1870

In honor of the 139th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, I used Wordle to create this funky 15th Amendment word cloud.


You can enter any text or any web page (with an RSS feed) to create your own. Thanks for the idea, Dena!

Savings? Solved.

Check this out: SmartyPig. Basically, it's a savings program that allows you to save for a specific goal (like a trip, for example) by transferring money automatically from your checking account. You set the goal and the time frame and SmartyPig will give you a suggested monthly amount to set aside. Your SmartyPig account even earns a 3.90% interest rate. I think the best part is that you can make your account public, so others can contribute to your goal. Once you've reached your goal, you can receive your savings plus interest on a SmartyPig MasterCard debit card, receive the amount on a gift card, or you can transfer the savings plus interest back to your checking account. Oh, and it's all free. Great idea, huh?

TimesMachine

I was subscribing to The New York Times in the fall of 2001 as part of a class requirement. So you can imagine that on September 12, I eagerly retrieved my copy of the newspaper and cherished it ever since. After all, this was history and I had it in print from one of the most, if not the most, esteemed newspapers in the country. It was surreal. There's something about a real, ink-stained newspaper that can't ever be replaced: the feel, the smell, the black fingers. I read most of my news online now, but I wish I had more memories of getting "All the News That Was Fit to Print" in... well... print. I came across this new feature from The New York Times, and looking at the headlines evokes in me that same surreal feeling. These are the headlines that have measured the pulse of our world.

TimesMachine allows you to explore the archives of The New York Times from September 18, 1851 (the very first issue of The New-York Daily Times) to December 30, 1922. You must be a home delivery subscriber to have access to each and every issue; however, anyone can have a look at some sample pages from major events in history.

Random Resources

Here are a few interesting websites I've happened upon.

eNature.com | An online field guide to over 5,500 species of everything from seashells to birds to wildflowers.

Earth911 | Wondering where to dispose of an old cell phone or fluorescent bulbs? Input your disposable and zip code here to find out the recycling or re-use location near you.

The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan | For your political amusement and/or bemusement...

Supercook | Input ingredient, get recipe.

World Ark | The magazine produced by Heifer International. I've received this publication at home for a few months now, and I'm impressed by its in-depth approach to various and complex issues.

The Power of a Great Idea

Let's face it. Any of us lucky enough to sit in front of a computer all day long has perchance happened upon an internet game site (or two) we have employed to pass the time, procrastinate, stimulate our deteriorating minds, ease our overworked minds or maybe distract us from the reality of our jobs. Tetris, Chess, Mahjong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac Man, Spades, Poker, Wheel of Fortune... you name it, they're out there and they're free. Well, now there is a game available where you can expand your vocabulary AND help to end world hunger. No longer do you need to feel guilty about playing games at work. FreeRice.com is a vocabulary game in which 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program for each word you define correctly. It's as simple as that. The money the site receives from advertising is used to purchase the rice. Since October of 2007 (only 2 months ago!), over 9.4 billion grains of rice have been donated. So, click the banner below to play! You can even set your computer (under Options) to remember your vocabulary level and donation total. There are 50 levels of words; for each word you get correct, you get a harder word. Here's to words and rice!

Amen

Taking a Whack Against Comcast

The only thing more I could ask for is an accompanying YouTube video.

Results and Post Script

I'm sure you all have been on the edge of your seat, waiting for the results of this extremely scientific survey. Wait no more; the results are in:

5% It's important to keep up with the latest developments.
78% I recognize the importance of technological advances but I don't need the hottest gadget.
15% I have what I need to get by.
0% What's wrong with the typewriter and payphone?

Most of us are in the middle, as you would probably expect. While very few of us are lining up to pay $500 for the iPhone, most of us probably do, in fact, have some sort of cell phone. Most of us are trying to keep up with what's out there, what's new, what's popular, but always in the back of our minds, what's practical, what can I afford, what do I really need?

This brings me to my post script: In a conversation with friends last night about technology, the observation was made that more technology doesn't always equal an easier, simplified, more organized life. In fact, none of us knew of anyone whose life was simpler because of more gadgets. After all, don't we end up with more things to repair? More software to update? More systems to upgrade? More email programs to synchronize? More applications to learn? More information stored in multiple places? I'm not saying that technology is never worth some of these hassles. Rather, we need to decide for ourselves which technology is truly beneficial for us, and which is simply peripheral. And I think this explains why the majority of us find ourselves in that second category. We want to be aware of technological advances, but we are constantly filtering out what we deem to be unfavorable for us. Again, we are trying to find that balance between being accessible and productive, and being... well... human.

Addendum

As a follow-up to the previous post (and really because I want to test out this new polling feature), please see the poll to the left and participate as you feel so led. The poll will close at noon next Friday, July 27th. I will be sure to post some resulting conclusions. Thanks!

Phones and Wizards

Within several weeks of each other, two of the most coveted consumer items in the world will have descended on the market: Apple's iPhone and the final installment of Harry Potter. Indeed, people auctioned off themselves to stand in long lines to purchase the iPhone for the highest bidder. I heard of a going rate of $500 on eBay. And at 12:01 am on July 21, 2007, I imagine a similar caliber of lines will form to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This book has resulted in an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies, and retailers are reporting more orders for this book than any other in history. Hats off to Ms. Rowling.

What is incredible to me about these two products is the universality of their appeal. These are not, by any means, exclusively American phenomenons. These products have reached many corners of the earth and are desired by many many people, of many countries, cultures and ages. I cannot imagine what it would be like to create and develop a product that has such a universal human appeal. Cha-ching. Of course, at least in Apple's case, it is not just Apple, Inc. that benefits. Within hours of the iPhone appearing on the shelves, opportunists/wise investors had already disassembled the phone to discover which companies had manufactured its parts. Who doesn't want to rise with the tide?

I find it very interesting that one product has maximized technology to connect with the world in a revolutionary way--anything and everything you could possibly need is literally at your fingertips--while the other product has been extremely successful at allowing people to escape from the world (albeit to enter a completely different one). What does this mean? Nothing, perhaps. But I can't help but think that we are in a limbo that we don't know how to negotiate. To one extent, we are enamored by new technology, always looking for the newest device that will deliver the utmost convenience and accessibility. To the other extent, we desire to escape from it all, to become less available. So what do we do? We bring our cell phones on vacation.

I herald the talent of those behind these products. Technology is good and important. Fictional literature is good and important. Both are necessary. They address different needs and longings of our souls. However, I think we will need to be increasingly judicious in negotiating the line between being wholly connected and accessible and preserving the human need to be unavailable.

Not just for secretaries...

While I admit that I am sometimes wary of yard sales (or tag sales, depending on where you're from), I also must admit when they do deliver. Andrew seems to have an internal radar for yard sales, always pointing them out and eagerly searching for his next treasure, while I try to distract him and steer him in the other direction. But alas, his trained eye proved to be most beneficial this weekend, and lucky for us both, I was nowhere within a fifteen mile radius. He has harbored a fascination for antique typewriters for some time now, and was fortunate to find this one for sale in our neighborhood for a great price.

Here is what we know about it:

Brand and Model: Underwood No. 5
Year: 1900s - 1920s
Description: The design that launched millions of typewriters! When it appeared on the market shortly before 1900, the Underwood No. 5 immediately became the design standard for all typewriters to come, all the way up until the 1960s when the IBM Selectric came out. This is the most successful typewriter design in history, and by 1920 almost every typewriter in production was using some imitation of the Underwood No. 5 design. The production of the Underwood Models 3, 4, and 5 lasted until early 1932. The differences among the three models are subtle: The No. 3 is a wide-carriage machine, the No. 4 types 76 characters, and the No. 5 types 84 characters. The No. 5 was the quintessential Underwood. Millions of these machines were used by secretaries, journalists, government officials, and writers throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The classic desktop. (Source: mytypewriter.com)


If you are or are discovering yourself to be a typewriter enthusiast, click on the graphic below to go to a very cool website.