My sister forwarded me a link to the overview video for Wolfram|Alpha, a web site that bills itself as a computational knowledge engine. Both of us are always looking for sites that make doing research on the Internet easier. As a very simple example for using Wolfram|Alpha, you can enter any date and get back a wealth of information on it. When I tried that feature, a factoid popped up that coincided exactly with something unrelated I read yesterday.
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Wolfram|Alpha Coincidence
Posted in Books & Movies
Reinforcing the Flag
Would a side strip extend Old Glory's life?
The previous owner of my house erected a 30-foot flagpole at the end of the driveway right on Mud Bay. There’s a benefit from having your own flagpole—the opportunity to proudly fly our flag. But there’s responsibility too—the flag needs to be displayed properly and replaced when it gets tattered, fades, or wears out. That happens more often than you might think.
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Ask a Professional
A miracle product
Early this morning a cat-caused stain bomb exploded in my garage, effectively, I thought, ruining the finish on my Toyota Tacoma (see photo). Fortunately I know a professional auto body man who recommended a product for dealing with the mess. Not only did it easily clean the splotches of stain from my truck’s hood, fenders, and passenger door, it also removed numerous stubborn sap and tar spots.
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Free TV
Encouraged by projections from signal-locator tools available at several web sites, I have been trying to get free local TV at our Treasure Island vacation place in rural Mason County. That’s right, tvfool.com and antennaweb.org tell you how to receive high-def digital TV signals without paying a monthly cable or satellite bill. Take that, WaveCable! Buzz off, Dish Network! So far, the actual results are disappointing as there’s a large gap between them and what’s theoretically possible.
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Ghosts in Port Gamble?
I like visiting Port Gamble, the restored lumber mill town on Port Gamble Bay in North Kitsap. I drove my old Chevy there today—a gorgeous Sunday in May. There are acres of open space, a couple dozen historic homes, stunning views of Hood Canal, an old post office and general store, antique shops, a summer car show, and an annual Civil War reenactment. If that’s not enough the town’s promoters have scheduled several ghost-related events for the coming October.
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Managed Service Points
Location barcode
Is your mailbox a managed service point? Until a few months ago I had never heard of a managed service point. That’s when I noticed the white barcoded USPS sticker on the inside of the door to my mailbox (see photo). Yesterday I asked my mail carrier why it is there.
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Posted in Government
Home Improvements
Better than the old TV stand
“Never buy a cabinet on the Internet.” The advice was supplied by my neighbor, who doesn’t know a lot about purchasing things online but does know about cabinets. Judging by the quality of the materials and hardware in the corner TV cabinet I ordered recently (see photo), I now agree with him. Fortunately, the remedy offered by the vendor, Home Improvements, turned a depressing experience into one I can live with.
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Banishing Fair Share
A committee at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) publishes an annual list of words banished because of misuse, overuse, and general uselessness. Entries for 2010 include “shovel-ready,” “tweet,” and “teachable moment.” Until now I haven’t felt the need to submit an entry for their consideration. They get thousands of nominations each year. But when I browsed their web site last weekend, I noticed that “fair share” has never been officially sanctioned even though the committee has been performing their invaluable service since 1975.
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Posted in Government
Random Thoughts on April 30th
Random observations about taxes, cycling, Lowe’s, and car names as my favorite month comes to an end. There is no unifying theme.
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Posted in Biking, Business Beat, Cars, Government
A Lot of Dough for the Dough
Ever have an idea that bogs down when it gets to the implementation details? Like when some person or organization doesn’t do what you had expected or hoped? Last Saturday my friend R. B. and I thought of a great way for him to save time and effort while creating masterpiece pizzas at home. But our brillant plan was derailed by a real-world issue—cost.
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Posted in Friends & Family
