Well, Whadya Know

Why do we call that suite of playing cards with the cloverleaf symbol, "clubs?"

The English adopted the symbol for this suite from French playing cards. On French cards, the symbol was clearly a cloverleaf, the French word for which was "trefles," meaning "cloverleaf." So, what did the English call it? "Clubs," naturally. In the great tradition of English eccentricity, the people of that green and pleasant land took the translation of the Spanish word for the same suite, "basto," which in English is "clubs," and applied it to the cards that clearly depicted a cloverleaf.
[source: Why Things Are & Why They Aren't by Joel Achenbach]

Why is there "snow" on the TV screen when a station goes off the air?

Ordinarily a circuit in your TV's amplifier either boosts or diminishes broadcast signals, depending on the strength of the signal. But if there's no signal - as when a station goes off the air -- this amplifier circuit, called an automatic gain control, boosts to the maximum whatever it picks up. In the absence of a broadcast signal, it's picking up and amplifying random static emissions that could come from your pc, vacuum cleaner or other circuits in the TV itself. Without any signal at all you would see a white screen. The electronic static shows up as moving dark dots which, blended with the white, appear to be snow.
[source: How Do Astronauts Scratch An Itch? by David Feldman]

Why do people who lose their temper "fly off the handle?"

Tool handles were made from wood, which shrinks over long periods. The shrinking wood loosened the head of the instrument. The first good swing could send that head flying, with serious consequences for anyone standing nearby. Similarly, someone metaphorically flying off the handle is momentarily irrational and perhaps even dangerous to those near them. It is also said that such people "lose their head," which is the same thing as saying that they fly off the handle. Of course, when that used to happen literally, anyone standing close enough could lose his head, too.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]

posted at 7:31 PM | link |

Picture Time

"Glowing gold at its center and ringed by a purplish halo, a nearby galaxy holds a vast, stellar nursery with dusty and clean areas for newborn stars, a new Hubble Space Telescope image showed Thursday."

Kinda Cute Animal Picture.

Red Wolf...isn't that a beer?

posted at 3:49 PM | link |

When are we going to stop laying the blame elsewhere? I agree with those who say that racism is a societal and cultural problem, not a mental illness. Individuals like Buford Furrow - or those wastes of human flesh who dragged James Byrd to his death a few years back in Texas - who commit extremely violent hate crimes may suffer from a mental illness, but it sure as hell isn't racism. Their racism is a manifestation of a deeper psychological problem. It's a copout. Those that they lash out against are scapegoats for their own inadequacies.

posted at 11:00 AM | link |

"Do be careful with this one, 007."..more on the SmarTruck. I want.

posted at 9:37 AM | link |

Have you ever had one of those perfect moments, where all the shit of every day life drops away and you realize that the only thing important in this world are the people you love? I think most of us don't recognize those moments when we are in them, as rare as they are; the moment needs to be reflected back upon you in order for you to see its perfection.

I had one of those moments Sunday night. I was together with my 2 sisters, Sheila and Mary, at Mary's house in Rhode Island. Mary's husband and kids were in bed and the 3 of us were watching "Miss Congeniality". During one of our many pauses for bathroom and snack trips, one of us said something that we all thought was just the funniest damn thing anyone has ever said. There we were, 3 grown women aged 36, 34 and 32, lying around the living room in our pajamas and sleeping bags, illuminated only by the electric-blue glow of the television, all laughing so hard we couldn't see each other for the tears in our eyes. Once we calmed down, wiped our eyes and made yet another run to the bathroom after almost wetting our respective pants, we went back to watching the movie. (Don't bother btw - it's not nearly as funny as we are).

It wasn't until I was driving back home to Connecticut the next day that I realized how lucky I am to have the relationship I have with my sisters. No matter how screwed up life gets, no matter how daunting and unpredictable the future may seem, we will always have each other, as corny as that sounds. Those simple, perfect moments, where everything that we think we are is stripped away and all that is left is what we are to each other, those are what make all the other shit worthwhile.

posted at 2:53 PM | link |

Picture Time

Cute animal!...he's kind of slimy-looking, I know. But look at those eyes.

Road Hog!...Oh, man! Sheds a whole new light on rush hour.

and one more...

Take me out to the ball game.

posted at 1:44 PM | link |

That Must Have Been SOME Candy

I D A H O F A L L S, Idaho They won't have his fingerprints to tie him to the crime, but police say a thief didn't make it too difficult to catch him.

The man was careful enough to wipe away his prints after breaking into a vehicle, police say, but he didn't notice it was an unmarked police car. Or that its driver, Lt. Royce Clements, was watching him from across the street.

Even though the car was unmarked, the thief might have known he hadn't picked the best target. It had police lights in the window, a police radio on the dashboard and a police jacket on the back seat.

That didn't deter the man from breaking in and stealing a lighter, cigarettes and candy from the car, police said.

Neither did the fact that Clements was watching the scene from about 15 feet away, he told the Idaho Falls Post Register.

Once he'd made off with his haul, the man got in his own car and drove off, as Clements got into his vehicle and followed.

Clements then pulled him over and arrested him. [abcnews.com]

posted at 1:29 PM | link |

Here's a fairly concise commentary on the Kaycee Nicole hoax. It's ancient news by now, but I thought the article might be appreciated by some.

posted at 1:15 PM | link |

Why can't I ever remember to watch Dennis Miller? He's one of the best things on TV, yet the only time I ever catch his show is when I stumble upon it while channel surfing. Why is that? Whatever the reason, I can be thankful that at least HBO posts his rants online.

My favorite portion of his latest, The War on Tobacco, dated 5/18/2001:

"Our war on tobacco is a microcosm for a fundamental contradiction in the American psyche. We see ourselves as independent, livin'-my-life-without-the-government-on-my-back Marlboro men until something goes wrong, whereupon we turn into whiny, litigious crybabies looking for someone to foot the bill for our fuckups.

Currently there's a raft of ex-smokers suing tobacco companies because they got sick, and I just don't think that's right. Sure, I hate tobacco companies and think they sell a quintessentially evil product, and then lie insidiously through their yellowed teeth, all the while trading in their venal, profiteering souls for a lucrative paycheck in this life, knowing full well they'll spend all of time having their flesh raked by the fiery claws of Hell, while the cries of all their victims resonate in their ears for all eternity. That being said, I hate lawyers even more. "

If you'd like to read the entire rant, go to Dennis Miller Live and click on the red Rant link. A javascript window will pop-up containing the most current rant. If you get a chance, go back and read some older rants in the Rant Archive, accessible at the bottom of the pop-up window.

Okay, could I have said "rant" more often than I just did in that last paragraph?

posted at 12:12 PM | link |

One of the recent installments of HBO's America Undercover series profiled the photographer Spencer Tunik, who somehow convinces large masses of people to pose nude in public places. His latest photograph was taken this past weekend in Montreal. You know, you can barely tell the difference between the men and the women from this distance.

posted at 4:05 PM | link |

I went to a Blimpie's to get a sandwich for lunch today. They have an ice cream/frozen yogurt counter in there as well, at which stood an old man and an old woman, waiting to be served. When the counter help finished with me he turned to the old couple. They must have been with these 2 old ladies who were already seated at a table, because as I was pouring my soda, I hear the old man yell across the restaurant:

"What'd you want? Strawberry??"

To which one of the seated ladies replied:

"Yeah, yeah, vanilla!"

At this response, the old man yells,

"What size, medium??"

To which the old lady at the table replied,

"Yeah, yeah, small!"

I wonder what she ended up getting? Whatever, it was good for a mid-day chuckle.

posted at 2:42 PM | link |

Invisibles #25!

posted at 2:08 PM | link |

Happy Birthday, Tommy!!

Today is my little brother's birthday. He turns a whopping 25 today. Good Lord. Where did all that time go? He's a Broward County Deputy Sheriff down in Florida now.



Ain't he a looker?

Have a great day, Tommy. I miss you!

posted at 1:24 PM | link |