Racetrack Memory Project

Our grandchildren will hold amazing power in the palm of their hands.
Ever consider the massive amounts of data mobile devices will be able to hold in a few decades and the speed at which a user will be able to access them?


Here's a bit of tech-info that will help stir your imagination -- ExtremeTech

Photo by Tjook

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

 

Artwork by zoehall

The Family Bond

The wind may scatter a family

And forces push them in different directions

But they always come back together.

Alfred Quinones-Hinojosa

The beauty of courage, determination, and dedication swells in this amazing man.

From Reader's Digest -- read the wonderful story of ALFRED QUINONES-HINOJOSA and how he became something more than anyone (but him) would ever dream.

Cheers!

T'was the Night Before Christmas

Great cartoon....a little sad they haven't shown it on TV this year.

It's pretty cool how quickly the childhood memories come back when watching a classic.



Cheers!

Coca-Cola

I probably drink more soda than I should.
But, even non-cola drinkers can appreciate this holiday commercial.



Blessings of the season everyone!

Power your iphone with WIND

Tjeerd Veenhoven, a Dutch designer, has created this wonderful method of charging his iphone.

Pretty cool, huh?!

Click here to read about it!

Cheers!

A word from Charles Dickens

His writing is closely tied to this time of year because of "A Christmas Carol".
Here's a favorite passage of mine taken from that classic.
It is spoken by Scrooge's nephew and I have paraphrased for the sake of saving some space.
Hopefully, my paraphrasing has not sacrificed the important message...

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.     

                                                                   A Christmas Carol ~ Charles Dickens

SEASONS GREETINGS!

AMAZING

Don't you just love watching amazing people do amazing things?!

The ending is GREAT.....closed window!

CHEERS!

Nothing is sacred. Everything is public.

In a recent Newsweek article entitled "What The Internet Knows About You", an experiment was conducted using a company specializing in protecting your privacy.

This company was asked by the journalist to see how much information they could find on her using nothing but her name and email address (she has a very common name).

In 30 minutes they had her social security number. In  2 hours they knew where she lived, her body type, her hometown, and her health status. SCARY!

Read the NEWSWEEK ARTICLE for yourself.

Photo by alancleaver_2000

John

What a terrible day that was

30yrs ago today

What a shame

December is going fast!

Don't forget to give yourself  something special this Holiday Season.

Give yourself some time for rest and relaxation.

Photo by imancity.com

Cheers!

CALM UP!

CALM is my new favorite word.

I'm not "calm".
I don't hang out with "calm" people.
Nothing in my life is "calm".

I'm referring to the Calm Act recently passed by the US Congress.
Unless you watch zero TV or 100% commercial-free TV, you should love this.

The Calm Act will now disallow advertisers to plow you with super-loud commercials during breaks in your favorite show.
You know the ones I mean ---- the super loud commercials that have you reach for your remote with gunslinger speed in order to mute the TV.
 
HURRAY!....there is some progress on Capitol Hill.

Free stuff when you buy gift cards!

I recently read that gift cards were now the #1 requested gift for the holiday season.
Makes sense -- with gift cards you don't worry about having to find the perfect size.
You also put a little time into the gift so it's not quite as impersonal as just giving cash.


Here's another plus: many businesses are giving the buyers a little perk when you buy a gift card this season.


Barnes and Noble, Panda Express, Cheesecake Factory, Denny's, and a whole slew of others are offering these perks.
Check out a full list of locations and offer details at the BARGAIN BABE website.



Cheers! 

Photo by litandmore

The picture below is not taken from a scene of an upcoming Sci-Fi movie.
It's a natural formation called a supercell.

This one was taken in Montana, USA.

Read more about it Here

ENJOY!

Sometimes I think there's nothing but ugliness in the world

Then I realize there is plenty of beauty...I just hadn't been looking for it.

We only find what we seek.

 

Photo by dsevilla

Why leaves lose their trees

The following is a Native American story...

A Cherokee Legend:

In the early times, the trees and animals were always able to talk to one another. They lived close to each other and shared many things; but every year, the cold time came and the birds would fly south to where it remained warm and would return with their families in the spring, when the warm season returned.

One year, as the cold season approached Sparrow was injured. He would not be strong enough to fly to the warm lands with his family by himself, so he made his family fly south to the warm lands without him.

Injured, he knew he would not survive the cold season. So he sought the help the trees. He approached Oak. "Oh, Oak, I am injured, and cannot fly, the cold season approaches, and if I do not find shelter before then, surely I shall die. Please, Oak, let me shelter among your leaves and branches during the cold times, that I may heal and greet my family on their return in the spring."

But Oak was a crusty old tree, and did not relish the idea of having a guest in the cold time, so he told sparrow: "Sparrow, go find somewhere else to spend the cold time. I do not wish you to spend the cold time with me."

And poor Sparrow was hurt in his spirit to be turned away.

So Sparrow went to Maple and asked her. "Maple, I am hurt and not able to fly to the warm lands with my family for the cold season. Please let me shelter among your leaves and branches during the cold time, or surely I will perish. And Maple, though a very sweet tree, did not enjoy the thought of a guest for the cold time and she too, turned Sparrow away. "you,....., you go ask someone else to shelter you, Sparrow. I do not wish you to spend the cold time with me."

And again, hurt in spirit, Sparrow was turned away.

Sparrow went in turn to each of the trees and asked each for shelter in the cold time; and each, and every time, Sparrow was turned away...... until there was no tree left to ask, except Pine.

With no hope left..., but not willing to accept death...., Sparrow approached Pine.

"Pine, I am injured, and not able to fly south to the warm lands with my family. If I do not find shelter before the cold time, I will surely perish. Please...., let me shelter among your leaves and branches during the cold time..."

Pine thought to himself, ("I am the least of the trees, what can I do?") ....but his heart heard Sparrow's plight. "Sparrow... My leaves are tiny... more like needles... my branches are not as many as other trees... but what I have you are welcome to share."

And so, Sparrow spent the cold time with Pine. And when the warm times returned in the spring, Sparrow's family returned also. And Sparrow had healed over the cold time and flew to greet their return..

Creator had seen and heard all that had happened between Sparrow and the Trees. And Creator called a great council of the Trees and spoke to them..., "You, who were given so much......, who had so much, would not share the least of what you had with Sparrow in his need. Because of this.., from this day forward, when the cold time is upon the land, your leaves shall wither and die and blow away."

Creator then spoke to Pine. "Pine, you, who had the least of all the trees, gave so much, have touched my Spirit. When the cold times come, You of all the trees shall keep your leaves they shall remain green through all the seasons for the gift you have given me, through Sparrow."

And that is why, to this day, that when the cold time comes to the land, all the leaves wither, and die, and blow away.... Except for Pine.

The story above found at First People.

First People has a wonderful collection of Native American information.

Photo by SteveJM2009

Autumn is my favorite season.

The passing of summer helps me better appreciate any warm days that remain.

The approaching winter reminds of the inevitable cold for which I must prepare.

I really should set aside more than one day a year to give thanks.

Photos by Algo

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you each enjoy plenty of food, family, friends, and fun today.

Robert Brault - Top Ten List

There are many wonderful places to find inspiration, guidance, and insight on the internet. But, very few of these places provide these services with the genius and humor of Robert Brault.

Here are ten of my Robert Brault favorites:

"There are moments every day in family life that in and of themselves would suffice as the whole purpose of the enterprise."

"It is not happiness until you capture it and store it out of the reach of time."

"If your life were a movie, which Oscar would you most like to win -- best actor or best film?"

"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar."

"A parent's love is whole no matter how many times divided."

"Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?

"What is the fire in our belly but the eternal flame of a thousand ancestors."

"The advantage of growing up with siblings is that you become very good at fractions."

"We look at the smiling faces in an old family photo, and we think how happily innocent we were, which is exactly what those smiling faces wanted us to think."

"Do not judge yourself until you're done. And if you judge yourself a failure, you're not done."

Take a look at  Robert Brault's blog -- you will not regret it! 

CHEERS!

CARPE DEALUM - Sieze the Deal!

I don't do the Black Friday (BF) thing.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is for more important stuff....like doing nothing that takes me far from my couch or the left-over turkey.

However, I have enough people in my life that do the BF ritual to know that it's pretty serious stuff.
But, why do things the same old way mom used to on BF?
Thumbing through sale ads looking for the best price on the perfect gift is so "yesterday".

Hardcore BFer's rejoice...the tech-world knows what you need and gives it to you.
These apps let you KNOW you're getting the best price while out shopping for that perfect gift.

PriceGrabber

snaptell

ShopSavvy

Sccope

This is no longer your mother's  Black Friday.
CARPE DEALUM!!

Are you shopping at small businesses this holiday weekend?

Get some of your money back via American Express.
Support your local businesses.

Get details at the American Express Facebook Page 

We will all have regrets at the end of our life.
Which would you prefer
Regrets for having failed or regrets for never having tried

Photo by in.circles

William Michael Harnett

All things from the Victorian era have always been of interest to me.
None more so than literature.
However, 19th century paintings are a close 2nd.

One of my favorite artists of that time is William Michael Harnett.
These are some of my favorite Harnett works.

Cheers!

George: You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are?
Billy: Uh-huh. Breakfast is served; lunch is served, dinner...
George: No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.
                                                          Scene from It's a Wonderful Life

The Old Geezer in his great blog recently posed this question to his readers:

Where is one place in the world you would like to visit before you die?

There were many great responses to the question.
But, the responses got me asking myself:

Why do many of us never visit the places we want to see?

It's always easy coming up with reasons not to go.
The challenge is to come up with reasons that inspire you to start traveling before it's too late.

In your final moments, are your excuses for not going to the places you had wished to visit going to be acceptable to you?

Edinburgh, Scotland - My favorite place in the world.

Is there something in your life that can be looked at from a different angle to make it BETTER!

How do you see yourself?
How do you see others?

You can hange those views and change the world...TODAY.
Why not change it for the better?

It's no secret.
Perception truly is everything.

For examples of just how changing your perception will change how and what you
see, check out these two awesome videos:


This game controller is not being projected onto the wall.
It is made up of white paper taped onto several walls.



These candles become so much more when looked at from the right angle.

Is there something in your life that can be looked at from a different angle to make it BETTER?


Check out more of the great illusionist BRUSSPUP on Youtube.

Mcdonald's - An Inspirational Moment

I'm not in the habit of eating at McDonald's.
It's just not my thing.
Even my kids aren't big on the stuff....for which I'm thankful.

But, because of circumstances I couldn't control I wound up at one recently.
And I'm glad I did...but, not for the food.

Painted boldly on a mural inside the McDonald's was the following quote:

It will cost you nothing to dream - and everything not to.

I thought that was pretty heavy for a McDonald's.
I'm not sure who the author is.
Could it be Grimace? Ronald? Hamburglar?
My guess is it was Mayor McCheese.
He seems like a scholarly dude.

Check out those glasses. They just scream, "GENIUS!"

Either way, I was pleased the chain recognizes the importance of

feeding our minds instead of just our bellies.

Cheers!

Know Thyself

I am a long time fan of Oscar Wilde.
His life, like his work, has always fascinated me.
Has any man and his work been more quotable?


One of his best quotes:
I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly.

Narcissistic on the surface, looking deeper one finds a hard truth in that quote.
How well do you know yourself?
To know is not merely to be aware.
You may be "aware" of your many facets.
But, how well do you KNOW them?
How many of those facets are really you?
How many of them are just something you created for others?

Do not go through life ignorant of your true self.

Answer the following questions honestly and in writing for the best effect.
Having to write down the answers will prompt you to spend more time thinking about your answers...and yourself.

• What is something I dislike about myself?
• What is something I like about myself?
• What is something I do well?
• What is something I am optimistic about?
• What is something I am pessimistic about?
• What is my most indispensable possession and why?
• What is the best birthday present I could receive?
• What am I most afraid of?
• What always makes me laugh?
• What talents do I have?
• What three words would accurately describe me right now?
• What four things are most important in my life? 

Cheers!

Mirror Man photograph by Kaptain Kobold

FREE MUSIC....and KLEENEX...

We all like FREE.

Here are a few FREEBIES for you Freeks:

Download 18 tracks from ITUNES free.
Songs are from the October SPIN issue.

Download 15 tracks from the November SPIN issue.

And if some of those jams make you sad...here's some free KLEENEX.

Coincidence

The coincidence is an amazing event.

No matter how small, a coincidence has always fascinated me.

None more than the following true story:

In 1975, while riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was accidentally
struck and killed by a taxi. One year later, this man's bother was killed
in the very same way. In fact, he was riding the very same moped.
And to stretch the odds even further, he was struck by the very same
taxi driven by the same driver - and even carrying the very same
passenger! 

(Source: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard)

Here's a list of 20 Amazing Coincidences.

Enjoy!

The Tooth Fairy

The loss of a child's tooth is handled differently throughout the world.

Here are some traditions that may be familiar...and others that may not be so familiar:

Slovenia, Spain, and Mexico

There is no Tooth Fairy.

It is instead a mouse that replaces the tooth with money or candy during the night.

Japan and Korea

An upper tooth is thrown onto the roof.

A lower tooth is placed beneath the house or floor of a home.

This helps an upper tooth grow downwards and a lower tooth upwards.

Austria

The tooth is made into a pendant head, key ring.

Some also follow the same customs as Japan/Korea above.

Italy

There is no Tooth Fairy.

The tooth is simply kept as a keepsake.

Mongolia

The tooth is fed in meat to a young dog.

Mongolians respect dogs as guardian angels.

Feeding the "guardian angel" the tooth helps make sure a strong tooth will grow in its place.

For more on the Tooth Fairy - visit The Tooth Fairy Network

What Stormtroopers Do On Their Day Off

There are a lot more of these at the following pages: PART 1 and PART 2

STUPID SIGNS

Some of what you can find at the STUPID SIGNS website:

The third one is my personal favorite.
The Stupid Signs archive page has a long list of stupid signs just like those above.

Everyone's favorite math teacher

Great Teachers Rule!

Li Wei is AMAZING!

Check Li's fantastic art HERE.

Some of my favorites:

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mr. Stoker

11/08/1847 - 04/20/1912

His may not have been the first vampire tale.

But, it is certainly one of the greatest.

KIDS HAVEN'T CHANGED

Their fashions change.

 

The games they play change.

Even the world they grow up in changes.

But inside they are still the same.
And inside is where things really matter.

Give your kids everything you needed as a child.

Photos courtesy of the following sites respectively: 

HADDON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY
EDINPHOTO

MR. GALL'S CLASS

The gift for those with ALMOST everything!

How about an IPOD Docking Station - Toilet Paper holder combo?

If you haven't sent your wish-list letter to Santa -- be sure to include this item on there.
If this is not you...I'm sure you know someone who would love it.
Chances are - they don't already have one.




So what songs could we listen to during our alone time?
Probably something that would help everything go...um...smoothly.

Peace

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Even the sun is looking forward to this weekend.
He's all smiles!


Make this a great weekend by appreciating whatever you find joy in.


Summer's going fast, nights growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away
Experience slips away...
The innocence slips away.
   - Time Stand Still by Rush

15 INTERESTING FACTS

1. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable." 
2. The water inside of a coconut is identical to human blood plasma. Many lives in third world countries have been saved from coconut water fed through an IV.
3. Paper money is not made from wood pulp but from cotton. This means that it will not disintegrate as fast if it is put in the laundry.
4. The average human has about 20 square feet of skin weighing about 6 pounds
5. The average ear grows 0.01 inches in length every year.
6. The kings in a deck of cards represent kings from history: Spades - King David; Clubs - Alexander the Great; Hearts -Charlemagne; Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
7. Before the 17th century, carrots used to be the color purple.
8. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321.
9. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
10. Bananas contain a natural chemical which can make a person happy. This same chemical is found in Prozac.
11. Turtles can breathe through their butts.
12. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have$1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
13. Eating eight strawberries will provide you with more Vitamin C than an orange.
14. The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English language.
15. Every three days a human stomach gets a new lining.

Now go impress somebody! 

The true cost of being your own boss

While I don't agree with the entire article, there are some fine points in a recent  piece on being your own boss at CNNMoney.com .

The devil is in the details when it comes to owning/running your own business.
But, don't let the details scare you.
If you know about them before hand, you are much better prepared to handle them.
It's when they come up by surprise that trouble can brew.

Here are some highlights from the article I think every entrepreneur should know...

Tips on starting your own business:

• The best way to develop your own business is to do it while you still have a job.
• Build up as much as you can in cash savings.
• Live below your means -- you will have good months and bad months.
• Remember, to maintain the same lifestyle as you had with your last salary you will need to earn 33% more.
• Hire an accountant.
• Keep track of your customer contact with a spreadsheet.

Read the whole article: The true cost of being your own boss

Now, go get 'em.

58-Inch IPhone anyone?

Hope you haven't mailed your letter to Santa yet!!

Learn more about this at DVICE

PEACE

Spirits in the Material World

I thought today was a good day for the Police...

There is no political solution
to our troubled evolution
have no faith in constitution
there is no bloody revolution

All Saints Day

Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.  

~Albert Einstein

Live your life the way you would if your parents were with you every minute of every day....because in their hearts, they are...whether they are dead or alive.

HAPPY ALL SAINTS DAY....remember the departed and honor them by your actions.


Photo courtesy of Mikecollar

Election Day is almost here!!

I am all for the democratic process.

I love my country.

There is nothing better than liberty.

There is nothing greater than freedom of choice.

However, the greatest thing about November 2^nd – Election Day in the USA – is not the exercising of our democratic muscle. What I look forward to the most about this Tuesday….

NO MORE HARASSING PHONE CALLS!

It’s gotten bad people.

All day every day and one after another, the calls do not stop.

Recorded messages request that I support one candidate or another.

I think I will cancel my call-waiting service during the next election season.

You know…maybe I will just cancel my phone service.

Those calls are annoying whether or not I am on the phone.

No, Tuesday can not come soon enough…and that has nothing to do with my vote.

E + R = O

This weekend signals the beginning of the "Holiday Season" for many of us.
Though retails stores will have you believe it started on labor day -- let's use Halloween as the official start for the purpose of this blog.

For many, the upcoming season is a time of joy.
But, for others the Holidays are full of stress, remorse, and sadness.

I would like all of us to remember the title of today's blog...but especially anyone feeling down this Holiday Season.

E - Represents EVENT
R - Represents RESPONSE
O - Represents OUTCOME

If we keep this in our thoughts daily - we could change our lives.
By changing our lives one day at a time, we would change so much more -- for the better.

EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME

If you can't control the event, at very least you do control your response.
Either way -- you are in charge.

Despite how out-of-control things may appear.
Regardless of how helpless you may feel.
And though your sadness may seem insurmountable.
YOU CONTROL THE OUTCOME OF YOUR SITUATION BY HOW YOU RESPOND TO IT.
For better or worse.

I can not take credit for the formula E + R = O 
I learned it in The Success Principles by Jack Canfield.




Try using the formula, even in seemingly insignificant situations and you will notice how well it works.
We really do control our lives by our very perception of daily occurrences.

Peace

Cooper Trailer

Movie written and directed by Robin Nations.


Friend of mine has a daughter involved with the production.
Seems like a good film for dog lovers (Which is most of us, no?).
Hopefully Disney or someone into family films will pick it up.


Cooper Trailer 1 from kevin nations on Vimeo.

Good luck to Nations and crew!

Van Gogh Pipes - Ser Jacopo

Some of my favorite pipes.
These are made by Ser Jacopo and based on pipes that appeared in Van Gogh paintings.

The entire collection can be viewed HERE
What are your favorites?

Book Review: NOT JUST A LIVING

NOT JUST A LIVING:

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO CREATING A BUSINESS THAT GIVES YOU A LIFE

Not Just a Living: The Complete Guide to Creating a Business That Gives You a Life

There are few books about business that have moved me as much as this one by Mark Henricks.

An entrepreneur had lurked within me for years.

And after reading many books, and after following many schools of thought, and after trying many different avenues in search of my own business…It was finally this book that set my inner-entrepreneur free.

I credit Henricks and his book Not Just a Living with my finding happiness after over a decade of misery in the corporate world…and after two decades in the daily grind of working hard to make other people’s dreams come true.

I plan to review other books via my blog in the future. But, I can speak with certainty that none of my book reviews will cover a book that has so positively influenced my life the way this book has.

Too many books written for would-be entrepreneurs are written from the perspective that if a $50k-a-year salary is good, then $250k a year is better. And if $250k annually is better, then $1million must be great.

WRONG.

This philosophy is not applicable to all entrepreneurs.

Wanting to make a living while still having time for a life is what many of us desire.

Other books want to steer you towards a specific business or industry like MLM, Technology, Robotic engineering, Real Estate.

Hey these are all the hot industries of tomorrow.

Jump on and become the next hot-shot millionaire they shout.

WRONG

What if you aren’t interested in MLM, Technology, real estate, or engineering?

Many people would rather earn a decent living saving animals than making a killing creating the next Microsoft.

Others may prefer to just keep a good standard of living for the rest of their life by giving surfing lessons on some beautiful beach instead of earning six figures annually designing tomorrow’s factories.

While others still, would prefer to have the ability to run a successful business and attend all of their child’s soccer games rather than owning half of the commercial real estate in Manhattan and never being home on weekends.

Sure some entrepreneurs want to become millionaires; others want to be powerful business owners ruling over giant global corporations that employ thousands. And some want to be the hotshot cover on Money Magazine.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

But not all entrepreneurs feel this way.

There are enough books that cater to those future millionaires.

This book is for those who want financial freedom without the stress of working 60+ hours a week.

It is for those that want to own a business and not just own a job.

It is for people who prefer flexibility in their work schedule over corporate power.

But mostly, this book is for people who value time, friends, and family over financials and need help learning how to find what the perfect business is for them.

You will get no information on what the “hot” business is for tomorrow from Not Just a Living.
But, this book will teach you how to find the perfect business for you.

You will not find any get-rich-quick promises in this book.

But, you will learn that being rich has little to do with the figures on your bank statement.

If you are truly interested in working for yourself, give Not Just a Living a chance to change your life.

Not Just a Living 

Some of my favorite costumes for Halloween...