February 2010
295 posts
Winter sports across the Commons →
The Flickr blog posted some great archival shots of winter sports.
January 2010
101 posts
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How about Jennifer Lopez's dress at the Grammy...
Even if you were in a coma in 2000, you probably remember Jennifer Lopez’s dress. You know, THAT dress, the one that basically covered her boobs and not much else? I was trying to come up with a Grammy “shocker” story today in honor of tonight’s ceremony, but I had a hard time coming up with anything other than the dress.
Though, I suppose, that was the point, no?
Gov. Charlie Crist vs. Sen. Charlie Crist →
8 simple steps to refinancing your mortgage →
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Pro Bowl used to be AFTER the Super Bowl
One might be forgiven for forgetting this fact, but this is the very first year the Pro Bowl is being played before the Super Bowl. It was announced in late 2008 that the Pro Bowl would be played in the same stadium as the Super Bowl, a week earlier.
I am only very slightly ashamed to admit I didn’t realize this because I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Pro Bowl. Hey - I...
Record red ink →
Yerba mate tea: Drink in moderation →
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Do Social Search Engines Have the Answers? (LAT -... →
Social search?
The more people contribute sites, the better the results.
A great look back at how people thought about social search in 2006:
Other start-up efforts include the appropriately named StumbleUpon, which three Canadians designed to cater to habitual Web surfers. Type in a topic and click “Stumble” to randomly be diverted to a site popular with other users.
...
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The Miss America shocker
While I congratulate the newly crowned Miss America, Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron, I must confess that there’s only one previous Miss America who really has stayed in my mind all these years.
Yes, that one: Vanessa Williams.
Before she was an actress, before she was a singer, she was a beautiful woman who became the first black Miss America. Until nude photos of her shot before she began...
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Serena Williams' early days
After hearing about Serena’s win at the Australian Open earlier today, I started thinking about how it used to be Venus we always heard about. Did a little hunting, and found it was 1997 when Serena first joined the pro tour, and just the next year when the sisters first faced each other in tournament play.
This article from the Los Angeles Times was especially interesting, I thought, as it...
Officials worry Obama downplays Afghan dangers →
A Maverick's Violent Legacy →
These Hurricane Tips Really Hold Water →
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Free laptop? No such thing. →
Free laptop?
There’s no such thing as a free laptop.
You have to wade deep into I Want My Free Laptop Web site’s voluminous fine print to learn that you may in fact never receive that free laptop and that much more is afoot than merely driving traffic to sponsors’ sites.
In fact, the people behind I Want My Free Laptop — we’ll get to them in a moment — are...
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A Load Of Codswallop, Poppycock And Horsefeathers
Apropos of nothing, except that I like the word, I was thrilled to find an article in the archives of the Orlando Sentinel of William Safire explaining the meaning of codswallop. (Basically, it means “nonsense,” but as with most British English words, it means all that and more.)
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Redbox's $1 vending-machine video rentals worry... →
The hottest thing in movie rentals is as old as the Coke machine — and just as red.
Redbox movie kiosks are popping up by the thousands in supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants and convenience stores around the country. The kiosks stock DVDs that rent for $1 a day, a remainder-bin price that is less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
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Ever hear of Osama Bin Laden?
It seems long ago, now, when we first really heard the name Osama Bin Laden. He was the suspected ringleader of the bad guys who detonated bombs at two U.S. embassies in Africa.
Today, Osama bin Laden is supposedly (if he’s alive) blasting global warming as the fault of the United States and other Western nations, and calling for a boycott.
After I found the above-linked article in the...
Slice them, dice them, roll them in dough: great... →
Modest exercise, big benefits →
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Salinger in Esquire
Just saw Esquire posted links to not one, not two, but THREE things JD Salinger wrote for the magazine. Two were short stories and one was a letter.
Salinger’s letter: Inside the Mind of a Young J.D. Salinger
The Heart of a Broken Story: The first story J.D. Salinger wrote for Esquire
This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise: J.D. Salinger’s story features Holden Caufield’s older...
Selling Shamu →
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Catcher in the Rye after 50 years
I was so sad to hear of J.D. Salinger’s death. I’ve read and re-read “Catcher in the Rye” more times than I can remember. What? You know me, I can’t get enough of the old stuff.
Anyway, I found this story from the Hartford Courant when “Catcher” turned 50. Still as relevant as ever. Hope you enjoy. (BTW, that’s not a photo of my edition, but mine...
Eating Well without Breaking the Bank →
Prune your gardening budget →
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Embrace Bitterness: Hoppy Ales To You →
Once microbrews emerged as market players, the American beer drinker met hoppy beers. Since then, pale ales and IPAs have become “double” and “triple” and “quadruple” and “Imperial” versions of the traditional styles, and hopping levels have increased exponentially. Below we look at three IPAs exceeding 100 IBUs and another that features 90 IBU...
A spine-tingling ending for 'Paranormal Activity' →
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The Challenger Explosion
24 years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. For many people, that image was seared into their minds, as many children across the nation were watching - the shuttle held the first civilian passenger in NASA’s history, a teacher named Christa McAuliffe.
I went archive diving this morning and found a few stories that tell us about the people who were on...
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1992 State of the Union
President George H.W. Bush was feeling the heat, with a recession and an unpopular war (hey, wait!). Here’s the entire text of his speech, via the Los Angeles Times. Did I mention this was his last SOTU speech?
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1991 State of the Union
America had gone to war with Iraq just a couple weeks before the State of the Union address this year. President Bush used his speech, in part, to explain why, via the Sun-Sentinel.
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1990 State of the Union
President George Bush (the first one), called for a deep cut in the number of American troops stationed in Europe, via the Los Angeles Times.
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1988 State of the Union
This was President Ronald Reagan’s last, so why not share the text, via the Los Angeles Times.
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1987 State of the Union
Many said this address was rather a muddle and uninspired. Whatever the case, it was President Ronald Reagan’s last. Here’s the full text, via the Los Angeles Times.
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1986 State of the Union
When the Challenger Space Shuttle blew up, President Ronald Reagan postponed his State of the Union Address and went on TV to pay tribute to the dead, via the Los Angeles Times.
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The iPad sure looks great, but remember this?
Apple’s new products usually come with a tremendous amount of hype. No one knows how to stir the publicity machine better than Apple. But not all of its products have been hits. Remember the Power Mac G4 Cube? No? That’s because it was in production for only a year before Apple pulled the plug.
I thought I’d take a trip through the tubes to find something to refresh your memory,...
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La Citadelle Laferriere - a Haitian earthquake...
A marvel of engineering, La Citadelle Laferriere in Haiti has survived numerous earthquakes, including the most recent one. Seeing as I love the archival tubes. I thought I’d find out a little more about this 19th Century fortress.
Turns out, it’s survived earthquakes before. And even the French.
Canadians Divided Over Gun Registration Law :... →
Columbus revisited →
'Let's Make a Deal' will return; Wayne Brady will... →
'Chargaholic' breaks the habit →
Six First-aid Tips That Could Save Your Pet's Life →
Can Googling Delay the Onset of Dementia? →
A new UCLA study, part of the growing research into the effects of technology on the brain, shows that searching the Internet may keep older brains agile - it’s like taking your brain for a walk.
It’s too early to conclude that technology will help vanquish Alzheimer’s disease, but “our study shows that when your brain is on Google, your neural circuitry changes...
Strange light in evening sky was NASA launch, not... →
Walt Rupnik sat in the backyard of his Breinigsville home on Saturday evening with his wife Diane, enjoying one of the final days of the summer season.
In a flash, things got pretty weird in the early evening sky.
“I was sitting out there grilling chicken and all of a sudden I saw a bright slice of light and then we watched as a triangular shape came out of it,” the 55-year-old...
Warm your house with passive solar technology →
Passive solar technology came into use when early builders noticed that dense building materials, such as stone and brick, remained warm for hours after being heated by the sun. By facing a stone or brick wall toward the sun (south or southwest), the builders could capture and store the sun’s heat in the wall during the day. At night, the warm wall would help heat the building.
Chemical Ali's capture
As news came out today that Chemical Ali had been put to death in Iraq, I dived into the Tubes to find something from when he was captured. I found this article from 2003.
Caucus : People, Politics, Punditry →
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Virginity kits spark uproar in Egypt →
The kit allows a bride who is not a virgin to pretend she is on her wedding night. A pouch inserted into the vagina ruptures and leaks a bloodlike liquid designed to trick a new husband into believing that his wife is chaste. It’s a wink of ingenuity to soothe a man’s ego and keep the dowry intact.