Sep 30, 2016

Broker vs. Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent is a real estate professional who has taken and passed all required real estate classes and passed the real estate licensing exam in the state in which he or she intends to work. It is the most encompassing of the titles, since it is the starting point for most real estate professionals. Agents are also referred to as real estate associates.

A realtor is a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. To become a member, a real estate agent has to agree to abide by the association's standards and uphold the code of ethics.

A real estate broker has continued his or her education past the real estate agent level and passed the real estate broker license. Real estate brokers can work as independent real estate agents or have other agents working for them.

The biggest distinction between the three is that a broker can work on his or her own, while an agent or associate has to work under a licensed broker. A hybrid position, referred to as a real estate associate broker, is an agent who is working toward achieving a broker's license. Associate brokers have to work under a licensed broker, but may share in the brokerage profits above and beyond the usual agent commission.

Madrid Crosswalks

Here is a great idea. The crosswalks are livened up to promote awareness for both drivers and pedestrians.

There are a variety of colors and designs on different roads.

Irene Triplett

When the US Civil War ended in 1865, the US government promised a monthly stipend to the wives and children of Yankee soldiers. Now, 151 years later, and Irene Triplett is still receiving her Civil War pension.

During the 1920s, Mose Triplett – a Confederate soldier who had defected to the Union in 1862, married Irene’s mother, Elida. Irene was born to Mose Triplett and his second wife, Elida, in 1930. Mose, whose first wife Mary died in the 1920s, fathered five children with Elida, who was 50 years younger than he was. Mose died in 1938.

During 2013, after breaking her hip, Irene, the last child moved into a Wilkesboro skilled-nursing facility. She still collects $73.13 each month from her father's military pension.

Incidentally, about 15 children of veterans from the Spanish-American War of 1898 also still receive benefits.

One Minute


Wordology, ASMR

This is becoming an advertisers dream way to soft sell. YouTube is littered with hundreds of thousands of ASMR videos. Bob Ross, the late painter is, to some, the epitome of ASMR as his soft spoken, almost whispering way of describing brush strokes and the feeling evoked by his art. It is both auditory and visually stimulating in an almost sensuous manner.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is described as a "euphoric experience characterized by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine, precipitating relaxation." It comes from hearing soft voices and sensual sounds, such as tapping objects with fingernails. Think of it as the opposite of scratching nails on a chalkboard.


Too much ASMR can have the opposite effect for me, but a bit is a welcome change from the in-your-face 'buy me in the next ten minutes or else'.

I do not usually like ads, but here is one with George Hamilton doing a soft spoken, almost whisper as Colonel Sanders for KFC. The ad is pure ASMR and uses pocket squares as the tag, with him eating chicken tossed in between. Two minutes and interesting to watch. LINK  You might also like to see the queen of ASMR and her GentleWhispering chanel. LINK

Robots are Coming

Many industries are feeling the influx of robots. Changes are coming faster than in the past. There were only 1,000 robot-assisted surgeries performed in 2000. By 2014, that number was 570,000.

Only 10% of worldwide manufacturing tasks are automated right now. That is expected to increase to 25% to 45% during the next 10 years as robots get much cheaper, smarter, faster, and easier to use.

Some companies, like China's Foxconn are investing in robots that can put together the tiny parts in Apple's iPhone.

Three Smartphone Photo Tips

Use a flashlight from a different phone to light your subject from an angle will result in a better image than relying on your smartphone camera’s flash. You will achieve a more crisp picture.

You can optimize your smartphone camera’s ability to focus and meter light by tapping on the screen before you shoot. Tap a dark spot in the shot to make the image brighter or tap a bright spot on the screen to darken it a bit.

Shoot in landscape mode and your photos will look better on the Web or your PC screen.

Sep 23, 2016

Happy Friday

I am floating in a ocean of my own happiness.

And enjoying a swimmingly grand Happy Friday!

Top Ten Musician Sales

Amazing to see how many sales some of the new musicians are making vs. legends in the business. Units equals: sales of albums, singles, and music videos.

Mariah Carey — 131.9 million units
Led Zeppelin — 139.3 million units
Garth Brooks — 145 million units
Taylor Swift — 146.8 million units
Elton John — 166.9 million units
Madonna — 170 million units
Michael Jackson — 181.1 million units
Rihanna — 197.7 million units
Elvis Presley — 210.8 million units
The Beatles — 269.5 million units


Others of note: Celine Dion 123.7 million, Bruce Springsteen 100.2 million, Rolling Stones 95.3 million, Justin Bieber 88.9 million, Aerosmith 84.1 million, Bee Gees 67.3 million, Prince 63.7 million.

World Population Fact

If you are over 45 years old, the world population has doubled within your lifetime.

Ultrasound vs. Sonogram

A sonogram is the image generated during ultrasonography, which is a diagnostic imaging technique that uses ultrasound to visualize anything inside the body.

Ultrasound is sound with a frequency above the range audible to humans, about 20 kHz. Both words are used to refer to the ultrasonography procedure.


When ultrasound waves are sent into the human body some of them bounce back when they hit tissues of differing density. The time it takes the reflected ultrasound waves to return to the machine is translated into an image of the internal organ, or of a fetus. This image is called a sonogram.

Ultrasound is used in industry to measure the purity or uniformity of liquid, to measure the depth of water, and to search for underwater objects such as submarines. Whales and dolphins use ultrasound to communicate.

California Cow Gas

It is true, California Air Resources Board (Senate Bill 1383) can now regulate cow flatulence. It looks for practical ways to reduce cows' belching and breaking wind.

"Although these gases do not linger in the atmosphere, they still make people sick and hasten global warming due to their heat-trapping ability", per Reuters. Governor Brown added, "We're protecting people's lungs and their health."

Perhaps the farmers will next be required to affix these to their livestock.

Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology has come up with an innovative solution, the cow-fart-backpack to be used to fight climate change. The backpack captures the gases emitted through the cow’s mouth or intestinal tract via a tube inserted through the cow’s skin (which the researchers claim is painless). The gas is then condensed and ready to use to provide power for the farm.

Email Hack

If you seem to be receiving more advertisements than you like, add an email filter. Use the filter to look for the word 'unsubscribe' then move that email to trash. Most ads have a spot on the bottom to unsubscribe, but it is a pain to keep going to the web pages to opt out. This little filter is easier.

Emma Morano

Emma Morano is 116 years old. The Italian Supercentenarian is the last person alive to have been born in the 19th century. She was born in northern Italy on November 29, 1899 and Queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde were still alive. A world that had never known global war, and where the automobile was still a fancy toy for rich folk. No human had ever successfully flown a plane. At that moment, Emma was closer in time to the Battle of Waterloo than she was to her twilight years in 2016.