happy pi day

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Not apple or cherry pie. Not even key lime (my favorite).

Pi, Greek letter (), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. Pi = 3.1415926535

Making me hungry. What is your favorite pie?

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Originally post March 14, 2010

Weird Lincoln / Kennedy Trivia

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Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost a child while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1838.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

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Citizen Einstein

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On October 1st, 1940, Albert Einstein was sworn in as a United States citizen in Trenton, New Jersey.

A few other notable immigrants and when they became US Citizens ...

• Comedic icon Bob Hope in 1920 from England
• Physicist Enrico Fermi in 1944 from Italy
• Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel in 1957 from Transylvania
• Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang in 1978 from Taiwan

Anyone notable that you might add to the list?

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Christ of the Abyss

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Christ of the Abyss (Italian: Il Cristo degli Abissi) is a submerged bronze statue of Jesus Christ, the original of which is located in the Mediterranean Sea, off San Fruttuoso, between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. Various other casts of the statue are located in other places worldwide, both underwater and in churches and museums. -Wikipedia

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Quiz: Influential Figures in American History

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The Atlantic asked 10 eminent historians who they felt were The 100 Most Influential Figures in American History.

Which one of these 10 Americans do you think did not make their list:

• Bill Gates
• Mark Twain
• Babe Ruth
• Steve Jobs
• Brigham Young
• P.T. Barnum
• Robert E. Lee
• Robert Oppenheimer
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Eleanor Roosevelt

So what do you think? Who did not make the list? Take a shot at it and let me know your pick in the comments section.

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Film and TV Trivia

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Who Is The Most Widely Portrayed Literary Figure In Film and Television?

• Hamlet
• Sherlock Holmes
• Dracula
• Moses

Think you know the answer? Click here to see if you guessed correctly.

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Falling Back Again

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This Sunday we in the United States, and other places in the world, once again will adjust our clocks before we go to bed on Saturday night. To commemorate the occasion I give you a few snippets from this US News and World Report article:

• Officially, it's "daylight saving time," not "daylight savings time."
• Transitions into and out of DST can disturb people's sleeping patterns.
• When daylight saving time ends in the fall, heart attacks briefly become less frequent than usual.
• A study concluded that observing DST year-round would annually prevent about 195 deaths of motor vehicle occupants and about 171 pedestrian fatalities.
• Many other countries observe daylight saving time, but not all do so on the same day. That can create confusion for international travelers and business communications.
• Daylight saving time was first used during World War I, as part of an effort in the United States and other warring countries to conserve fuel.
• The first American to advocate for daylight saving was Benjamin Franklin.

Generally speaking I like Daylight Saving Time. Yet I must confess that I do grieve a bit when we lose it this time of the year. So hard seeing the sun set so early. What comes to your mind when you think about Daylight Saving Time?

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Ancient Sounds

Well maybe not really ancient but these sounds from the folks at Mental Floss bring back a lot memories.
Here is the list in short of "11 Sounds That Your Kids Have Probably Never Heard":

1. Rotary Dial Phone
2. Manual Typewriter
3. Coffee Percolator
4. Flash Cube
5. TV Channel Selector
6. Record Changer
7. Gas Station Driveway Bell
8. TV Station Sign-Off
9. Cash Register
10. Film Projector
11. Broken Record

Any of those bring back memories? I suggest that you check out the entire post, replete with videos, here.
  

Epitaphs of the Rich and Famous

The question of our own personal epitaph is sometimes asked. I do wonder what my children would put on my gravestone if they had that option. Maybe these epitaphs will help them?

My Jesus Mercy
Alphonse Capone

She did it the hard way.
Bette Davis

A master of comedy
His genius in the art of humor
Brought gladness
To the world he loved.
Stan Laurel

A genius of comedy
His talent brought joy and
Laughter to all the world.
Oliver Hardy

He Leadeth Me
Victor Fleming

A Gentle Man and a Gentleman
Jack Dempsey

Nothing in Moderation
We all loved him
Ernie Kovacs

A star on earth - a star in heaven
Karen Carpenter

I had A Lover's Quarrel With The World
Robert Lee Frost

To
Yesterday's Companionship
and Tomorrow's Reunion
Rita Hayworth

Man must endure his going hence.
C. S. Lewis

Check out other epitaphs here and let me know if you see a favorite one in the list.

Solar Interference

My cable company sent me an email message today where they talked about the affect that the sun has on satellite transmissions. Here is a clip from their message:

Solar interference is just what it sounds like. As the sun moves lower in the sky each day, there are times when it is in direct line behind a signal-sending satellite. While the antenna dish on the ground is aimed skyward to receive transmissions, the interference from the sun overrides the satellite’s signals. Zap. Tile. Freeze. Aargh.

I sometimes forget that cable is not all about "cables" but depends heavily upon signals from outer space. I wonder what other industries are affected by this kind of interference.

Text Test

I am not a big time phone texter - I rarely use text shorthand. Here's a bit of text shorthand. Can you decipher any of them?

BRB, BCNU, DBEYR, FWIW, ISO, JK, MHOTY, RBTL, RTM, TYVM, WYWH

I will post the answer in the comments. Let me know how many you knew.

Super Trivia Quiz

See if you can identify the one item of Super Bowl trivia below that is false:

1. 80 percent of all tickets sold go to corporate sponsors of the NFL and of the SB.
2. The Kansas City Chiefs played in the first SB.
3. The first four Super Bowls weren't called “Super Bowl.” Instead they went by the title “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.”
4. Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger was, at 23, the youngest quarterback to win a SB.
5. When Super Bowl I was played, you could have bought a ticket for only six dollars.
6. On the Monday after the big game, an average of 6 percent of workers call in sick and antacid sales increase by 20 percent.
7. The Dallas Cowboys have won the most Super Bowls.
8. Super Bowl Sunday is second in food consumption in the USA behind Thanksgiving.
9. Super Bowl I was the only one ever broadcast by 2 different networks (CBS & NBC).
10. The Buffalo Bills have played in the most consecutive Super Bowls.

Let me know which item of trivia you think false.

Top Ten Banned Websites at Work

ZDNet has a list of the top ten websites that are banned at workplaces. I thought that it might be fun, since many of you are snowed in today, to ask you to identify which one of these websites did not make their list:

1. Facebook
2. Blogger
3. MySpace
4. YouTube
5. DoubleClick
6. Twitter
7. Meebo

Does your company restrict websites? Which one of these did not make the top ten?

Driving in Snow

Looks like we are getting the first real snow of the season here in Kansas City. Unlike some, I really do not like it. Still, I am glad that I do not have to get out in it. Does bring back a lot of memories of when I got my first front wheel drive car.. traction so much better. Then I got a 4 wheel drive Jeep and driving even got better.. except on that nasty icy stuff.

Do you like snow? What kind of vehicle do you drive in it? Any snowy stories to share?

Eleven for 11 and a Dancing Governator to boot!

I may be a few days late on this but I thought that it might be fun to look at, and comment on, some of the things that folks are predicting for 2011:

1. E-Books will outsell paper books
   I think that this prediction may be a bit of a stretch. But heck, even I bought Ann a Nook for Christmas.
2. Alternative iPad-like Tablets will proliferate stores
   No-brainer here. Like the e-readers these devices are the new cool thing and everybody wants one.
3. The Patriots will play either the Falcons in the Super Bowl
   One thing certain is that the Chiefs will probably not go to the big dance in Dallas.
4. Airlines will have extra fees for In-Person Check-Ins and carry-on bags
   Guess I have gotten used to this idea of airlines bilking us for (not really) extras.
5. A new third political party will emerge
   I seriously doubt that there is a group or famous person that can pull this off.
6. Romney, Huckabee, Palin, etc will declare their intentions to run for president
   My thinking is that a relatively unknown will eventually secure the GOP nod as folks like these have to much negative political baggage with voters.
7. Hillary Clinton will step down as Secretary of State
   I rather doubt that she will unless she tries to take another run at the presidency - which is highly doubtful.. yet she could probably beat Obama.
8. The Supreme Court will agree to hear the California gay marriage case
   Not sure that the courts are the right place to determine this kind of an issue but they may anyway. If they do I predict that they will rule in favor of gay marriage.
9. Inception will take the Best Picture Oscar.
   Have to admit that I have not seen most of the movies that are not out on DVD.
   I actually did see Inception this summer and would be very surprised if it won.
10. Cash-strapped states like California, Illinois, and New York will beg for a bailout
    I think this will come true and we may the the autonomy of state governments challenged in the same way that the leadership of GM was when we bailed them out.
11. Former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger will be Dancing with the Stars
    I am still laughing about this prediction.. it is sooo funny.. the images that come to mind.. I think it could cause me to reverse my decision to boycott the show.

Any feedback on the list? Any predictions of your own - and please.. no religious clichés. :)

Bored Collies

Ann and I once had a Border Collie named Toby. I was reminded of him when Ann referred me to a Wall Street Journal post about people who rented sheep to keep their Border Collies from getting bored.
Here is the way it ends:
Border collies appear willing to herd until they drop. In fact, they never appear to grow bored of organizing sheep. If they do, for an extra $5 dogs at Fido's Farm can also herd ducks.

$11,000,000 Christmas Tree

A 43 foot Christmas tree has been decked out with 131  gold and precious stone ornaments costing $11 million (US) and stands in the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The $11 million symbol of the season has become the latest extravagance at the hotel, which boasts its own marina, heliport and a vending machine that pops out small gold bars.

I am thinking that these folks might have more money than sense. I wonder what the security detail looks like? 10 guards a guarding 50 golden rings!!

Taking Great Vacation Pics

With Christmas just a few weeks away I thought that it might be helpful to get a few tips on using our digital cameras. I have to admit that I need some help.. I have a hard time getting motivated to carry the camera and then actually use it. So here are 5 Tips for Taking Great Vacation Photos from the Mostly Lisa blog.. with a few of my thoughts as well..

1. Pack the right gear.
   Now that may not really apply to folks like me who gave up the telephoto lenses and tripods for the simplicity of point and shoot pocket cameras.. but if you have more than one camera..
2. Bring extra memory cards & batteries
   I do usually carry extra batteries.. I also carry a AA battery charger too.. and I do have a small memory card that I have never used.. yet if you plan to max out your card..
3. Capture the story
   Now that is a really great idea. I like the thought of developing (no pun intended) a script of sorts so that you can easily retell your vacation story. Suggest you try Lisa's blog for more info.
4. Capture the entire scene
   I think that it is so easy to focus on the minutiae and forget to get the big picture. Sometimes the best pictures are the big ones.
5. Don’t forget to get in the picture too!
   I love how easy it is.. and it seems to be getting easier.. to take photos of yourself. I also think that it is a good idea to get the assistance of strangers to take a pic of everyone.

I will add a number six to the mix and say that it is helpful to bring along a laptop so that you can make a copy of your memory card and possibly upload some of your vacation pics to one of the online photo album sites. I suggest that you visit Lisa's blog for great pics and more picture taking ideas.. especially if you are vacationing over the holidays.

How about you? are you the family photographer? Any suggestions for taking great pics?

Black Friday Deals

One of the advantages of being older.. note that I did not say "old".. is that gimmicks like Black Friday don't have much appeal. Older folks are, generally speaking, downsizing and getting rid of the junk and not too interested in accumulating more junk.

I did note that, one week ago today, a Best Buy manager gave two iPads to the gals who had set up a tent in anticipation of the great deals today. Wonder if they stayed in line?

Are you heading out or coming home from shopping? Where did you go?

Chutzpah

The definition given in this image comes across as a bit strange to me. I guess that I have never thought of chutzpah in this light.. but I am from New York City. When I think about the word I think about a person standing their ground and not being intimidated.

What do you think when you hear it?
Unmitigated gall or great fortitude?