Just as there is a difference between THC and CBD, there is
also a difference between CBD and hemp oil.
Most people use the
words “cannabis,” “hemp,” and “marijuana” interchangeably, but
cannabis is actually the name for the genus of plants. All of
the plants within the cannabis genus contain many compounds
called “phytocannabinoids.” The most well known are THC and CBD,
with THC as the only one that gets you high.
The leaves and flowers
of marijuana plants are used to make joints and edibles because
they typically contain 15-20% THC. CBD oils are made from the
hemp plants, which contain, at most, 0.3% THC, so CBD oils do
not get you high.
All mammals naturally
produce compounds called “endocannabinoids.” Endo means
“within”– within your body. All these compounds work together to
keep your body’s endocannabinoid stems functioning normally.
Phytocannabinoids, phyto meaning “plant”– as a compound that
occurs naturally in a plant work with the endocannabinoid
system.
Many CBD products are
made from hemp extract oil, but there are also products
called hemp seed oil, which is different. Hemp seed oil is
derived only from the seeds of the hemp plant, no
phytocannabinoids. The oil is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty
acids, so it can help skin issues, but does not have the same
benefits as CBD oil.
CBD works with your
body’s natural systems to help you manage, among other benefits,
everyday stress, sleep better, reduce pain, and function at a
higher level. As with all products, the best way to ensure that
the CBD is up to the standards you would have for everything
else you consume is to use products from companies that you
trust. It might be difficult to judge the effectiveness of the
new CBD sports bras, bath salts, and doggie treats, but have
fun. There does not appear to be negative side effects, at least
so far.
Bottom line, hemp oil
is better for cosmetics, skin conditions, and eating hemp seeds
is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, while CBD compounds are
taken internally and also used as oils, creams, and in other
consumables, used to relieve pain, anxiety, depression, acne,
heart disease, promote more restful sleep, etc.
Incidentally, the
FDA has approved the first CBD medicine for reducing seizures.
Sep 27, 2019
Wordology, Gorbellied
It is pronounced GOR-bel-eed and means having
a large belly: fat. From gorbelly (large belly), from gor (gore)
+ belly, from Old English belig (bag). Earliest documented use:
1529.
“Falstaff: Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? No, ye fat chuffs. ”William Shakespeare; Henry IV, Part 1; 1623.
“Falstaff: Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? No, ye fat chuffs. ”William Shakespeare; Henry IV, Part 1; 1623.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
The game seems to originate in hand games from
China, likely going back a few thousand years. The trail gets
more clear starting around the 17th century when some of these
games migrated to Japan and explicit references to them in
surviving text. One of those games, in turn, spread from Japan
throughout the world in recent times.
There were a myriad of these hand games using a series of hand gestures, sometimes even using various chants. As for the many three hand gesture variants, these are called sansukumi-ken.
As variant of this, the Japanese “mushi-ken” used hand gestures representing a frog, a slug, and a snake. The specific gestures were the thumb as the frog, which defeats the slug. The slug is represented by the pinky finger and defeats the snake. The snake is represented by the index finger and defeats the frog.
The direct ancestor to Rock, Paper, Scissors is the game of jan-ken, which has been played in Japan going back to around the 17th century and uses the Rock, Paper (or cloth), Scissors trio of hand gestures we are all familiar with.
Up until relatively recently, these games were primarily used as drinking games, particularly popular at Chinese and Japanese brothels. Yakyūken is a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors played in Japan that is the game of choice for the hand gesture equivalent of strip-poker.
It then spread to the world between the 1920s and the 1950s. For example, some of the earliest references of the game outside of Japan include one account in France in 1927 where it was called “chi-fou-mi”, or another in Britain in 1924 where it was called “zhot”.
As to why this particular hand gesture game caught on in the wider world when so many others did not, it is speculated that it is because it is one of the simplest to understand and play, as well as that it makes a very effective and seemingly random way to settle a dispute or decide something between two individuals.
Fast-forwarding to today, the game has even become a competitive sport with various organizations formed in different countries. For example, in 2002, the brothers Walker formed the World RPS Society and formalized the rules for international competition. They held the “Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championships” in Toronto every year from 2003 to 2009, which was televised on Fox Sports Net at one point.
If someone wins, they are more likely to make the same choice the next time. If they lose, however, they are likely to choose the next item in the sequence from the one they just lost with. So, if one loses with rock, they are likely to choose paper the next time. If they lose with paper, they are more likely to throw scissors the next time. Thus, they are picking the thing that they just lost to.
Players who repeat the same sign twice are extremely unlikely to throw the same sign a third time, allowing you to improve your odds slightly by ruling that one out as something they will pick in most cases. Thus, if they throw scissors twice, your next throw should be paper, as they are likely to choose either paper or rock, improving your odds of a tie or win.
Incidentally, In America, another name for Rock, Paper, Scissors is “Rochambeau.” The commonly held story is that it is from a French general by the name of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur de Rochambeau.
There were a myriad of these hand games using a series of hand gestures, sometimes even using various chants. As for the many three hand gesture variants, these are called sansukumi-ken.
As variant of this, the Japanese “mushi-ken” used hand gestures representing a frog, a slug, and a snake. The specific gestures were the thumb as the frog, which defeats the slug. The slug is represented by the pinky finger and defeats the snake. The snake is represented by the index finger and defeats the frog.
The direct ancestor to Rock, Paper, Scissors is the game of jan-ken, which has been played in Japan going back to around the 17th century and uses the Rock, Paper (or cloth), Scissors trio of hand gestures we are all familiar with.
Up until relatively recently, these games were primarily used as drinking games, particularly popular at Chinese and Japanese brothels. Yakyūken is a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors played in Japan that is the game of choice for the hand gesture equivalent of strip-poker.
It then spread to the world between the 1920s and the 1950s. For example, some of the earliest references of the game outside of Japan include one account in France in 1927 where it was called “chi-fou-mi”, or another in Britain in 1924 where it was called “zhot”.
As to why this particular hand gesture game caught on in the wider world when so many others did not, it is speculated that it is because it is one of the simplest to understand and play, as well as that it makes a very effective and seemingly random way to settle a dispute or decide something between two individuals.
Fast-forwarding to today, the game has even become a competitive sport with various organizations formed in different countries. For example, in 2002, the brothers Walker formed the World RPS Society and formalized the rules for international competition. They held the “Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championships” in Toronto every year from 2003 to 2009, which was televised on Fox Sports Net at one point.
If someone wins, they are more likely to make the same choice the next time. If they lose, however, they are likely to choose the next item in the sequence from the one they just lost with. So, if one loses with rock, they are likely to choose paper the next time. If they lose with paper, they are more likely to throw scissors the next time. Thus, they are picking the thing that they just lost to.
Players who repeat the same sign twice are extremely unlikely to throw the same sign a third time, allowing you to improve your odds slightly by ruling that one out as something they will pick in most cases. Thus, if they throw scissors twice, your next throw should be paper, as they are likely to choose either paper or rock, improving your odds of a tie or win.
Incidentally, In America, another name for Rock, Paper, Scissors is “Rochambeau.” The commonly held story is that it is from a French general by the name of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur de Rochambeau.
YouTube Tips
We all love the mostly ad free YouTube videos, TV shows, and
movies. Here are a few tips to make your viewing easier.
Use the following keys:
K = Play/Pause
J/L = Back/Forwards 10 seconds
Left/Right Arrow Key = Back/Forwards 5 seconds
Up/Down Arrow Key = Volume +/- 5%
F = Toggle Fullscreen
T = Toggle Theater Mode
I = Toggle miniplayer
M = Toggle Mute
Keys 0-9 = Skip to different parts of the video
C = Toggle Captions
If in a Playlist, Shift+p (capital p) = Previous video
Shift+n (capital n) = Next Video in playlist or next recommended video
< = Decrease Video Speed
> = Increase Video Speed
, = Rewind single frame
. = Advance single frame
You can press shift+/ (?) to see all these and more commands.
For those on mobile you can also go back/forwards 10 seconds by double tapping the left/right side of the video.
If you use Chrome, double right click the video to always have the miniplayer on screen, as long as you do not go into fullscreen.
While on YouTube, use the search for "Free TV, Free Movies, or 4K movies. You will be amazed at the number of full TV series to watch - and mostly ad free.
Use the following keys:
K = Play/Pause
J/L = Back/Forwards 10 seconds
Left/Right Arrow Key = Back/Forwards 5 seconds
Up/Down Arrow Key = Volume +/- 5%
F = Toggle Fullscreen
T = Toggle Theater Mode
I = Toggle miniplayer
M = Toggle Mute
Keys 0-9 = Skip to different parts of the video
C = Toggle Captions
If in a Playlist, Shift+p (capital p) = Previous video
Shift+n (capital n) = Next Video in playlist or next recommended video
< = Decrease Video Speed
> = Increase Video Speed
, = Rewind single frame
. = Advance single frame
You can press shift+/ (?) to see all these and more commands.
For those on mobile you can also go back/forwards 10 seconds by double tapping the left/right side of the video.
If you use Chrome, double right click the video to always have the miniplayer on screen, as long as you do not go into fullscreen.
While on YouTube, use the search for "Free TV, Free Movies, or 4K movies. You will be amazed at the number of full TV series to watch - and mostly ad free.
Sep 20, 2019
Happy Friday
Happiness is the best
opiate.
You can never overdose on happiness, even on a Happy Friday!
You can never overdose on happiness, even on a Happy Friday!
Nutella Origin
After WWII, there were not
enough cocoa supplies in Italy. So a pastry maker Pietro Ferrero
created his concoction made from hazelnuts, sugar, and just a
little bit of cocoa that was later transformed into Nutella, by
his son.
It began as a solid block called pasta gianduja which could be sliced and served on bread, but later evolved into a spreadable version called Supercrema. The Nutella name came about during 1964 as a result of combining the English word ‘nut’ and the Latin suffix for sweet – ‘ella’.
It began as a solid block called pasta gianduja which could be sliced and served on bread, but later evolved into a spreadable version called Supercrema. The Nutella name came about during 1964 as a result of combining the English word ‘nut’ and the Latin suffix for sweet – ‘ella’.
Satellite History
Satellites go way back, and were mostly used for specific
purposes. The new LEO satellite constellations require thousands
of satellites talking to each other and allowing internet
anywhere, even the remotest parts of the planet.
1957—The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1 and kicks off the space race.
1958—The US launches its first satellite, Explorer 1.
1958—The world’s first satellite designed for telecommunications, successfully transmits its first message.
1962—The Communications Satellite Act of 1962 gives the FCC regulatory power over communications satellites.
1962—Bell Labs launches Telstar 1, which successfully executes the first satellite television transmission.
1967—The Soviet Union creates, Orbita, the first television-satellite national network.
1972—Canada launches the first North American geostationary television satellite, Anik 1.
1975—RCA builds Satcom 1 for ABC, NBC, CBS, and later HBO® to begin broadcasting via satellite.
1976—Radio engineer Taylor Howard builds a homemade satellite dish and receiver that picks up both North American and Soviet satellite television signals. It showed in-home satellite television service could work.
1979—The Satellite Home Viewer Act lets US homeowners operate their own home satellite system.
1991—A group of cable TV providers, including Time Warner Cable, Cox, Comcast, and more, create the first direct broadcast satellite television service in the US, PRIMESTAR.
1993—Hughes Aircraft Co. applies for an FCC license to launch Spaceway, the first satellite designed to use the Ka-band frequencies making satellite a reasonable means for transmitting internet signals.
1996—Hughes Electronics buys PanAmSat, starts Hughes Network Systems, and begins offering consumer satellite services.
2003—News Corp buys DIRECTV, Hughes Network Systems, and others to form the DIRECTV Group.
2017—Viasat launches Viasat 2, which delivers the fastest residential satellite internet in the US to date.
Between 5G communications, ATSC3 over the air TV, and low earth satellites, pulling multiple millions of miles of physical cables around the country and the world may become a thing of the past, but it will not happen this year or next.
1957—The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1 and kicks off the space race.
1958—The US launches its first satellite, Explorer 1.
1958—The world’s first satellite designed for telecommunications, successfully transmits its first message.
1962—The Communications Satellite Act of 1962 gives the FCC regulatory power over communications satellites.
1962—Bell Labs launches Telstar 1, which successfully executes the first satellite television transmission.
1967—The Soviet Union creates, Orbita, the first television-satellite national network.
1972—Canada launches the first North American geostationary television satellite, Anik 1.
1975—RCA builds Satcom 1 for ABC, NBC, CBS, and later HBO® to begin broadcasting via satellite.
1976—Radio engineer Taylor Howard builds a homemade satellite dish and receiver that picks up both North American and Soviet satellite television signals. It showed in-home satellite television service could work.
1979—The Satellite Home Viewer Act lets US homeowners operate their own home satellite system.
1991—A group of cable TV providers, including Time Warner Cable, Cox, Comcast, and more, create the first direct broadcast satellite television service in the US, PRIMESTAR.
1993—Hughes Aircraft Co. applies for an FCC license to launch Spaceway, the first satellite designed to use the Ka-band frequencies making satellite a reasonable means for transmitting internet signals.
1996—Hughes Electronics buys PanAmSat, starts Hughes Network Systems, and begins offering consumer satellite services.
2003—News Corp buys DIRECTV, Hughes Network Systems, and others to form the DIRECTV Group.
2017—Viasat launches Viasat 2, which delivers the fastest residential satellite internet in the US to date.
Between 5G communications, ATSC3 over the air TV, and low earth satellites, pulling multiple millions of miles of physical cables around the country and the world may become a thing of the past, but it will not happen this year or next.
Used Cars vs. New Cars
During 2018, Americans bought 17.3 million new cars
and 40.2 million used ones. Is that recycling?
Interesting Animal Facts
Pandas can sleep anywhere and they usually fall
asleep wherever they happen to be.
Squirrels use their tails as umbrellas and parachutes.
A dog’s nose print is as detailed as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify them.
Giraffes only sleep for around 4 and a half hours a night, on average.
Tigers have striped skin underneath their striped fur.
Baby elephants suck on their own trunks, like pacifiers.
Squirrels use their tails as umbrellas and parachutes.
A dog’s nose print is as detailed as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify them.
Giraffes only sleep for around 4 and a half hours a night, on average.
Tigers have striped skin underneath their striped fur.
Baby elephants suck on their own trunks, like pacifiers.
Cable TV Statistics
The US has 1,775 total television stations and about 5,200
cable systems run by 660 operators, reaching 90% of the entire
population.
During 2017, 61% of young adults in the US mostly used online streaming to watch TV.
During 2018, there were 33 million people in the US who had canceled their pay-TV subscription. 12% of U.S. homes with broadband cut the cord in 2018, showing a 32.8% increase from 2017. In December 2018, 60% of American adults had someone in their household with a current Netflix subscription and Comcast accounted for 23.6% of the pay TV market in the US.
Number of households cutting the cord jumped another 19.2% and reached 40.2 million cord cutters in 2019 per eMarketer. 44% of American households still subscribe to a cable service in 2019.
FOX News was the leading cable network in the US during March 2019, with 1.392 million total day viewers. MSNBC was second, with 1.029 million, and Nickelodeon came third, with 788,000.
Web-based TV continues to grow with 56% of US adults classified as streamers, up from 48% in 2018 and 40% in 2017, according to a new report from Nielsen.
The percentage of households that can stream TV programming has grown to 65% in 2019 from 59% in 2918 and 51% in 2017, Nielsen said in its new Local Watch Report.
Nielsen says that 77% of streamers have access to broadcast stations and cable networks through traditional distributors and virtual MVPDs. Multichannel Video Programming Distributor is a service that provides multiple television channels, like cable or satellite television service. Linear broadcast stations (antenna TV) are watched by 82% of streamers.
During 2017, 61% of young adults in the US mostly used online streaming to watch TV.
During 2018, there were 33 million people in the US who had canceled their pay-TV subscription. 12% of U.S. homes with broadband cut the cord in 2018, showing a 32.8% increase from 2017. In December 2018, 60% of American adults had someone in their household with a current Netflix subscription and Comcast accounted for 23.6% of the pay TV market in the US.
Number of households cutting the cord jumped another 19.2% and reached 40.2 million cord cutters in 2019 per eMarketer. 44% of American households still subscribe to a cable service in 2019.
FOX News was the leading cable network in the US during March 2019, with 1.392 million total day viewers. MSNBC was second, with 1.029 million, and Nickelodeon came third, with 788,000.
Web-based TV continues to grow with 56% of US adults classified as streamers, up from 48% in 2018 and 40% in 2017, according to a new report from Nielsen.
The percentage of households that can stream TV programming has grown to 65% in 2019 from 59% in 2918 and 51% in 2017, Nielsen said in its new Local Watch Report.
Nielsen says that 77% of streamers have access to broadcast stations and cable networks through traditional distributors and virtual MVPDs. Multichannel Video Programming Distributor is a service that provides multiple television channels, like cable or satellite television service. Linear broadcast stations (antenna TV) are watched by 82% of streamers.
Extreme Heat
According to Accuweather.com, 26 of the 50 states set their
all-time high temperature records during the 1930s that still
stand (some have since been tied). An additional 11 state
all-time high temperature records were set before 1930. Only two
states have all-time record high temperatures that were set in
the 21st century (South Dakota and South Carolina).
So 37 of the 50 states have an all-time high temperature record not exceeded for more than 75 years.
So 37 of the 50 states have an all-time high temperature record not exceeded for more than 75 years.
Expensive vs. Cheap Wine
In one study with over 6,000 taste tasters,
comprising about 12% sommeliers and the rest general public,
they tried to determine if people like expensive wines more than
cheap ones.
It found the correlation between price and overall rating is small and negative, suggesting that individuals on average enjoy more expensive wines slightly less. For individuals with wine training however, there are indications of a positive relationship between price and enjoyment.
Results indicate that both the prices of wines and wine recommendations by experts may be poor guides for non-expert wine consumers.
Consider that over 400 compounds which influence the scent alone have been identified in wine. Also, temperature by itself can make a huge difference to taste, because of how this can affect smell and taste. As wine enthusiast David Derbyshire notes, “Serve a New World chardonnay too cold and you’ll only taste the overpowering oak. Serve a red too warm and the heady boozy qualities will be overpowering.”
As for the wine experts, while they may have honed their skills with sometimes thousands of hours of study into all things wine, they still have the same brain as the rest of us. Wine expert and journalist Katie Kelly Bell, was traveling with a fellow group of wine connoisseurs. While at Waters Vineyards in Washington State, the owner poured everyone two glasses of white wine and asked them to identify what types they were.
Bell sums up: "We swirled, we sniffed, and we wrinkled our brows in contemplation, some of us nodding with assurance. I took notes, finding the first white to be more floral and elegant than the second. Drawing on my years and years (there have been too many) of tasting, studying and observation, I swiftly concluded that the first wine was an unoaked Chardonnay and the second was a Sauvignon Blanc, easy peasy. Much to my mortification I was dead wrong, as was everyone else in the room. The proprietor chuckled and informed his room that the wines were actually the same wine; one was just warmer than the other. He wasn’t intentionally shaming us (not one person got it right); he was pointedly demonstrating the power of just one element in the wine tasting experience: temperature."
A test conducted at the suggestion of winery owner Robert Hodgson at the California State Fair wine competition. Panels of 65 to 70 expert judges were given a huge variety of wines to rank as per usual, but what they were not told was that they were actually given each of the wines three times and from the same exact bottle.
After running this same experiment four consecutive years, what Hodgson found was that, to quote the paper published on the experiment, only “about 10 percent of the judges were able to replicate their score within a single medal group.” In fact, he even found about 10% of the judges were so far off that they switched a Bronze rating to a Gold for the exact same wine from the exact same bottle.
In another experiment, Brochet also gave a similar panel a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine and gave them a list of common words used to describe white and red wines and told them to assign them appropriately to the two wines in front of them. It turns out the red wine was actually the same as the white wine except dyed red, and only a small percentage of the testers were able to accurately identify that both wines tasted the same in the descriptive words they chose to identify each wine. Not all of the taste testers got it wrong.
Bottom Line - Wine tasting is subjective and what about a given type appeals to you is all that matters. If knowing you paid $200 for that glass enhances your experience, great. For others buying several bottles of Two-Buck Chuck so they can enjoy many glasses with friends may make that one all the more enjoyable. The only thing that matters with regard to a wine is whether or not you like it.
It found the correlation between price and overall rating is small and negative, suggesting that individuals on average enjoy more expensive wines slightly less. For individuals with wine training however, there are indications of a positive relationship between price and enjoyment.
Results indicate that both the prices of wines and wine recommendations by experts may be poor guides for non-expert wine consumers.
Consider that over 400 compounds which influence the scent alone have been identified in wine. Also, temperature by itself can make a huge difference to taste, because of how this can affect smell and taste. As wine enthusiast David Derbyshire notes, “Serve a New World chardonnay too cold and you’ll only taste the overpowering oak. Serve a red too warm and the heady boozy qualities will be overpowering.”
As for the wine experts, while they may have honed their skills with sometimes thousands of hours of study into all things wine, they still have the same brain as the rest of us. Wine expert and journalist Katie Kelly Bell, was traveling with a fellow group of wine connoisseurs. While at Waters Vineyards in Washington State, the owner poured everyone two glasses of white wine and asked them to identify what types they were.
Bell sums up: "We swirled, we sniffed, and we wrinkled our brows in contemplation, some of us nodding with assurance. I took notes, finding the first white to be more floral and elegant than the second. Drawing on my years and years (there have been too many) of tasting, studying and observation, I swiftly concluded that the first wine was an unoaked Chardonnay and the second was a Sauvignon Blanc, easy peasy. Much to my mortification I was dead wrong, as was everyone else in the room. The proprietor chuckled and informed his room that the wines were actually the same wine; one was just warmer than the other. He wasn’t intentionally shaming us (not one person got it right); he was pointedly demonstrating the power of just one element in the wine tasting experience: temperature."
A test conducted at the suggestion of winery owner Robert Hodgson at the California State Fair wine competition. Panels of 65 to 70 expert judges were given a huge variety of wines to rank as per usual, but what they were not told was that they were actually given each of the wines three times and from the same exact bottle.
After running this same experiment four consecutive years, what Hodgson found was that, to quote the paper published on the experiment, only “about 10 percent of the judges were able to replicate their score within a single medal group.” In fact, he even found about 10% of the judges were so far off that they switched a Bronze rating to a Gold for the exact same wine from the exact same bottle.
In another experiment, Brochet also gave a similar panel a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine and gave them a list of common words used to describe white and red wines and told them to assign them appropriately to the two wines in front of them. It turns out the red wine was actually the same as the white wine except dyed red, and only a small percentage of the testers were able to accurately identify that both wines tasted the same in the descriptive words they chose to identify each wine. Not all of the taste testers got it wrong.
Bottom Line - Wine tasting is subjective and what about a given type appeals to you is all that matters. If knowing you paid $200 for that glass enhances your experience, great. For others buying several bottles of Two-Buck Chuck so they can enjoy many glasses with friends may make that one all the more enjoyable. The only thing that matters with regard to a wine is whether or not you like it.
Library of Congress Photos
It has a website showing free downloadable photos
of 11, 710 roadside buildings and statues around the US, from
classic diners to Paul Bunyan, to hot dogs, and more. They are
true nostalgia. I found a few that I have seen in my travels.
Fun diversion. LINK
Sep 13, 2019
Happy Friday
A smile is the
window to your soul.
I always open the blinds to let the light shine in,
especially on a Happy Friday!
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