Spelling Bee Funds Used for Audio Books at Austin Public Library
The funds raised by the Austin Chronicle Adult Spelling Bee were used to complete the collection of 2010 Audie Winners at APL. The “Audies” recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.
At least they’re promoting an understanding of irony, if not literacy.
I experienced my first earthquake last night in LA. I’m staying in Manhattan Beach, and at about 2:17:11 AM (PST) this morning, I was rudely shaken awake by our planet. Thanks, Earth. I quickly Googled up this link in a sleepy haze to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. As you can see, at 2:17:10 AM (PST) I was lying blissfully unaware that just a few miles away, tectonic plates were conspiring against me. I’ll take Texas thunderstorms, flash floods, and even the threat of a runaway tornado over this crazy natural phenomenon any day.
No no no no no. This guy is a crank. The first thing he does is claim that the swine flu isn’t “real medicine.” And this is Fox News, where no facts are checked, ever. He cites an “increase in the incidence in brain cancer” as proof! Well, there is also an increase in the incidence of obesity, so maybe cell phones cause you to gain weight, too. Microwaves/radio waves are too long in wavelength to affect DNA. Longer wavelengths = lower frequency (ie, lower intensity). See the graph on this page.
Look at the size of the antenna on your phone (if your phone is from 1999) or radio. That’s the size of the wave, maybe a little smaller, but still nowhere near the intensity to affect DNA. They’re longer in wavelength than VISIBLE light. that would mean that your lightbulb causes even more cancer than your phone! The worst thing microwaves could do to the human body is warm it up. That said, don’t put your cat in the microwave.
I love the form feature, but it’s still very simple and can be difficult to work with. But I did find a good trick to updating a sheet with a form attached (which is surprisingly not a standard feature):
To edit a form and columns so that they continue to match-up:
First make a backup if you are not sure about the following:
1. Make receiving sheet the left-most sheet (according to ahab above)
2. Open the form in the form editor
3. Make changes to the form and do not save or close yet.
4. On the receiving SS do Form > Delete
5. In form editor do Save: The SS columns will change to reflect the new form questions.
6. Test the form
7. Move the earlier data on the SS left to match the appropriate columns
Someone was showing me a Lone Star bottle cap last night with an absolutely inscrutable little rebus puzzle in it. I got curious today if anyone had cataloged these tiny brain teasers, and thinking it unlikely, Googled it. Sure enough – every single one photographed and organized by series. Internet, you’re amazing.
My friend Nihar is posting some really interesting stuff about his recent backpacking trip across Iran. Check out part one here and part two here. Looking forward to the next installment, Nihar!
As seen on Metafilter:
An engineer, a chemist, and an economist are shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island. Luckily, several cases of catering-size cans of food have washed up on shore alongside them. Unluckily, they have no can opener. They decide to think on it for twenty-four hours, then present their solutions to the dilemma.
The engineer goes first and says “I’ve calculated the strength of the cans based on a rudimentary finite-element stress analysis, and I think if we drop a large rock onto them from 6 feet, they’ll burst open”.
The chemist goes next and says “I’ve estimated the rate at which seawater could rust through the tinplate, and I think a couple more days in the brine will do it – the cans will just fall apart”.
The economist goes last, and, looking pleased with himself, begins “Suppose we had a can opener …”
I’ve been dealing with fraudulent charges on my card for months now, and in the meantime I’ve had to make payments on this balance. I had a similar issue once with Discover and they corrected it immediately. With Citi, it’s been a months-long ordeal. Finally they sent me a letter showing a scribbled signature on a receipt (not mine of course), and told me they would not be refunding my charges. Here’s what I sent them:
I have emailed several times regarding the charges on my card ending xxxx. I am very unhappy with the customer service provided thus far. I have only received responses regarding the smaller of the two fraudulent charges on this card, and the response I received was that you deemed the charge valid. Allow me to explain the nature of this fraud:
1) I haven’t used this card since April 2009; in fact, it has been put away inside a box in a drawer since that time.
2) In May 2009 two charges appeared from some place in Spain that appears to be a furniture store, after some searching on the internet: $xxx.xx and $xx.xx; these were accompanied by a foreign transaction fee of $xx.xx and a finance charge of $x.xx.
3) I was not in Spain at the time; I was in Indiana. This can be corroborated by evidence of passport stamps, plane tickets and activity on my other Citi card which clearly shows charges on the date in question – 5/23/09 – in Indiana.
4) In a letter I received detailing your determination that the charges were indeed valid because there was a signature, said signature is a) not my signature, and b) as previously stated, I was not in Spain, and therefore it would be physically impossible to sign a receipt.
Given the clear and plain nature of this fraud, I am requesting an appeal of your decision and that you:
1) Immediately freeze this account and issue a new card in order to prevent further fraud (I was never given notice you would be doing this)
2) Refund all charges listed above, in addition to the subsequent payments I have made on this balance.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
What do you think? Strong enough? Too angry-sounding? Maybe it only sounds angry in my head, because I am actually pretty angry about this.
One of my first musical memories is hearing Vincent Price’s creepy intro to Thriller echoing through my grandmother’s dining room. I distinctly recall crawling under the table across the room to seek solace from the huge, dusty console radio. I guess it freaked me out a little.
I, like so many kids my age, was also obsessed with dancing like Michael. And like so many other lanky, awkward kids, I thought I could. Or at least, I knew I might be able to, if I could only convince my mom to buy me that rad red leather jacket with all the zippers.
So thanks, Mr. Jackson. I never got the sweet jacket, but I have always and will always enjoy your music. I hope you’re creeping out Vincent Price right now, wherever you are.
Compelling photos from the Boston Herald: 
A backer of Mir Hossein Mousavi helps evacuate an injured riot-police officer during riots in Tehran on June 13, 2009. (OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI/AFP/Getty Images)
via Iran’s Disputed Election – The Big Picture – Boston.com.