10 Defunct Languages or Writing Systems
JFrater, listverse.comWhen word of mouth was not enough to communicate shared knowledge in prehistoric societies, images were used. When they were not able to accurately depict the complex concepts of evolving man, words arose. In the list we discover ten languages or…
Month: January 2013
Does Facebook’s photo album system really suck? Yeah, it does. It really does.
I haven’t even checked yet to see if I have these photos stored anywhere else, so it’s just starting to set in now while I’m writing this how bad Facebook is at keeping pictures. This album, a bunch of concert photos of Wyclef from “over a year ago” (great info Facebook, keep that up and you’ll continue to suck). Most of them were crappy camera phone shots, but a few were very close up from when he came out into the crowd right next to us. Those were really good pictures. Now they’re gone.
So, yeah… Facebook can’t be trusted to keep photos for “over a year” apparently.
The Pizza Lab: Foolproof Pan Pizza | Slice Pizza Blog
Oh man, I need to get myself a good, old and seasoned 12-inch Griswold or Wagner cast iron. I need some homemade pan pizza in my life.
Anyone have a grandma that recently passed away?
I have the cast iron skillet. I just need someone with the patience and skill to create the masterpiece for me. I have both, but never at the same time.
The Nine Types of Intelligence
1. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)
Designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. It is also speculated that much of our consumer society exploits the naturalist intelligences, which can be mobilized in the discrimination among cars, sneakers, kinds of makeup, and the like.
2. Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)
Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalist, and sensitive listeners. Interestingly, there is often an affective connection between music and the emotions; and mathematical and musical intelligences may share common thinking processes. Young adults with this kind of intelligence are usually singing or drumming to themselves. They are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss.
bikini-camera-phone
My wife, Roselyn, is a day care teacher here in Washington DC. The place where she works accepts “vouchers”, which means that the parents of the children pay nothing for the day care service because of arrangements they have made with the government to provide coverage of the costs of what would normally be the responsibility of the parent.
Just before Christmas, we bumped into one of the parents while out “holiday” shopping at Bloomingdale’s. This is not a normal shopping destination for us, but I wanted more Nespresso “pods” to go with the awesome Nespresso U Bundle Roselyn got me for Christmas so I could serve guests a nice cappuccino and to show off my great early gift a little at our Christmas Eve party. (Bloomingdale’s has a Nespresso Boutique in upper Northwest DC).
Walking away from the woman, Roselyn explained to me that she was the parent of one of the children at her work. I was somewhat shocked, knowing that the parents receive free day care from the city (a welfare benefit) because this woman looked and dressed the part of a Mademoiselle Magazine cover and she was carrying 4 Big Brown Bags.
Now, each day when I drop Roselyn off for work, I’m noticing a number of the parents unloading and picking up their kids in late model BMW, Mercedes, and top of the line Cadillac sedans. Roselyn also reports to me that the kids of the nicer car driving/very well dressed “parents” are more frequently unbathed and wearing the same clothes to school 3-4 days in a row than those of the truly struggling kids (with parents driving older cars and dressing the part of an “average” parent).
This photo reminded me of this “phenomena” which disgusts me every time I take her to or pick her up from work. I see these “parents” picking small kids up high in the air with one hand by the shoulder socket and throwing them down to the ground and other abusive tactics that make me wonder if my lifelong assertion that most people are “good” is just not true.
The type of scene portrayed in this photo is real life for kids like this one. It exists 2 blocks from my front door where I see it 5 days a week. Its probably happening not far from you right now.
Nespresso IS espresso… hello?
I did a lot of thinking about getting a “real” espresso maker. The simple fact is I would have wanted a better one very quickly. I don’t want to be a, “obsessive practitioner” and really don’t get excited about such things.
The quality of what I’m getting from my Nespresso U “Bundle” setup is good enough that my track record of skipping coffee shops and waiting until I go home for a late day cup is very high. This was one of my main concerns when I first started considering which type of equipment I would get, so I’m really glad I chose Nespresso.
On the point below, “obsessive practitioners” and the like can’t deny the result. If they do, they’re just cranky!
The article pointed out that even the crankiest craft brewer respects Budweiser for their ability to create a consistent product.
Nespresso U D50 Espresso Maker with Aeroccino Milk Frother, Pure Black
The Kraken Is Real: Scientist Films First Footage Of A Giant Squid
For thousands of years, sailors have told stories of giant squids. In myth and cinema, the kraken was the most terrible of sea monsters. Now, it’s been captured — on a soon-to-be-seen video.
Even after decades of searching, giant squid…