

This means kissing with the tongue, or a French Kiss. Derives from Greek cato (down) and glotta/glossa (tongue). Sure makes it sound much less sexy.

BBC, Bombs, and Perry Como

The BBC banned a song because listeners kept clapping to its lyrics. “Deep in the Heart of Texas” was written by June Hershey and Don Swander. Perry Como recorded the song two days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The song quickly became popular in both the US and the UK. It remained at the top of UK charts for five weeks during 1942.

LINK

Listeners often clapped along with Como as he sang. The BBC soon realized this could become a problem, because workers in bomb-making factories might accidentally drop their bombs while clapping. So it banned its broadcasters from playing the song during work hours.

Fixed Phones Fading

Recently saw a funny video on YouTube of teenagers trying to dial a rotary phone. LINK


Made me realize how quickly technology changes. Most of us have abandoned our home phone, the old "land line". The once staple of every home is quickly fading away. In fact, the World Bank estimates that the number of fixed telephone subscriptions in the world fell to just over 13 per 100 people during 2018.