Bag of Randomness for Friday, December 9, 2016

  • In yesterday’s Bag of Randomness, someone asked if our outdoor lights were as big as softballs. They are slightly larger, closer to bunny size. Here are our pets for scale.
  • In case you weren’t aware, but one of John Glenn’s co-pilots in the Korean War was the greatest hitter that ever lived.
    • He followed that up with another 90 combat missions in the Korean War, where his co-pilot on many of them happened to be another American legend in baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams.
  • The joy about a Trump presidency is he doesn’t care about precedent – Donald Trump to Remain Executive Producer on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ 
    • In the credit sequence, Trump’s name will air after that of “Apprentice” creator Mark Burnett and before Schwarzenegger, who is also an exec producer of the new incarnation.
      • I wonder if it will read Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Donald Trump?
    • The larger issue for MGM, NBC, and the White House is the payment that Trump will receive for the series. It’s unclear what his per-episode fee is, but it is likely to be in the low five-figures, at minimum.
  • While not a dog, we did name our bunny, Buno, after him, and this is a UK based article – The year’s top dog names revealed
    • Leading the pack is Max, which takes top spot for another year, with Bono, after the U2 frontman, a close second. A more regal sounding Charlie is the third most popular name among the nation’s 8.5 million dogs.
  • This news story is from earlier this week, a ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant died from cancer a week before her episode aired. She wanted any of her winnings to go to cancer charities.
  • Baylor introduced their new head coach at a celebratory press conference on Wednesday. The next day, it was reported Art Briles is going to sue three school regents and a vice president for libel and slander. I wonder if Briles tried to time the announcement of his lawsuit, and if it had anything to do with his son, a current assistant, not coming back because of the new head coach, which had to be a foregone conclusion.
  • Smithsonian – From the Telegram to Twitter, How Presidents Make Contact With Foreign Leaders – Does faster communication cause more problems than it solves
    • Abraham Lincoln only sent about one telegram per month. 
    • President Rutherford B. Hayes was actually one of the new technology’s earliest adopters. He installed a phone in the White House, which could be reached by dialing “1.”
  • In my first job out of college and in Dallas, the person who sat next to me told me to “always sh-t on company time” – In an act of mild corporate rebellion, dudes are using apps like Poop Salary to track how much their jobs pay them to sh-t
  • The death of local attorney Brian Loncar got me to thinking . . . when local attorney R.A. Gabrial dies, he’s going to get a lot of flowers . . . but guess what, he’s already dead . . . he died by falling off a mountain.
Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Bag of Randomness for Thursday, December 8, 2016

  • Those pics are my attemp at trying to take artsy fartsy photos of GeedingManor.
  • For the first time in a long time, “Ricardo Perry” left a comment. Every time I see that commenter name it makes me smile and I’m not sure why. No offense, Coach Mackovic, or any others.
  • DaughterGeeding attends a charter school and yesterday they sent home a form to complete if we’d like to enroll her in an after school program called “Studying Virtue Through Scripture” which would cost $40. You can read the form here. I’m a bit surprised (not insulted or upset) that they could offer such a program since they only use taxpayer funds to run the school. Perhaps it’s possible because it’s an after school program and materials are paid for by the individual. I’m not sure, I’m ignorant.
  • I really don’t know much about the new University of Texas head football coach, but I thought this was a neat/inspiring tweet: 
  • Vinyl album sales out-perform digital downloads for first time
  • Here’s something for you fans of Tina Fey and David Letterman from The Hollywood Reporter –  The Tina Fey Interview, by David Letterman (and yes, they do gripe about politics)
    • I’m sure everyone can relate with Fey about this experience as a kid:
      • “I can remember the feeling of, “Oh, it’s Sunday,” and you hear the 60 Minutes theme and start to have a panic attack because you didn’t do your homework.”
    • However, I relate with Dave about this:
      • “The humiliation of bombing is so much lower than the exhilaration of doing something well.”
    • Dave doesn’t know much about church, but then again, this doesn’t happen at my church either:
      • Letterman: Wait a minute, there’s a doughnut line at church?
  • Mathematician Hannah Fry tells the intriguing story of how the number zero was ‘discovered’ – and why we couldn’t predict the future without it.
  • Johnny Depp Ranked Most Overpaid Actor for Second Straight Year
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, December 7, 2016

8403fe_da_081210fdr

  • Interesting how times have changed. In that picture, you see all sorts of people standing in front and besides the president, something you won’t see ever again.
  • I wonder if FDR had any idea how much the word “infamy” would stand out, and now when spoken or written, makes Americans think of one specific event in history. Instead of “infamy”, “world history” was originally in place.
  • ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ had a segment on FDR’s speech
    • The speech lasted just 6 1/2 minutes, 2 1/2 pages. Sometimes, shorter is better, just ask Lincoln. I can’t imagine another president giving such a short speech in front of Congress after such a grievous tragedy.
    • The State Department drafted a 17-page speech rehashing the history of U.S.-Japanese relations, but Roosevelt set it aside and went with his gut.
    • Per his secretary – “He dictated most of it without interruption, punctuating, letting her know where the periods and the exclamation points needed to go. “After he finished she left the room and typed it up, brought it back to him. And then FDR himself did all of the editing in pencil to his own speech.” And here it is — edited by Roosevelt in his own hand. Two-and-a-half pages in length, it begins with what would become one of the most famous sentences in American history.
      day-of-infamy-speech-draft-620
  • Of course, I’ve been aware of the sinking of the USS Arizona, but it’s not until becoming an adult that I got a real grasp and power of the death toll:  1177 – the single largest loss of life in American naval history, and there were 23 sets of brothers.
    • Hangar 79, still bears the scars — the bullet holes in its bright blue window panes remain, reminders of the serenity shattered on a quiet Sunday morning.
      screenshot-2016-12-06-at-11-09-38-pm
    • “At that moment we were the 14th military power in the world, behind Sweden.”
      • “It is the transition day when we shifted from being an isolationist nation to being a global superpower.”
  • The ‘CBS Evening News’ had a cool segment on how the University of Arizona honors the USS Arizona
    • Three years ago, he started work on an idea for a thin red outline across the bustling commons at the University of Arizona. It is something new to remember something old: The exact measurement of the doomed battleship’s main deck. “In the initial outline of the ship, 597 feet long, and we had 5/8 of an inch to spare,” Carter said. In the middle, a structure like a ship’s bridge with a medallion for each man who died. More than 700 were 22 or under — college age.
      uss-arizona-smaller
  • Men’s Health – How This 104-Year-Old Pearl Harbor Survivor Packed On 20 Pounds Of Muscle
  • I’m not suggesting there’s any truth behind this, but here’s something fun for the conspiracy theorist. Trump made comments about Boeing yesterday which caused their stock price to slide in premarket trading; however, they fully recovered by the end of the day. Trump did this as a favor to someone who was trying to short the stock. Again, I’m just having fun with a conspiracy theory, and not suggesting there’s an ounce of truth in what I just wrote.
  • Seeking advice:
    • A question for you auto mechanic types – I own a 2007 GMC Acadia. When I turn on the blinker to turn right, it blinks at a rapid rate, which led me to believe the bulb was out, and that appears to be true. I did some research and discovered the Acadia uses LED lights, which means you can’t replace the bulb and forced to replace the entire housing. Before I purchase one, which can cost $65-$120, I thought I’d check to see if a fuse was blown, and they all appear to be in working order. Before I buy a new housing or light assembly, I thought I’d check with you experts to see if I’m missing anything obvious.
    • A question for your veterinarian – DogGeedingII was playing fetch with the kids. I wasn’t outside watching them, but the dog came back home limping, not putting any weight on his back right leg. I’ve inspected his paws and didn’t notice any thorns or the like, and I gently moved every joint in his leg and hip, but he shows no signs of pain whatsoever. It’s been a week, and he still won’t put any weight on it, and I’ve checked his paw and joints numerous times rotating them in every direction they are supposed to go – nothing, no pain. He’s still full of energy and hasn’t had a loss in appetite, and he still brings the ball to play fetch, but I have to keep hiding his ball because I’m trying to get him to rest and heal. His only limitation is that he can’t put weight on it and can’t jump on the sofa or bed. I thought after a week he’d be well by now, any thoughts before I schedule a vet visit?
    • A lot of folks I know who own a DSLR really don’t know how to use it well, but there’s a new tool that might make it easier. I spent a good half-hour toying around with it.
    • Wired – Learn How To Use A DSLR Camera, With This Nifty Web Tool
  • Stuff about Arizona Iced Tea I didn’t know until yesterday
  • Gun-wielding Alabama Mannequin Challenge leads to 2 arrests; weapons and drugs seized
Posted in Personal | 7 Comments