misccubed

a gramma

2019-11-24T14:48:00.001-05:00

2019-04-20T03:18:00.001-04:00

These files may have stumped https://clarifai.com. Have submitted to them for tagging.

2014-06-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One thing I like as a bonus in a book is for it to tell me things I didn't know before, like what it's like to do another trade or skill. I got details of two lifestyles I hadn't known before. There is another author I like, who also does this: Tracy Chevalier. With her books I've seen details of painting, tapestries, quilting, underground railroad. With this book, I got details of the ugliness in antiques trade and the drug trade.

I also like a book to have at least a little closure; either positive or neutral. This book did that. I was so relieved.

The protagonist character of this book was well developed; another plus. And I found myself hoping for many things for him. I also keep thinking about various what-if scenarios, as a person might do with their own life choices.

But my favorite part was how it turned into a little bit of classic Russian literature, with various characters spouting philosophical. I like reading about the characters being representative of various point of view that the author may have been struggling with. I found it very thought provoking.

But I give it 4 our of 5 stars, I think, because through so much of it I was not happy about it but I kept reading because I was so curious about how *bad* the situation would get. I don't really like being a rubber-necker so much.

View all my reviews

The Best Design Tools for Improving Your Home

2012-01-26T17:51:00.000-05:00

from lifehacker.com:

Wandering around Home Depot until inspiration strikes is a terrible idea. If you've got a loose idea for a redesign, re-arrangement, or physical improvement to your house, apartment, or even a dorm room, we recommend these computer planning tools for the job. More »

new layout

2012-01-26T17:46:00.000-05:00

Well, my blog has been kinda broken for a while - it would auto-redirect. I've changed my layout and hopefully it won't redirect anymore. After several years I suppose it really needs to be freshened up.

some recent Social Media and Security/Privacy articles that may be of interest

2012-01-11T10:18:00.005-05:00

4 Facebook Security Tips to Stay Safe in 2012 http://www.cio.com/article/print/696212

Facebook's New Timeline: Important Privacy Settings to Adjust Now http://www.cio.com/article/690742/Facebook_s_New_Timeline_Important_Privacy_Settings_to_Adjust_Now?taxonomyId=3119

Facebook May Be Scary, but We Love it Anyway http://www.cio.com/article/696205/Facebook_May_Be_Scary_but_We_Love_it_Anyway?taxonomyId=3119

Social Networking, Ignorance, and Apathy http://www.cio.com/article/696197/Social_Networking_Ignorance_and_Apathy?taxonomyId=3119

Facebook Privacy: How the FTC Settlement Affects You http://www.cio.com/article/695461/Facebook_Privacy_How_the_FTC_Settlement_Affects_You?taxonomyId=3119

well-loved grill, 20 years old, some accessories might be removed

2011-09-25T09:05:00.000-04:00

well-loved grill, 20 years old, some accessories might be removed

Brevard Manatees 2011 Schedule

2011-03-19T12:38:00.003-04:00

The manateesbaseball.com site doesn't have the same print rev of the schedule brochure that is available at checkout counters, so I scanned it in for reference:

I also input all the dates into a Google Calendar [click here]. Note, this season starts in April.

Puerto Rican Statehood debate

2010-04-30T07:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, I only just heard about the debate today, so I'm a bit out of touch. So I googled the topic and found what seems to be a good objective review of the issue:
http://www.essortment.com/all/puertoricansta_rdla.htm

Awsome site for helping kids decide on careers

2010-03-05T11:10:00.000-05:00

from Bridges.com:

Introducing IMPACT: Make a Difference Through Participation

Linking careers to current events can help students see how their career plans can have an impact on the world around them. XAP and Bridges are proud to introduce the IMPACT site -- a dynamic site aimed at linking events in the news with career planning. Our first focus is the earthquake in Haiti. Find out how many careers and volunteer opportunities are involved in the process of rebuilding Haiti.

Visit the site: http://impact.xap.com/

Theme Builder Creates Document Themes for Office 2007

2009-12-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

I think I found this on Lifehacker.com:

Windows only: Standalone application Theme Builder creates themes for Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and even Outlook emails—allowing you to create a consistent look and feel across all your documents.

Downloading the application requires using Microsoft's annoying File Transfer Manager, which usually requires Internet Explorer, and once you get past that hurdle you need to make sure that you've got the .NET Framework 3.0 and Office 2007 Interop installed—but once you've successfully navigated through all of those, the application is relatively easy to use.

You can make a copy of the themes under your Office Install -> Document Themes directory, and then open them up in the Theme Builder application to customize just about any aspect of the theme. Once you've finished, you can save them out to your documents folder and use them from any Office application by choosing the Browse option under the themes panel's drop-down menu. If you want them globally available, you can save them out to the Office installation directory where the rest of the theme files are.

The application is a bit of a pain to get going, but could be a huge timesaver for making sure all your Office documents have a consistent look. Theme Builder is a free download for Windows only.

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

2009-11-10T22:16:00.002-05:00

from lifehacker.com:

Chalkboard paint is a childhood-recapturing tool and a great way to repurpose cruddy furniture. Finding it, and finding it in non-black colors, can be a challenge, so two different sites write up recipes for mixing your own.

Photo by Francis Bourgouin.

The Craft at Home blog has a recipe that makes any acrylic paint of your preference chalk-friendly, though darker colors are still more effective as an actual writing surface. That recipe requires powdered tile grout and glazing medium, which you can usually find at your local hardware store.

If the glazing medium is hard to get at, or you just want fewer steps, Martha Stewart's site explains how to make DIY chalkboard paint with just the tile grout. What's more, her site offers some seriously inspiring ideas on how to implement chalkboard paint in all sorts of spots around your home—we're staring somewhat jealously at the calendar-like pattern shown here.

worry-wart

2009-10-25T13:23:00.001-04:00

I worry too much, and officially have "anxiety". I just read today, on ehow.com, about how a person can use strips of paper to manage worries. However, I have had a thought that may build upon this technique. I have created a spreadsheet, with examples. Anyone is welcome to use it.

It uses the filtering (drop-down lists) feature in excel. If you get to a point where you're not seeing things you think you should see, check the data tab, and the filter funnel (or clear). Then, make sure you have only one cell selected and click on the filter funnel again. And besure to unclick "yes" in the "am I done with this worry forever" column.

Directions for inventorying worries:

enter one worry per line
fill out column B for every worry. for the "no"s go to step 3, and for the "yes"s go to step 6.
for all the "no"s in column B, fill out column C. You can find all the "no"s by selecting the drop-down in cell B1, and select "no". Just be sure to go back and "select all on that column when you're done
for all the "no"s in column C, put a "yes" in column E; then filter column E so you can't see "yes" rows - this is the same as throwing that worry away
for all the "yes"s in column C, think about when you might be able to do something about it and put that info into column D (of course if you put "never" in column D, you might as well have put a "no" in column B instead - see step 4)
for all the "yes"s in column B, get to work! This is where you are empowered! Do your thing! If you come back to the list at some later time and your worry was not taken care of, you'll need to see if you're still worried about it. Think about if you can do anything about it today, etc, and you're back at step 2.

Directions for using the worry list as a tickler:

make sure all data is showing except the "yes" entries in column E
click on the drop-down in column D and browse through it, selecting things that you want to focus on; things for which the date or event has passed, for instance
look at the the worry listed in column A and reconsider it, going back to step two in the above list

Find the Hate Groups in Your State

2009-09-29T20:10:00.001-04:00

Find the Hate Groups in Your State

The Southern Poverty Law Center created an interactive map, detailing the whereabouts of the 926 active hate groups in the United States.

Read More >>

An Engineer’s Guide to Cat Yodeling

2009-08-15T12:27:00.003-04:00

They've done it again! Paul and TJ from An Engineer's Guide to Cats have made another video, this time with tips on their cat yodeling technique.

Can't see the video above? Click here to watch it on the site.

Jewelry goes Open-Source Affordable, one-of-a-kind jewelry you design yourself.

2009-07-20T11:06:00.000-04:00

Jewelry goes Open-Source

Affordable, one-of-a-kind jewelry you design yourself.

Custom Printed Shower Curtains from Your Digital Photos

2009-06-20T07:24:00.001-04:00

from unplggd:

Ever wanted a shower curtain printed with a unique design or photo? Honestly, no really. But now the possibility is available via PhotoShowerCurtain.com, we're pretty intrigued with the idea of doing an x-ray themed shower curtain or finding a vintage wallpaper design we like and using it fancy up our bathroom shower decor...

Using a dye sublimation printing process, Photoshowercurtain.com can recreate any photo in high and vibrant detail onto waterproof shower curtain fabric in a 2-4 weeks turnaround. This service seems perfect for a partnership with Flickr and/or other image hosting sites, don't you think? Any high resolution image can be used, so no camera phone or pre-megapixel cam photos alongside a policy against "images considered to be obscene, vulgar, hateful, an invasion of privacy, or otherwise objectionable" (invasion of privacy? It's my shower curtain!). Prices range from $149 for a stall size curtain and $199 for a full tub wrap around for those looking to decorate their bathroom with something uniquely their own. [via Trendhunter]

The 10 Best U.S. Cities to Live and Work

2009-05-28T18:24:00.000-04:00

from Lifehacker.com

Personal finance site Kiplinger has released their annual list of the best cities in the United States to live and work. The key this year: It's all about where you can find—and keep—a good job.

(View Best Cities for Jobs in a map)

Here's the quick list:
No. 1: Huntsville, Alabama
No. 2: Albuquerque, New Mexico
No. 3: Washington D.C.
No. 4: Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 5: Athens, Georgia
No. 6: Olympia, Washington
No. 7: Madison, Wisconsin
No. 8: Austin, Texas
No. 9: Flagstaff, Arizona
No. 10: Raleigh, North Carolina

When our numbers guru, Kevin Stolarick, evaluated U.S. cities for their growth potential, he looked not just at the overall number of jobs, but also at the quality of those positions and the ability of cities to hold on to them when the economy softens.

Hit up the Kiplinger link for the full run-down, including stat sheets on each of the cities that made the top 10. If you've spent any time in the cities that made the short list, let's hear more about them—whether or not you think they belong on this list—in the comments. Meanwhile, if this year's list didn't excite you, a quick look at last year's list may provide some solid alternatives.

Best Cities: It's All About Jobs [Kiplinger]

In defense of distraction: Twitter, Adderall, lifehacking, mindful jogging, YouTube, Facebook, endless email, and the subtle benefits of overstimulation...

2009-05-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

something that aldaily.com forwarded me to:

The Internet is basically a Skinner box engineered to tap right into our deepest mechanisms of addiction. As B. F. Skinner's army of lever-pressing rats and pigeons taught us, the most irresistible reward schedule is not, counterintuitively, the one in which we're rewarded constantly but something called "variable ratio schedule," in which the rewards arrive at random. And that randomness is practically the Internet's defining feature: It dispenses its never-ending little shots of positivity—a life-changing e-mail here, a funny YouTube video there—in gloriously unpredictable cycles [more]

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

2009-05-20T06:04:00.000-04:00

forwarded from my Aunt & Uncle:

Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop.
Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink .
For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer .
A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rollingover and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives; then you'll be afraid to cough.
You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use the WD -40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem

Daily Thought:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES; NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

Study: time kids spend online not wasted after all

2009-05-15T10:18:00.000-04:00

from lifehacker.com:
A large survey of studies that explore the use of the Internet by children in the second decade of their lives find that, in general, it's acting as just another social tool, while providing them new outlets for learning and creativity.
Read More...

Understanding the outbreak: an influenza biology primer

2009-05-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

from Ars Technica:
Swine flu, bird flu, H1N1—tracking the influenza virus can be a confusing task, not generally made easier by the fact that most people only attempt to do so when addled by flu symptoms or in the midst of worries about a potential pandemic. We recognize that the latter appears to apply to the current situation, but we'll do our part to try to explain a bit of the biology of the virus. Putting together this explanation was made a bit challenging by the fact that anyone we could find who has detailed knowledge of the influenza virus appears to be busy actually working on the current outbreak.

On the surface: the HxNx nomenclature

Like most viruses, the currently spreading swine flu virus has a coat formed of proteins which surround the genetic material that allows the virus to hijack a cell and reproduce. These coat proteins are critical in a variety of ways: they determine which cells the virus can latch onto and infect and, being exposed, they're the things that antibodies recognize when your body generates an immune response to the virus. For the flu virus, the major coat proteins are called hemagglutinin and neuraminidase—the H and N of the commonly used nomenclature for identifying these viruses.
Click here to read the rest of this article

Before iTunes, This is How Computers Could Play Music

2009-04-26T16:20:00.000-04:00

from apartmenttherapy.com/unplugged:
We spotted this YouTube video from user bd594 embedded on Geekologie and instantly fell in love. You see, this guy has far too much time on his hands and has composed Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody using an orchestra of out-of-date technology. Come on inside to hear what an Atari 800XL on keyboards, Texas Instruments TI-99/4a on lead guitar and an HP ScanJet 3C on lead vocals sound like...

The ~~nerd~~ brilliant artist who created this masterpiece has this to say:

This is dedicated to all fans of Queen and hey let's not forget about Mike Myers and Dana Carvey of Wayne's World. No effects or sampling was used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?) Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar 8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass 3.5 inch Harddrive [sic] as the gong HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate [sic] times for each voice. I tried to buy 4 HP scanners but for some reason sellers on E-Bay expect you to pay $80-$100, I got mine for $30. I keep hearing parts of the song are out of tune. Keep in mind the scanner and floppy drive are not musical instruments. These are mechanical devices whose motors tend to drift and can cause some notes to be out of tune.

my dog has OCD

2009-04-05T10:26:00.002-04:00

(as if all dogs don't)

Ever since my sister brought her dog to stay with us while she and hubby travelled around the northeast in preparation for her starting Vet school (about 10 years ago?), and her dog ate the end of my dog's rawhide bone off (her dog's 10-20 lbs bigger than my 10 lb dog), my dog has protected this rawhide bone. She has to bring it to bed with her, and after dinner she has to have it on the couch with her during TV time.

WELL . . . yesterday my husband brought home new rawhide bones. Seems our dog had tried chewing on this petrified rawhide bone and didn't seem to like it. Either it tasted bad (but whenever has that stopped a dog from eating something?!) or she felt bad about chewing on what we've dubbed her "most prized possession". So he was thinking she might like a new bone to chew on.

She is so traumatized.

Now she has TWO bones to protect!! She won't even come out on the porch (which she loves) because she needs to protect these two bones. She actually went back to bed this morning so she could be with the two bones. So I brought the two bones out to the family room and put the new one with her on a chair. I'm thinking about phasing out the old one (but at this point even WE are used to it being around).

What to do, what to do . . .

Convert PowerPoint Presentations to Video at authorStream [Sharing]

2009-04-02T11:38:00.001-04:00

from lifehacker.com

Want to share a presentation with friends, co-workers, or the web at large without worrying about who does or doesn't have PowerPoint installed? authorStream, a free presentation sharing site, offers the same kind of embed-anywhere utility as previously-posted SlideShare, but also provides options to download presentations as MP4 video files, putting slideshows with or without audio one step away from YouTube, iPods, DVDs, or whatever format comes in handy. To work as video, presentations must have either recorded narration or rehearsed timings added in PowerPoint, which the Digital Inspiration blog explains in detail at the via link below.
AuthorStream [via Digital Inspiration]