YouTube Tip

If you see something in a YouTube video that you want to share at a particular point, you can get a link that takes people directly to that moment. Click the Share button below the video. Look for a checkbox below the link. It will automatically display the time at which you currently have the video stopped.

You can stick with this time or choose a different time. Copy the link and share it or email it to a friend. When someone views the link, the video will automatically skip right to the point you chose. Very handy, especially for long videos.

Smile, You are on Camera

One billion surveillance cameras will be deployed globally by 2021, according to data compiled by IHS Markit. China’s installed base is expected to rise to over 560 million cameras by 2021, representing the largest share of surveillance devices installed globally. The US is rising to about 85 million cameras. When taking populations into account China will continue to have nearly the same ratio of cameras to citizens as the US.

In 2018, China had 350 million cameras installed for an estimated one camera for every 4.1 people. That compared to one for every 4.6 people in the US where 70 million cameras were installed. Taiwan was third in terms of penetration with one camera for every 5.5 citizens in 2018, followed by the UK and Ireland 1 to 6.5 and Singapore 1 to 7.1.

Cable Costs

Spectrum in Los Angeles had an advertised price of $89.97 for new subscribers to get internet, cable and phone service. After USA TODAY tried signing up for that offer, after adding the fees for two DVRs and cable boxes, and the "broadcast fee" to watch local cable channels, the final tally was $131.95.

Consumer Reports found that cable companies pocket $28 billion a year in imposed fees that are not mandated by the government and that these fees cost subscribers $37 per month and add an extra 24% to the cost of the bill. Respondents paid a median price of $173 per month for bundles, across all providers.

About 33 million people ditched their cable or satellite subscription during 2018, according to researcher eMarketer, up from 24.9 million in 2017.

22 percent of members said they use an antenna to get free over-the-air TV signals on one or more of the sets in their home.

Wilderness Fact

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%. The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.

Wordology, Chronophobia

As the population ages, an old phobia is getting some news lately. Chronophobia is the fear of time. It is characterized by an irrational persistent fear of time and of the passing of time.


Chronophobia is related to the rare chronomentrophobia, the irrational fear of timepieces, such as watches and clocks. Chronophobia is considered a specific phobia.

May Inventions

May 15, 718 - James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the world's first machine gun.

May 17, 1839 - Lorenzo Adkins patented a water wheel.

May 18, 1827 - 1830 - Edwin Beard Budding of England signed a licensing agreement for the manufacture of his invention, the lawn mower.

May 19, 1896 - Edward Acheson was issued a patent for an electrical furnace used to produce one of the hardest industrial substances: carborundum.

May 20, 1830 - D. Hyde patented the fountain pen. 1958 - Robert Baumann obtained a patent for a satellite structure.

Positive and Negative Words

Smart was first used in Old English to describe things that cause pain. Weapons, nails, and darts were smart. Shakespeare’s Henry VI has the phrase “as smart as lizards’ stings.” It took on connotations of sharpness, quickness, intensity, and, through smart, pain-causing words or wit came to stand for quick intelligence and fashionableness.
Egregious was a positive word that turned negative. It used to mean "eminent and distinguished," but because people started using it sarcastically, it came to mean "bad and offensive."
Sad started with the meaning of "satisfied or sated," also sometimes "steadfast" or "firm." It then went from meaning "serious," to "grave," to "sorrowful."
Smug first meant "crisp, tidy, and presentable." A well-dressed person was smug in this way, and it later came to mean "self-satisfied and conceited."
Devious comes from de via, "off the way." It once meant "distant" or "off the road." It took on the meaning of wandering, such as devious comets, devious minnows, and, because to do wrong was to stray from the right path, it eventually came to mean "scheming and deceitful."
Facetiousness was once to have elegant, gracious, high style, and to be jokey and witty. It came from a Latin term for playful humorousness. It is still connected with a type of humor, but with an unproductive or annoying connotation.

Bully used to be a term of endearment for men or women. A bully could be a good friend or a sweetheart. It then came to stand for a swaggering braggart and than a coward who picks on others.

Friends With Benefits

When the show came to an end, the cast of the popular TV show Friends negotiated syndication rights for themselves. That means they receive a percentage of the revenue (2 percent) from reruns airing across all broadcasting companies. Since the much-loved TV show still pulls in around $1 billion of revenue, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry each make about $20 million per year.

Costco Shopping Tip

According to Redditt, “For extra lean (and cheap) ground beef, ask the meat department for a 10lb chub. We sell our regular ground beef (88/12 percent) for $3.49 a pound. The way we make it is we take our fat trimmings from cutting steaks and mix it with the chubs to bring up the fat content and increase our profits. The 10lb chubs are probably sitting around 5 percent – 8 percent fat and only cost $2.99 a pound. You will have to ask for these specifically as we don’t normally put them out for sale.”

One interesting tip is to request a chub of beef. Although most people are unfamiliar with this meat-packing term, a “chub” is a tube of ground beef, sealed in plastic. Looking a bit like an over-sized hot dog, chubs contain the same ground beef, but in packaging that is less expensive than the traditional foam box with clear plastic topper. The Costco deli can package your beef at your request and the chub is usually sold at a discount.

Google Tip

If you know you are looking for a PDF, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation or another type of file that has been uploaded to the web, you can search “filetype:PDF,” “filetype:xlsx,” “filetype:ppt” etc. It is a quick way to find reports from agencies, and examples of presentations on certain topics and more.

Five Ways to be Happy

Know that you are in control of your happiness. Science tells us that about 50 percent of our happiness is based on genetic factors, 10 percent is on environmental factors (marital status, health, career), and the remaining 40 percent consists of the activities that we intentionally choose to participate in. Simply realizing that you can do something about how happy you are is a powerful first step on your journey to a happier life.
Choose specific activities. The results of several "happiness experiments" in a research lab showed that people who made very specific plans, including an activity, a time, and his/her companions, were the happiest people in the study. Pick an activity that you have always wanted to try, like signing up for a dance class, exploring a museum, trying a new food, or traveling to a new place.
The more the merrier. You have probably heard this all your life, but that is because it is scientifically true. In studies, we saw that people who enjoyed an activity with someone else — a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend — were the happiest people. Find a partner in happiness, make a plan, and as the date approaches, the anticipation you experience will increase your hope, which is a major factor in creating happiness.
Exercise. This is one of those activities that you can make more fun with a partner in happiness, and it is an important one to incorporate into your lifestyle if you are seeking greater happiness. Studies show that people who exercise are about 20 percent happier on average. As you may have heard, exercising releases endorphins, which basically make the brain happier. Just 20 focused minutes of walking a day can make a difference.
Get enough sleep. People who are sleep-deprived tend to remember negative thoughts more easily than positive thoughts. Even cat naps or power naps during the day will help boost your mood.

Happy Friday

If you wake up with a smile, you will go to bed happy and vice versa.

I like to do both, especially on a Happy Friday!

Wordology, Disgruntled

Back in the 1600s “gruntling” meant “grumbling.” So if someone was gruntling, they were even more upset if they were disgruntling. The first known use of “gruntled” as an adjective to mean “in good humor” or “pleased” in the Oxford English Dictionary is attributed to P.G. Wodehouse, who included this sentence in his 1938 novel The Code of the Woosters: "He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled."


Instead of being negative, the “dis-” prefix in “disgruntled” is an intensifier. It means “utterly” or “completely” and adds emphasis to the root.

Gruntled” is a back-formation that people derived from “disgruntled.” In other words, so many people thought “disgruntled” should have the corresponding positive word, “gruntled,” that it emerged and was accepted.

Superman Fact

The original comic book Superman could leap tall buildings in a single bound, but then he had to come back down to Earth, because he did not fly. It was not until the 1940s, when animators for a new animated series decided it would be too difficult to routinely draw him bending his knees, that it was decided that Superman could take off into the air. Readers were able to see smooth animation, and a superhero gained a new power.