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Showing posts from 2010

The Ancient Roman Centurion

I came across this photo of an historic reenactment.  Somehow it made me very excited.  I felt like a boy again playing with toy soldiers. (Click on photo to enlarge it then use the "back" button to return to my blog.) Here are the details: Centurion - (ancient Rome) the leader of 100 soldiers. [from Latin centuri, centurin-, from centuria, group of a hundred; see century.] Qualities necessary for the centurion: 1. Centurions had to be literate. 2. Have connections (letters of recommendation). 3. Be at least 30 years of age. 4. Had already served a few years in the military. The centurion in the infantry is chosen for: -his size, strength and dexterity in throwing his missile weapons and for his skill in the use of his sword and shield; in short for his expertness in all the exercises. He is to be vigilant, temperate, active and readier to execute the orders he receives than to --talk -- Strict in exercising and keeping up proper discipline amon

Variations of the To Do List

Sometimes I try too hard to be organized.  I enjoy making lists so much that I never get around to doing many of the items on the list. I don't really like the name "To Do" for a list. If you put a hyphen to connect the words it becomes a "To-Do" list.  A "to-do is a commotion, fuss, or quarrel."  Even though to do lists often cause commotions, fusses and quarrels it's not what they're supposed to do . A "task list" is not any better.    Here are some definitions for the word "task". 1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore 2. an unpleasant or difficult job or duty 3. a difficult or tedious undertaking. An agenda is even more useless and confusing.  Here are some definitions: 1. things to be done or a list of those things. 2. (functioning as singular) Also called agendum a schedule or list of items to be attended to. 3. (functioning as plural) Also called agendas agendums matters

A Final Superman Video

On the doomed planet Krypton, A wise scientist placed his infant son into a spacecraft and launched him to Earth. Raised by a kind farmer and his wife, the boy grew up to become our greatest protector Superman. But when astronomers discovered the distant remains of his home world, Superman disappeared.

Aspirin Isn't Always So Good for You

Recently I learned of the dangers of even a baby aspirin taken once a day.  I'd like to share this with you. The reduction in heart attacks and strokes in people taking aspirin was almost counterbalanced by major bleeding in the gastrointestinal system and the brain. The researchers concluded that for individuals without previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease, “aspirin is of uncertain net value.”  Aspirin should not be recommended as an across-the-board option to help healthy people prevent heart attack and stroke. ~from Harvard Medical School newsletter Here's more from this site: Aspirin for cancer prevention- promising, but not proven

Bedbugs and . . . (a music video)

Gnarls Barkley "Gone Daddy Gone"

Romantic Train Ride

This clip gives me goosebumps every time.  I love Billy Holiday's voice. Let me know what you think.  I trimmed it from a perfume commercial.

How I Get "Organized" (Part One)

Just last night I was looking for some notes, news clippings, leaflets anything having to do with retirement. As I do with my other papers, whenever I find anything of interest I skim it and file it away believing that someday I'll use it. I knew I'd put the retirement papers somewhere but I just could not remember where. I checked my files. In the folder labeled with a dollar sign "$" there was everything of a financial nature except for retirement. There was no folder labeled "Retirement". Then I remembered a large loose leaf binder I bought a few years ago at Staples: On the cover: "Better Binder, Flexible Spine, Lasting performance, Ultra flexible design, Our most durable binder."  I was so impressed I bought it with much enthusiasm. I knew I'd find something to put in it once I got home. Back at home after playing with the binder for 5 or 10 minutes I filed it on a shelf somewhere happy that if ever I should need one I'd have t

How I Get Organized (Part Two)

In my last post I wrote about how difficult it was for me to find some important information about retirement that I filed somewhere but forgot where. In frustration I imagined giving a class called: "How to Organize Your Life" "Now class pay attention to the 5 cardinal rules to organize anything in your life: First : Never put anything back in the same place where you found it. Second : If something is empty (like folders, papers, empty tissue boxes...) put it back where you found it without making a note or telling anyone. Third : Never put a label on anything you own. Fourth : Every so often go back over your possessions and shuffle them around a bit. Fifth : When possible use the four rules above to "organize" your wife's or friend's things.

How I Get Organized (Part Three)

The other day I sat at my desk overflowing with scraps of paper, bills, notes... My mood was at a deep low. How was I going to get my life together? It was all just too much to handle! If I could only find a book to guide me I'd be on my way. Then I remembered buying a book or two about getting organized but I had no idea where I'd put them. I was sure that if only I sat down and forced myself to study the books; written by supposed experts, my problems would be solved. I decided to search my house to find the books if they were still there. If I'd not put them in the trash years ago. I spent about 2 hours locating the books. After finding the first two books I had a feeling there might be more so I continued my search. After another hour I found 3 more books. A total of 5 books! Now 2 of the books looked familiar even though I had no idea what was in them. I was certain the other 3 books were not mine. I wondered if my wife bought them, sort of like a subtle hint t

How Not to Unclutter

"An organized desk must be a sign of an organized mind." ~ John M Sometimes I fear that I'm developing an obsession with being organized. I wonder if I'm spending more time getting organized than taking action. Maybe I just enjoy the time spent setting up a calendar, writing a budget, or preparing to clean out a closet. Maybe as long as there is something to "put in order" I'll be happy. I imagine myself to be some sort of superhero. My goal is to fight the forces of disorder and to remedy whatever is lacking methodical arrangement or function. To remove the complexities, disorganization, and undue busyness of the world. It's getting to the point where I must leave some place in my life, maybe even many places to keep disorganized. Why? It's like having money in the bank. I'll always have something to rely on when things just become too organized. I need to fight disorder to help give my life some meaning. Whenever I try to u

Ancient Roman Pedometer Called a Hodometer

While I was looking for the history of pedometers on the web I came across this illustration of a device used by the Romans. Here is a closeup: A description on how it worked: A gear with one tooth (A) fastened to the wheel of the cart turned a larger wheel (B) with 399 short teeth and one long tooth (C). The tooth turned the drum (D) with teeth and holes for pebbles. As the drum was turned, a rounded pebble would fall into the metal bowl (E), indicating that the cart had traveled one Roman mile. I lost the link to this site but here's a link with more information: http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/pedometer

How to Make Notes Without Damaging a Book

I wanted to find a way to make notes in a book without marking it up. A book that has yellow highlighter marks, underlining, scribbling, and folded corners not only looks bad; it makes the book almost useless to the next owner. It’s even worse if the book is not yours. Library books, books barrowed from friends, are books that should be kept clean. My system is a sort of code for the location of passages in the book with room for any notes I want to make. I'll start with the simplest case. 1. Use an index card as a bookmark. 2. Write the pages you want to come back to separated by a dash. 3. To the right make notes if needed. Example: 12 - 15 means pages twelve through fifteen. Here’s how it works if you need more detail than only the page numbers: 1. In the left side of the card write the following sequence of numbers: Page number followed by a period. 2. Then the paragraph number (1st paragraph = 1, 2nd = 2, etc.) followed again by a period. Note: a paragra

Is it a Coincident?

The other day I was thinking about what is real. I explored some ideas I've come across in my search for reality. I'm not sure if these ideas are from something I've read or seen in a movie or where. 1. There are the physical limits of our perceptions: optical illusions, night vision... 2. Then there are the philosophical disagreements on the actual nature of reality: physical matter only or spiritual only or some combination. I have a feeling that there is something missing in what we experience. A thought came to me. The possibility of the existence of events and even beings in the brink between what is assumed to be real and what is assumed to be fictitious is not easy to ignore. I thought about one of my favorite authors Poe who wrote about the strange. Then by chance or maybe it wasn't chance. Maybe something in the nature of things led me to find while I was at the post office a stamp of Edgar Allen Poe. I bought two stamps. Later I remembered a q

An Easy To Use Yet Difficult To Solve Code

“Nothing intelligible can be written which, with time, I cannot decipher." Edgar Allan Poe I've always had a fascination with secret codes but they can get too complicated. I looked for a code that was very easy to use yet almost impossible to decipher. For me that code is the substitution of numbers for letters that appear in a book, magazine or other text. The only way I can see this being solved is if the people involved know what book, magazine or text is being used. Here is my version: FIRST: Both the sender and receiver of the message must have the same copy of text. This means the same book, magazine, etc. SECOND: Find the words that you need in your message then indicate their location with numbers. That's it! Here's how it works: First number = the page of the text being used. Second number = the paragraph on that page. Third number = the sentence in that paragraph. Fourth number = the word in that sentence. For exa

Are Wires Alvie?

The other day I watched a technician from my cable company's internet service install a "wireless" device so my wife could get the internet on her laptop. I also purchased a "wireless" printer. He connected something called a "router" (anyway that's what I thought he said) with a foot long cable to another device which I already had to connect to my desktop PC to the internet (I'm not sure what it's called). This was then connected to another cable that goes outside where it eventually disappears into the ground. "Why are there so many wires? I thought this was going to be wireless." "Yeah, it is," he said. "But I don't understand. You have a wire connecting a device to another device that connects into the cable. Then there is a wire plugged into the electrical outlet. Then the printer is plugged into another electrical outlet. Then the laptop is plugged in so it can recharge its battery. Now I have

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