Nov 25, 2016

Happy Friday

A genuine smile is the greatest courtesy.

I always extend my courtesies to all, especially on a Happy Friday!

Paper Towels Origin

Scott Paper Company capitalized on the demand for improved hygiene by essentially 'inventing' the market for toilet paper. Nearly a decade later, a manufacturing error at Scott’s mills revolutionized the company by producing tissue that was too thick to use as toilet paper.

Remembering a story about a schoolteacher who cut up copy paper for her students to use as hand wipes (as opposed to a communal cloth that spread germs), company founder Arthur Scott set his sights on marketing the world’s first disposable paper towel.

By perforating the thick, unusable paper so that it could be dispensed in individual sheets, Scott targeted his sales to railroad stations, hotels, industrial buildings, and schools under the name “Sani-Towels.” By 1931, a paper manufacturer’s mistake had become a successful household item throughout America.

Cannabis Genotype vs. Phenotype

There are there are defining characteristics for every strain, but each plant uniquely expresses genes according to its garden environment. That is why the government is so determined to control the production process, from seed to distribution.

Two things influence the structural formation of any given cannabis plant: genetics and environment. The plant’s genetic makeup, also called a genotype, acts as a blueprint for growth: it allows a spectrum of physical possibilities, but it is up to the environment to induce these characteristics.

The physical expression of a genotype is referred to as a phenotype, which is simply defined as the traits that the environment pulls out from the plant’s genetic code. Everything from color, shape, smell, and resin production are affected by the environment.

Cannabis breeding took a major turn during the 1970s and 1980s when federal anti-cannabis sentiments peaked, driving cultivation from the great outdoors to inside. Indoor gardens, raised by soil, electric lights, and hydroponic systems, produce a bulk of the cannabis in the market today. The plant’s phenotypic expression depends on: nutrients, temperature, the amount and angle of light, soil type, photoperiod length, time of harvest, and the distance between the plant and light source. These and other conditions affect a plant’s characteristics.

Narrowing diversity even further, growers during this time were primarily motivated by THC content and selectively chose this characteristic over other important chemical constituents like CBD.

Windows 10 Sign-in

Are you required to sign in to your computer each time you turn it on? Do you hate that? If you are not worried that someone will use your computer without your permission, there is a way to turn this 'feature' off.

Click Start > Settings > Accounts. On the left choose “Sign-in options.” Up at the top, under “Require sign-in” set the drop-down box to say Never.

Now you can turn on your PC, go get a cup of coffee, and when you return it will be ready for you to use.

AVOD, SVOD, TVOD

These days there is much talk about 'cutting the cord', or eliminating the increasingly high cable TV costs. People are looking for decreased costs and instant gratification. The irony is, while people are installing ever larger TV screens in the home, many people are opting to choose their entertainment on miniscule phone screens and tablets. There are common terms for this instant gratification.

VOD is Video On Demand. Wherever there is a screen, in your pocket, in your car, etc., you can watch the latest episode of your favorite show or watch a movie.

AVOD is Advertising or Ad-based VOD. It is a model that is free of monthly or on demand cost, but you pay by letting yourself be subjected to commercials. Think YouTube as an example or commercial, non-cable TV.

SVOD is Subscription VOD, a type of service that requires a paid subscription agreement, which grants access to movies, shows, or other content. The fees are typically charged monthly.

TVOD is Transactional VOD. It is a service that is paid for as you watch. TVOD is typically free sign up, then pay for any content you watch. This is like an electronic version of the old Blockbuster model, watch a movie, pay a fee, watch another movie, pay another fee.

There are examples of services that operate with mixed models, where the customer will pay a monthly fee, which will grant access to certain types of content, but there are extra fees applied to watch particular pieces of content, such as a live sports event. Cable TV, Rabbittv, Selecttv, and VRV are mixed models.

The Internet, with its Over-The-Top (OTT), or Over-The-Air (OTA) watch anything, anywhere, anytime for free is disrupting most of the paid schemes and forcing cable operators to rethink their business models and outrageous fees.

Phone and Internet Use

The International Telecommunication Union reports that Earth has as many phone subscriptions as people (7 billion), even if it does not translate to a phone for each person.

It also finds internet usage is not evenly distributed. Though broadband networks are available to 84 percent of the world’s population, just 47 percent actually use the internet.

GMT and UTC

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often confused with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). GMT and UTC share the same current time in practice, but there is a basic difference between the two. GMT is a time zone and UTC is a time standard.

GMT is a time zone officially used in some European, African, and other countries. The time can be displayed using both the 24-hour format (0 - 24) or the 12-hour format (1 - 12 am/pm).

UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for civil time and time zones worldwide. This means that no country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.

Neither UTC nor GMT ever change for Daylight Saving Time. However, some of the countries that use GMT switch to different time zones during their Daylight Saving Time periods. For example, the United Kingdom is not on GMT all year, it uses British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour ahead of GMT, during the summer months. Seems to me all Daylight Saving Time should adopt the British acronym and call it for what it is - BST, for Bull S... Time.

Einstein the Horse

 Miniature horses were first developed in Europe during the 1600s, and by 1765, they were seen frequently as the pets of nobility. Miniature horse life span is 25 to 35 years, but often live longer, with the oldest known ones living 50 years of age.

The English began using small ponies in their mines. At the peak of this practice in 1913, there were 70,000 ponies underground in Britain. In later years, mechanical haulage was introduced on the main underground roads replacing the pony haulers. As of 1984, 55 ponies were still in use at the pit in Ellington, Northumberland. When Ellington closed in 1994, the last four pit ponies were brought out.

Einstein, who was born during 2010 in New Hampshire, US is a miniature pinto stallion and not a dwarf. This tiny steed is just 20 inches tall and weighs 47 pounds. His father and mother are 32 inches and 30 inches respectively and are national mini horse champions.

Nov 18, 2016

Happy Friday

Sadness cannot open the door to a happy house.

My doors are always open to celebrate a Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

Steamboat Willie was first released on November 18, 1928, in New York. It was co-directed by Walt Disney. “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Walt Disney

International Men's Day

International Men’s Day is celebrated every year on November 19. It is dedicated to celebrating men and raising awareness of men’s issues and rights.

World Toilet Day

Totally, completely, and absolutely not related to International Men's Day. World Toilet Day is a day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Happy Thanksgiving next Week

Hope your Holiday is filled with good fun, good family, good friends, good drinks, and good food!

Bottled Water Sources

Companies are not required to publicly disclose exactly where their sources of collection are. Ironically, most US bottled water comes from (drought stricken) California. Almost all US tap water is better regulated and monitored than bottled water is.

Purified water is a different story. It is usually produced by distillation, de-ionization or reverse osmosis. This water can originate from either the tap or from ground water. Often labeled "purified" or drinking water," this processed water often has minerals added to it to give it taste.

There are more than 3,600 brands of bottled water available. Many now come packed with vitamins, minerals, probiotics,  flavors, and natural and artificial sweeteners.

The various types of bottled water are sourced from:
  • Well water (water found underground that is trapped by rocks or sand)
  • Spring water (collected at the source of a spring)
  • Groundwater (mineral water contains natural minerals dissolved from the source)
  • Distilled water (collected from the steam of boiled water)
  • Purified water (water from anywhere, but it is treated to remove chemicals).
About 55 percent of bottled water in the United States is spring water, including Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead.
Evian, Perrier, and Vittel come from natural springs in France. FIJI Water comes from a source in the Yaqara Valley of Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s two principal islands, and is now the number one imported bottled water in the United States. San Pellegrino comes from mountain springs in Italy. Mountain Valley Spring Water comes from Arkansas. Saratoga springs comes from New York and is injected with additional carbonation during bottling. Everest water comes from Texas, Glacier Mountain comes from Ohio, and only about a third of Poland Springs water comes from the actual Poland Spring, in Maine.

Aquafina and Dasani use tap water and treat it. In fact, Aquafina, was recently forced to change their labels to reflect the true source of their water: Public Water Source, in other words, tap water. Coca-Cola bottling plants, which produce Dasani, use 1.63 liters of water for every liter of beverage produced in California.
The following are bottled water brands who refuse to release the location of their water source.

    Big Y Natural Spring Water
    Cool Springs Purified Drinking Water
    Crystal Clear Bottled Water Purified Drinking Water
    Deja Blue Purified Drinking Water
    Floravita 2000 Super Aqua Ultrapure Premium Water
    H20m Natural Spring Water
    Kroger Distilled Water
    Nursery Purified Water
    Publix Drinking Water
    Simply H20
    Smart Sense Purified Water
    Sunnyside Farms Purified Water
    Trader Joe’s Electrolyte Enhanced Water
    Vintage Natural Spring Water
    Voss Artisian Water
    Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water
    365 Everday Value Spring Water

The International Bottled Water Association lists more than 20 brands of bottled water that contain fluoride. A few of the brands are Arrowhead, Deer Park, Hinkley Springs, Nursery Water, Ozarka, and more. DS Services and Nestle Waters North America are the most common manufacturers listed.
A new type, Alkaline water, also called ionized water has claimed health benefits. However, researchers have not yet verified claims that alkaline water can cure illnesses or prevent certain conditions. Most doctors agree more studies are needed.


The consensus between the two main water quality regulating groups EPA and EWG, and health research is that bottled water is inferior in quality to tap water. This is due to the extreme filtering process and type of disinfection used.