Small things 27 Jul

• To think that when I was a kid, I thought nap time was a punishment........
• There's no award for best wedding.
• My mind is like my web browser. 10 tabs are open, 3 of them are frozen and I have no idea where the music is coming from.
• The community pool. The original unisex bathroom.

A rare shot of an 8 bit cat

The 5 thoughts to think before engaging in an online debate

Listen before responding.
If you wouldn't say it in person, don't say it online.
No insults, meet anger with kindness.
Find the common ground and good in others.
Consider you might be wrong.

True facts: Carnivorous plants

Ze Frank (remember this guy?) is at it again, narrating a mini doc on plants that eat bugs.

It's good fun.

It's never 4:20 at work.......

Things I learned lately 27 Jul

• The 23 countries with the fastest average internet speeds. No, Canada is NOT among them. Countries with speeds better than Canada: France; Madagascar; Slovakia; US; Hong Kong; Andorra; Lithuania; Spain; Estonia; Taiwan; Latvia; Japan; Switzerland; Jersey; Hungary; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Belgium; Romania; Norway; Denmark; Sweden; Singapore.
• A hyperloop research team based in Munich (WARR Hyperloop, Technical University of Munich) shattered speed records and got their pod up to 467 km/h (290 mph).
• Stalin sent hit squads (yes, plural) to try to take out John Wayne.
• Remains of Homo sapiens have been discovered recently that are more than 300,000 years old. That updates the origin timeline by another 100,000 years. Neanderthals and Denisovans were around at least 400,000 years back.
• Steve Bannon is now setting up a foundation called The Movement in Europe to promote far right wing political groups in Britain, France, Germany and Hungary.
• If you press the 'j' key in Facebook (web page), you'll be taken directly to the next post in your newsfeed, no scrolling necessary.
• Calgary has a bike path network over 1000 km long, the biggest in the world. This same city has some very vocal motorists who don't approve of separated bike lanes downtown.
• Netflix penetration: US - 64.5%; Norway - 62.4%; Canada - 56.3%; Denmark - 54.9%; Sweden - 50.2%

Small things 13 Jul

• A giant angry orange baby Trump effigy balloon floating over London made Trump feel unwelcome. You mean, like the illegal immigrants entering the US unwelcome feeling?
• kijiji ad funnies: (for a tool kit) price is firm. worth way more. includes [lists stuff]. two batteries i think one doesn't hold much charge. Yeah, it's so barely used that one battery is already at the end of its life.
• "Don't just teach your children to read...teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything." ~George Carlin
• "If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to have selfish, ignorant leaders." ~George Carlin
• Do militant feminists hate the word boycott?

Lasers......

"Oh my God!"

This was me the first time I looked through a telescope at Saturn and Jupiter.

It's one thing to see pictures of our solar system objects. It's quite another to see them with your own eyes, up close(r).

Cold, dead heart

Songs that are 50 years old this year (2018)

The Beatles - Hey Jude
Otis Redding - Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Cream - Sunshine of your love
Herb Alpert - This guy's in love with you
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson
The Doors - Hello I love you
Sly & the Family Stone - Dance to the music
John Fred & His Playboy Band - Judy in Disguise (with glasses)
Steppenwolf - Born to be wild / Magic carpet ride
Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy
Mason Williams - Classical gas
Tom Jones - Delilah
Cream - White room
Dionne Warwick - Do you know the way to San Jose
Manfred Mann - The mighty Quinn
Aretha Franklin - Think

By the way, if you haven't heard Judy in Disguise, you must go listen.......

Things I learned lately 13 Jul

• Streaming services now account for 75% of all music listening in the US, up from 50% in 2016 - just 2 years.
• Billions of low-energy neutrinos from the sun pass through one of your thumbnails every second.
• Virtually all things made from iron in the Bronze Age were made from metal that fell from the sky in the form of meteorites. As a result, iron was considered a gift from the gods.
• Steel was first created by India around 400 BC.
• Vacation perks: Airbnb gives $2000 in travel coupons per year; BambooHR gives $2000 for travel; Evernote gives unlimited vacation days plus $1000 for travel; Expedia gives up to $750 reimbursements plus discounts through their site; FullContact gives $7500 for travel per year; Moz gives 21 PTO days, 7 sick days, 10 vacation days and $3000 for expenses.
• Statistically speaking, couples who spend more on their weddings are more likely to get divorced.
• Brands owned by Amazon (US)
  
  : Arabella (lingerie); Basic Care (pain relief and antacids); Beauty Bar (cosmetics); Buttoned Down, and Goodthreads (men's clothing); Ella Moon, Lark & Ro, North Eleven, and James & Erin (women's clothing); Mae (underwear); Franklin & Freeman (men's shoes); Scout & Ro (kid's clothing); Happy Belly (fresh food); Mama Bear (baby products); Pike Street, Pinzon (linen); Presto (paper and cleaning supplies); NuPro (tech accessories); Small Parts (spare parts); Solimo (assorted goods); Strathwood (furniture); Wag (dog food); Wickedly Prime (groceries).
• 800,000 ex-pats have left Saudi Arabia, creating a hiring crisis.

Small things 5 Jul

• I don't know exactly what women are shaving in those women's leg shaving advertisements, because they don't have any visible hair to begin with. (except for one ad for Billie brand)
• "We've become very focused in the world of sustainability about being 'less bad', less CO2 emissions, less water pollution, less waste. What we really need to do is turn that on its head and think about what does it mean to be a truly good company, where you leave the world every day better off than it was the day before." ~Jeffrey Hollender, CEO Seventh Generation
• Why is it that tire stores insist on you coming back for a re-torque after a tire install / rotate, but when your car dealership does maintenance that involves removing the wheels, they don't ask you to come back for a re-torque?
• Worst Tinder pickup line ever: "There's a black friday sale at my place. All clothes are 100% off."
• You know what I don't get? The newspaper. I have never subscribed to the newspaper..... I used to deliver it when I was a kid though.
• Ever been told that a well-prepared Portabello mushroom is as good as a steak? Vegetarian propaganda!

Soon to be deployed - all electric UPS delivery vans

Cat piano duo

This is so cute.

A guy plays piano with his cat.

The cat's just happy to be around him I think.

Did you notice one of the t-shirts? (around 3:23)

Seen during protests against mistreatment of illegal immigrants, weekend of July 1st in US.

Things I learned lately 5 Jul

• Scientists have discovered that not only can some spiders spin long loose silk threads that can carry them through the air on a light breeze, but they can also ride electric fields. Great. Flying spiders.
• The silicon valley housing crisis is so bad, that a 897 square foot home listed for $2,590,000.
• Trump's trade wars could destroy 5% of the global economy.
• A second Brexit referendum is being considered.
• The Moog synthesizer company may move production overseas because of Trump's tariffs as well.
• People who become prison guards in Norway have to study a mix of criminology, law, welfare, applied ethics, and social work at a special staff academy. They learn how to establish relationships and communicate with the person behind the offence. (pictured: a prisoner spends time with his family)
• There are no studies at all indicating that illegal immigration increases crime. None. In fact, as illegal immigration has increased, violent crime has decreased.