This friday Ellen Degeneres will be hosting a show about young inventors. These are brilliant kids who have invented something that not only is fully funtional, but practical.
Jake built a toilet seat "raiser" that has a foot pedal. He built a plywood base and then cut thin pieces of steel and fashioned a teeter-totter at the bottom. You step on it and the seats raises. You step off and it closes.
I am amazed at how a kid could come up with a concept like this. Jake says he got the idea when he saw a trash can with a foot pedal and thought that would be a great solution to his problem. Apparently he was constantly being scolded by his mother for not putting the seat down, which lead to her falling into the toilet. Normally I would say the mother should look where she is sitting, but in this case it lead to Jake's effective use of his creativity.
Great Job Jake!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
My application for the postion of Clerk in a Tropical Fish Store
In light of the recent opening of Parliament here are the most ridiculous British laws, as voted upon in a British newspaper poll. :
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (What’s the punishment?)
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (Understandable, after all we wouldn’t want here to get a headache.)
3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (Um…yeah)
4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day.
5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (All burglars please take note of this law.)
6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (HAHA. I can’t wait to be pregnant and travel to Britain! Changing of the Guards here I come!)
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (I wonder where they would store such property.)
8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (Hmm?? I think this one speaks for itself.)
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armor (Is the punishment death? If so can you really punish him for dying in Parliament?)
10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (But let him be if he has a gun and dynamite.)
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (What’s the punishment?)
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (Understandable, after all we wouldn’t want here to get a headache.)
3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (Um…yeah)
4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day.
5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (All burglars please take note of this law.)
6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (HAHA. I can’t wait to be pregnant and travel to Britain! Changing of the Guards here I come!)
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (I wonder where they would store such property.)
8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (Hmm?? I think this one speaks for itself.)
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armor (Is the punishment death? If so can you really punish him for dying in Parliament?)
10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (But let him be if he has a gun and dynamite.)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A Holiday For All Ages
Halloween is one of those great holidays that has something for everyone. New Year's is for adults, let's face the kids only enjoy the fireworks and that lasts 10 minutes at most. Valentine's is for the lovers. 4th of July comes close, but for kids it's really the fireworks again. Christmas is for kids (adults have fun too, but after buying all the presents, the tree, and dealing with Santa's everywhere Christmas is both wonderful and dreadful).
Halloween is for everyone. Kids get to dress up and go to their neighbors houses and get free candy!! Adults get to eat all the left over candy and not feel guilty, while dressing up as a fun charecter (such as a Bumble Bee or Tarzan) and stay out late at a few parties.
Yesterday my roommates and I threw a Halloween extraviganza. We had been decorating and preparing for 3 days and the place looked amazing. Everyone was in costumes. We had a Dorthy, Tarzan, Optimus Prime, Jesus and many other wild and crazy charecters.
Halloween is a great time to let the little kid inside take over.
Halloween is for everyone. Kids get to dress up and go to their neighbors houses and get free candy!! Adults get to eat all the left over candy and not feel guilty, while dressing up as a fun charecter (such as a Bumble Bee or Tarzan) and stay out late at a few parties.
Yesterday my roommates and I threw a Halloween extraviganza. We had been decorating and preparing for 3 days and the place looked amazing. Everyone was in costumes. We had a Dorthy, Tarzan, Optimus Prime, Jesus and many other wild and crazy charecters.
Halloween is a great time to let the little kid inside take over.
Friday, October 26, 2007
$40,326
On of the origional hard cover "Harry Potter and the Philosepher's Stone" was auctioned off the other day for $40,326. The book was from the origional printing in 1997, of 500 copies, and signed "Joanne Rowling."
This is a testament to the success of JK Rowling. Not only has she successfully credited an enterpirse for herself, selling nearly 400 million copies of the various books, but she has stepped into the world of collectables. Diehard fans who can offered to buy rare copies of the Harry Potter series seem more than willing to do it. In May, a copy of "Philosopher's Stone" inscribed with a personal dedication to the owner sold for more than $55,000.
Harry Potter has been translated into at least 64 languages. It has been adapted for all ages, including special childrens versions, and for multiple cultures (an example is the "Philosepher's Stone" of England and the "Sorcerer's Stone" of the US).
Meanwhile my parents threw out my orgional copies of the books, thus making me have to buy them new as a box set. Oh to have the originals back again...of course I doubt I'd get over $40,000, or even $1,000 for that matter, but who knows what will happen with time, I could make $50.
This is a testament to the success of JK Rowling. Not only has she successfully credited an enterpirse for herself, selling nearly 400 million copies of the various books, but she has stepped into the world of collectables. Diehard fans who can offered to buy rare copies of the Harry Potter series seem more than willing to do it. In May, a copy of "Philosopher's Stone" inscribed with a personal dedication to the owner sold for more than $55,000.
Harry Potter has been translated into at least 64 languages. It has been adapted for all ages, including special childrens versions, and for multiple cultures (an example is the "Philosepher's Stone" of England and the "Sorcerer's Stone" of the US).
Meanwhile my parents threw out my orgional copies of the books, thus making me have to buy them new as a box set. Oh to have the originals back again...of course I doubt I'd get over $40,000, or even $1,000 for that matter, but who knows what will happen with time, I could make $50.
Pictures of the Week
California Wildfires continue to strike havoc. The destruction is horrid, while more and more families are being evacuated out of the area.
A cat sits in his custom made kitty stroller on the last day of a cat competition. I had no idea that they even made these and am shocked that any cat would actually stay seated in it once the stroller started to move. This must be one behaved kitty.
Participants in an underwater pumpkin carving contest, hosted in Florida, pose with their unique pumpkins.
In the past U.N. sanctions kept tourists from visiting this Libya for more than a decade. Now this North African country is opening its borders for tourism. Libya is the home to a great many ancient cities and ruins. The opening up of it's borders will provide tourists and anthropologists a rare glimpse into a part of history that has been closed for many years. The country has ancient ruins that rival Greece and Italy, including the ancient city of Cyrene. The Sanctuary of Apollo in Cyrene is pictured here.
The Black and White Ruffed lemur is one of the many endangered species today.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
NYC
This past weekend I was in New York. It was a blast. I went there to visit my best friend (who I will refer to as Brooklyn, since that is where she lives), whom I hadn't seen since June. That alone made the trip worth while, despite the outrageous fees that Amtrak likes to place on travelers. Where are the days where taking the train was cheaper than a plane? Overall the weekend was better than I could have anticipated, and because of that I want to share it here.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday. I had arrived late the previous night and Brooklyn and I had stayed up talking about nothing. Down the street from her apartment is this little "restaurant." It's kinda a dive, but the food is good. We both got the breakfast special: 2 eggs, french fries and toast for $2. Amazing!
After breakfast we went to see where Brooklyn teaches. A nice private school. A huge upgrade from the school she taught at in France. Here the students actually listen and respond to discipline. The best part of her school is the walk way along the river. It's just a couple blocks from her school. We went there and watched the helicopters fly around the city. There was one helicopter that were pretty sure had a student driver (although others have theorized that they were filming something for the news). This helicopter hovered in the same place for a good 15 minutes. then he flew down the river and hovered again, then he landed. I know this doesn't sound interesting, but we were engrossed in trying to figure out what it was doing and why. It's amazing how much life an animated conversation can give a far odd piece of machinery. There was also a light blue helicopter that was really pretty, but it didn't do anything of interest.
After watching the helicopters we went for lunch. Then we went to the Met. This is when things got really interesting. Somehow we ended up in the exhibit rooms with out having gone through the main entrance, and thus not paying the suggested fee. Now I'm not sure if the suggested fee is really a suggestion or if it's in fact a permanent fee, but we did not pay it! We did get caught by a security guard and had to leave the exhibit at one point, but due to a little quick thinking we did not get in trouble. We had tickets for a lecture latter in the evening, and used those to get a pass into the main exhibit. The met is truly a beautiful museum.
While waiting for the lecture to begin we sat outside and judged people. That's right we said out loud what everyone thinks, but no one says. We rated the dress of both men and women on a scale of 1-17, 17 being the best. Yes 17 is a random number, and I give full credit to Brooklyn for that. I apparently am a much harsher critic. My lowest score was a 5, while Brooklyn's was an 8. Her highest was 16.5, compared to my 15, although we typically agreed on whether an outfit was good or bad.
The lecture was on archaeological findings in Egypt. It was given by the head of Egyptian archaeology. This guy was hilarious. He kept throwing joke in between talking about Kings and Queen of Ancient Egypt.
You could hear the passion in this man's voice. I hope that when I have been in the discipline for as long as he I can still feel that way, and show my enthusiasm in a way that reaches those of all ages.
After the long day out we went home to make dinner. Spaghetti O's, followed by Strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday. I had arrived late the previous night and Brooklyn and I had stayed up talking about nothing. Down the street from her apartment is this little "restaurant." It's kinda a dive, but the food is good. We both got the breakfast special: 2 eggs, french fries and toast for $2. Amazing!
After breakfast we went to see where Brooklyn teaches. A nice private school. A huge upgrade from the school she taught at in France. Here the students actually listen and respond to discipline. The best part of her school is the walk way along the river. It's just a couple blocks from her school. We went there and watched the helicopters fly around the city. There was one helicopter that were pretty sure had a student driver (although others have theorized that they were filming something for the news). This helicopter hovered in the same place for a good 15 minutes. then he flew down the river and hovered again, then he landed. I know this doesn't sound interesting, but we were engrossed in trying to figure out what it was doing and why. It's amazing how much life an animated conversation can give a far odd piece of machinery. There was also a light blue helicopter that was really pretty, but it didn't do anything of interest.
After watching the helicopters we went for lunch. Then we went to the Met. This is when things got really interesting. Somehow we ended up in the exhibit rooms with out having gone through the main entrance, and thus not paying the suggested fee. Now I'm not sure if the suggested fee is really a suggestion or if it's in fact a permanent fee, but we did not pay it! We did get caught by a security guard and had to leave the exhibit at one point, but due to a little quick thinking we did not get in trouble. We had tickets for a lecture latter in the evening, and used those to get a pass into the main exhibit. The met is truly a beautiful museum.
While waiting for the lecture to begin we sat outside and judged people. That's right we said out loud what everyone thinks, but no one says. We rated the dress of both men and women on a scale of 1-17, 17 being the best. Yes 17 is a random number, and I give full credit to Brooklyn for that. I apparently am a much harsher critic. My lowest score was a 5, while Brooklyn's was an 8. Her highest was 16.5, compared to my 15, although we typically agreed on whether an outfit was good or bad.
The lecture was on archaeological findings in Egypt. It was given by the head of Egyptian archaeology. This guy was hilarious. He kept throwing joke in between talking about Kings and Queen of Ancient Egypt.
"I was excited to find his (King Tut) erection, because erection in ancient Egypt meant resurrection!"
You could hear the passion in this man's voice. I hope that when I have been in the discipline for as long as he I can still feel that way, and show my enthusiasm in a way that reaches those of all ages.
"The Valley of the Kings still contain mystery and magic"
After the long day out we went home to make dinner. Spaghetti O's, followed by Strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Liberal Quaker
I took an on-line quiz and found out that I am a "Liberal Quaker." Here I've been trying to find my spiritual self for so long and the answers were just one electonic quiz away!
1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
3. Neo-Pagan (94%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (91%)
5. New Age (87%)
6. Secular Humanism (79%)
7. Mahayana Buddhism (78%)
8. Reform Judaism (78%)
9. Theravada Buddhism (72%)
10. New Thought (68%)
check it our yourself.
1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
3. Neo-Pagan (94%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (91%)
5. New Age (87%)
6. Secular Humanism (79%)
7. Mahayana Buddhism (78%)
8. Reform Judaism (78%)
9. Theravada Buddhism (72%)
10. New Thought (68%)
check it our yourself.
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