A new start-up called Booktracks has developed something unique. It pairs sound with reading, just like what happened to the motion picture industry when they added sound to silent movies. It provides some excitement that may forever change how we read.
One sample tested has music in the background, but when a passage, such as a door closing is read, the sound of a door closing is heard. It seems to stay in sync, whether you read fast or slow.
Some Booktracks are already available in the Apple App Store. In the works are editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, The Three Musketeers, Pride and Prejudice and more. This will be a great development to watch and see if it will be revolutionary or fizzle.
Aug 30, 2011
Package Delivery
In 1907 in Seattle a teenager named Jim Casey borrowed $100 from his friend, Claude Ryan, and started a local delivery service named American Messenger Company. They provided round-the-clock customer service with courtesy, reliability and low rates.
In 1913 they merged with Mac McCabe and formed Merchants Parcel Delivery. It was the first company to consolidate packages with similar street destinations on one delivery truck. The trucks were painted dark brown color to portray a professional appearance.
They expanded to Oakland and Los Angeles, California. and changed the name to United Parcel Service. UPS now operates a small package and document network in more than 200 countries and can reach over four billion people.”
In 1913 they merged with Mac McCabe and formed Merchants Parcel Delivery. It was the first company to consolidate packages with similar street destinations on one delivery truck. The trucks were painted dark brown color to portray a professional appearance.
They expanded to Oakland and Los Angeles, California. and changed the name to United Parcel Service. UPS now operates a small package and document network in more than 200 countries and can reach over four billion people.”
Google+
One of the nice features is that you have circles of people, so you can set up family, friends, business, etc. When you make a comment, you decide which circle it is intended for and it is only viewable by that group. You can set up a category of people that you follow, and comments can be sent to them independently or you can send to all groups. Below each comment box are icons to add pictures, links, video, location, and this makes it extremely easy to attach. Another feature is that you can add people to your circles so that they receive emails only and do not have to join Google+.
Aug 26, 2011
Happy Friday
If you want to succeed, put your heart, mind, and soul into your smallest acts.
I always put my heart, mind, and soul into having a Happy Friday!
I always put my heart, mind, and soul into having a Happy Friday!
Crowdmug
This is a bit scary. Want to know if a particular Bar or Restaurant is crowded before you go there? You can request a photo or video on Crowdmug and find out in minutes. You decide how much you are willing to pay and send in a request on your iPhone. If someone is at the place and accepts, they will take a picture for you. You can also take pictures and/or movies of your favorite place and upload them for free.
Crowdmug bills itself as the site to help you find out about a place before going there. It hopes to build a large library of photos for your viewing pleasure. The samples are quite well done and each place includes a map along with the photo. I imagine some bars and restaurants might upload photos, just to be included in the database.
Crowdmug bills itself as the site to help you find out about a place before going there. It hopes to build a large library of photos for your viewing pleasure. The samples are quite well done and each place includes a map along with the photo. I imagine some bars and restaurants might upload photos, just to be included in the database.
Muscles and Fat
Muscles and fats are made up of very different types of cells that have completely different functions. Skeletal muscles get larger when a person exercises. The muscles get larger, with more filaments being developed within the cells to accommodate the more challenging demand on them.
After a person quits exercising, the muscle cells do not magically turn into fat cells. They just shrink. This allows the body to conserve energy when a person’s daily activities don’t require as much muscle mass.
The myth that muscles turn to fat when a person stops exercising probably stems from the fact that people who body build or otherwise exercise regularly and quit, tend to put on weight.
It all comes down to caloric intake. People who exercise regularly tend eat more food and when they stop exercising their body loses the need for the calories. These people may not reduce their food intake quickly enough to compensate for their reduced caloric needs.
After a person quits exercising, the muscle cells do not magically turn into fat cells. They just shrink. This allows the body to conserve energy when a person’s daily activities don’t require as much muscle mass.
The myth that muscles turn to fat when a person stops exercising probably stems from the fact that people who body build or otherwise exercise regularly and quit, tend to put on weight.
It all comes down to caloric intake. People who exercise regularly tend eat more food and when they stop exercising their body loses the need for the calories. These people may not reduce their food intake quickly enough to compensate for their reduced caloric needs.
Google Maps Amazon Style
Most of us are comfortable with using Google maps and clicking on the little man to get a street view. Google has been expanding that for the whole world and last year even began an adventure to map the oceans. 
Lately, it sent tricycles, like the one to the right to the Amazon to begin street maps there. Tricycles are used for stability and because there are no streets for automobiles. It also began hooking the same 360 degree cameras unto a boat to give us a water view of the Negro River. So, the next time you plan to vacation in the Amazon, you will be able to get a street view before you leave.
Lately, it sent tricycles, like the one to the right to the Amazon to begin street maps there. Tricycles are used for stability and because there are no streets for automobiles. It also began hooking the same 360 degree cameras unto a boat to give us a water view of the Negro River. So, the next time you plan to vacation in the Amazon, you will be able to get a street view before you leave.
Pencils and Erasers
In 1858, there were lead pencils and there were erasers. That year, Hymen Lipman received his patent for putting the two together. A few years later, in 1862 Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000. that was quite a fortune at the time.
Reckendorfer sued the pencil company Faber for infringement. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer declaring the patent invalid, because his invention was actually a combination of two already known things with no new use. Faber is still in business making pencils and crayons.
The word "pencil" derives from the Latin word "pencillus", meaning tail or little brush. A typical pencil can draw a line 35 miles long, or write about 45,000 words. You cannot get lead poising from pencils, because they do not contain lead. More than half of all pencils are made in China. The typical six sided pencil uses less wood to make than round, is easier to sharpen, and has better grip to not roll off of a surface. There is no reason for the yellow color and many countries do not paint their pencils yellow.
Reckendorfer sued the pencil company Faber for infringement. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer declaring the patent invalid, because his invention was actually a combination of two already known things with no new use. Faber is still in business making pencils and crayons.
The word "pencil" derives from the Latin word "pencillus", meaning tail or little brush. A typical pencil can draw a line 35 miles long, or write about 45,000 words. You cannot get lead poising from pencils, because they do not contain lead. More than half of all pencils are made in China. The typical six sided pencil uses less wood to make than round, is easier to sharpen, and has better grip to not roll off of a surface. There is no reason for the yellow color and many countries do not paint their pencils yellow.
What's in a Name, SPAM
The name SPAM is an acronym of "Shoulder of Pork And Ham." It is unique, both in its computer form and in its canned pink form. The two words have more in common than you might think. The computer spam actually derives its name from a Monty Python sketch set in a café with an entirely Spam-centric menu. In typical Monty Python fashion, the characters (including a chorus of Vikings) break out into a song consisting almost entirely of the word “spam,” thus “spamming” the dialogue.
The sketch was a commentary on the influx of commercially available canned meats during a period of desperate agricultural rebound, the word made its way into the computer world as the annoying and excessive influx of unwanted mail or advertisements.
During the 1980s, online advertising companies attempted to acronym the word as “Sales Promotion And Marketing,” but online spam is worse than any meat or meat byproduct.
The sketch was a commentary on the influx of commercially available canned meats during a period of desperate agricultural rebound, the word made its way into the computer world as the annoying and excessive influx of unwanted mail or advertisements.
During the 1980s, online advertising companies attempted to acronym the word as “Sales Promotion And Marketing,” but online spam is worse than any meat or meat byproduct.
Aug 23, 2011
Virtual Boarding Agents
Orly airport in Paris, France is experimenting with "virtual" boarding agents who always smile, don't need breaks, and never go on strike. "Bonjour! I invite you to go to your boarding gate. Paris Airports wishes you a bon voyage," the image appears to say, while the name of the destination flashes in front of it.
The pilot project in July and has so far been met with a mix of amusement and surprise by travelers, who frequently try to touch and speak with the life-like video images that greet them and direct them to their gate. The images materialize seemingly out of thin air when a live boarding agent presses a button to signal the start of boarding.
Images are rear-projected onto a human shaped silhouette made of plexiglass. Three actual airport boarding agents were filmed in a studio to create the illusion, which the airport hopes will be more eye-catching and easier for passengers to understand than current electronic display.
Airport authority AdP came up with the idea when it was brainstorming ways to modernize one of the dozens of boarding gates at Orly. Similar virtual agents have been in airports in London and Manchester since earlier this year.
The gate serves about 30 or 40 flights a day and about 1 million passengers a year pass through it, mainly on their way to destinations in the south of France and Corsica.
The experiment will be evaluated by the end of the year, after which it could be expanded to other gates and other airports.
The pilot project in July and has so far been met with a mix of amusement and surprise by travelers, who frequently try to touch and speak with the life-like video images that greet them and direct them to their gate. The images materialize seemingly out of thin air when a live boarding agent presses a button to signal the start of boarding.
Images are rear-projected onto a human shaped silhouette made of plexiglass. Three actual airport boarding agents were filmed in a studio to create the illusion, which the airport hopes will be more eye-catching and easier for passengers to understand than current electronic display.
Airport authority AdP came up with the idea when it was brainstorming ways to modernize one of the dozens of boarding gates at Orly. Similar virtual agents have been in airports in London and Manchester since earlier this year.
The gate serves about 30 or 40 flights a day and about 1 million passengers a year pass through it, mainly on their way to destinations in the south of France and Corsica.
The experiment will be evaluated by the end of the year, after which it could be expanded to other gates and other airports.
Corn Starch Remedies
Just came across an article extolling the virtues of corn starch for many things. Pat a thick layer of it on grease stains or spills in leather or fabric furniture, or even on grease stains from things like pizza on wooden tables. On the furniture, let it sit for a few hours or overnight and sweep or vacuum it off. Cheap alternative to those other stain removers. One of the more common uses is to sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum it up. Corn starch takes out dirt and many smells from the carpet. Not many iron at home like they used to, but if you need a touch up, put a tablespoon of cornstarch in a pint of water and use is as a spray starch.
Labrador Retriever
These dogs originated in the region of Canada that’s now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Local fishermen perfected a breed they called the St. John’s water dog, which were prodigious swimmers who would jump in the water and haul fishing nets back to shore.
In the early 19th century the Earl of Malmesbury began bringing the dogs to his English estate and trained them to retrieve the ducks he hunted. The Earl referred to his pack of pooches as his “Labrador dogs” in reference to their home region, and the name stuck as their popularity grew.
In the early 19th century the Earl of Malmesbury began bringing the dogs to his English estate and trained them to retrieve the ducks he hunted. The Earl referred to his pack of pooches as his “Labrador dogs” in reference to their home region, and the name stuck as their popularity grew.
Aug 19, 2011
Happy Friday
Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.
It would be a tragedy not to be able to dream about a Happy Friday!
It would be a tragedy not to be able to dream about a Happy Friday!
What is the Dow Jones
Charles Dow was a legendary newspaper mogul and co-founder of The Wall Street Journal. The average is named after Dow and one of his business associates, statistician Edward Jones. In 1896, Dow created the first version of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The idea was to monitor the health of the business sector by tracking the performance of the country’s 12 largest firms. The Dow was originally measured in dollars, and accountants averaged the 12 stock prices. The first Industrial Average on record was $40.94. When the firms were doing well, that average went up; when they performed poorly, the Dow went down.
The measuring system has become more sophisticated over the years. The modern index includes 30 companies, and the Dow has to account for things like stock splits and spin-offs. The value of the Dow is not the actual average of the prices of its component stocks, but rather the sum of the component prices divided by a divisor, which changes whenever one of the component stocks has a stock split or stock dividend, so as to generate a consistent value for the index. Because of these adjustments, the Dow is now measured in points rather than dollars. A single dollar increase in any of its current members’ share prices causes the Dow to rise by about seven points.
A three-person committee, including the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, handpicks the companies, looking for stocks with strong reputations, solid growth, and interest from a broad pool of investors. Of the original 12 companies selected, only General Electric is still in the pool. The 'industrial' in the average’s name is a throwback to the original companies. The Dow remains one of the best indicators of the overall health of the U.S. economy. Lately, the Dow is slipping, but hopefully will never get back down to 40.94.
The measuring system has become more sophisticated over the years. The modern index includes 30 companies, and the Dow has to account for things like stock splits and spin-offs. The value of the Dow is not the actual average of the prices of its component stocks, but rather the sum of the component prices divided by a divisor, which changes whenever one of the component stocks has a stock split or stock dividend, so as to generate a consistent value for the index. Because of these adjustments, the Dow is now measured in points rather than dollars. A single dollar increase in any of its current members’ share prices causes the Dow to rise by about seven points.
A three-person committee, including the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, handpicks the companies, looking for stocks with strong reputations, solid growth, and interest from a broad pool of investors. Of the original 12 companies selected, only General Electric is still in the pool. The 'industrial' in the average’s name is a throwback to the original companies. The Dow remains one of the best indicators of the overall health of the U.S. economy. Lately, the Dow is slipping, but hopefully will never get back down to 40.94.
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